Instagram Poetry for Every Day

by National Poetry Library (Editor)

Instagram poetry has become a phenomenon in recent years, boosting sales of poetry books and introducing a new generation to verse.This anthology, the first of its kind, brings together over 120 poems by 50 Instagram poets, both popular names and up-and-coming talent. Short, relatable and hard-hitting, the poems embrace contemporary themes of mental health, women's empowerment, racial prejudice, gender diversity and political turmoil, as well as the perennial poetic preoccupations of love, sex and loss. With a wide range of voices, themes and visual approaches, there is something here that will speak to all of us.

Genres: Poetry

128 pages, Hardcover

Published September 29, 2020

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this collection for a one-time read.

I ended up loving the pictures more than the writings.

I feel like I have read those lines many a times before. Of course, that's why this collection is called the Instagram poetry.

I wish the beginning was better. The words were almost too crowded and small to read.

However, for the rest of the content too I felt like it's just too random to enjoy the whole collection.

Thanks for the ARC.

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Instagram Poetry for Every Day is a unique collection of Instagram quotes filled with poetry.

I liked reading this - it was something different! Seeing posts from instagram that included poetry, photography and inspiration was a really neat idea. I think this will be more of a niche book because it stands out as just being a book full of social media posts. Certain types of people will like this while others may just be bored by the idea. I think it's unique and cool, but it wasn't what I was expecting. The posts themselves kind of steered me away. I wanted to hear the unique poetry from Instagram, not see more of Instagram. Some of the posts felt really random and I didn't get why they were there, to be brutally honest. It felt like it needed a bit more structure if it was going to pull this off (for me, anyways).

Overall, this is a unique idea and some people will totally love it.

Two out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Instagram poetry for every day is a collection of poems resonating to different things and aspects in life. This was a quick read for me as at least 1/3 of the poems I couldn't see due to the book coming through as a pdf version on my netgalley shelf and blurring when I tried to enlarge the page. The poems I could read were good but not the best collection I've come across. The book seemed to be more about the art and graphical element than the poetry to me.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm generally not a big fan of Instagram poetry, to say the least. A lot of the poets who have become famous there don't strike me as particularly original or artistic. I was intrigued by this collection since it's curated by the National Poetry Library (though I'm not sure if that's a legitimate poetry organization) and hoped to find some great poems.

In general, I did like the collection but the poems often reminded me more of Post Secret postcards than poems. Many are one line broken up with artistic photos or backgrounds. Few of them are actually legitimate good poems on their own. That's definitely an issue on IG, as longer poems don't translate well to one quick, artistic image, and shorter ones tend to be incredibly cliched angsty trite.

This was a fun read in an artistic sense but more so for the visuals than the poems.

I read a digital temporary ARC of this book for review.

[Andrea Pole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instagram Poetry for Every Day by National Poetry Library is an exciting anthology of over 100 poems that are a sampling of how social media has made poetry accessible to a worldwide audience. Each poem is short, relatable, and easily digestible, and utilizes mixed media for a broad appeal.

Not being an Instagram user myself, I was intrigued by the concept of a platform that provides for fresh new voices, and the idea that universal themes and messages can now be shared so widely in order to be experienced by a new generation who might otherwise lack exposure to new voices. I am very appreciative to have had the opportunity to explore this exciting new form of artistic expression.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing Ltd. for this ARC.

[Flaka · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ☆

The influence of Instagram on the evolution of poetry is unquestionable.

In this special collection of poetry, we dive into several themes, like nature, spirituality, love, society, mental health, and many more. The poems are chosen from some of the most famous Instagram poets.

Being that it is a fresh concept, I was really excited to read it. I genuinely wanted to like it. However, it just didn't click with me.

I have read a lot of poetry on Instagram, and I can say without a doubt that I've read far better poems than the majority of poems featured in this collection. Honestly, a little more research would have lead to many great poems.

Disappointed.

[Oviya Balan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was definitely a surprise. I figured it will be a collection of instagram poems but didn't expect it to be an screenshot collection. I loved it. It was definitely a new try and I applaud the author and publisher for it.

[Brina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Da ich auf Instagram einigen Poetry-Accounts folge, war ich schon sehr gespannt auf "Instagram Poetry for Every Day", an das ich doch recht hohe Erwartungen hatte. Hier habe ich mir nicht nur dementsprechend kleine Texte erhofft, sondern auch Tipps und Tricks, wie man solche Posts am besten gestaltet. Leider entpuppte sich das Buch dabei allerdings als kleine Enttäuschung.

Wer hier mehr Hintergründe zu den Gedichten erhofft oder mehr über die Gestaltung erfahren möchte, der wird hier bitterlich enttäuscht sein, denn in "Instagram Poetry for Every Day" sind tatsächlich nur einhundert Instagram-Posts als Screenshots in das Buch eingefügt worden. Kann man natürlich so machen, wirkt allerdings ziemlich lieblos und stellenweise auch ziemlich wahllos zusammengefügt.

Positiv ist allerdings, dass die Texte hier insgesamt sehr viele Themen abdecken. Hier kommen nicht nur die ganz alltäglichen Sorgen zu Wort, sondern auch Gedichte zu politischen Themen, Rassismus, Feminismus, aber auch Liebe, Verlust und teilweise sogar sexuelle Anspielungen.

Gleichzeitig merkt man aber leider auch, dass man hier nicht wirklich die besonderen Perlen herausgesucht hat, sondern sich hauptsächlich mit größeren Accounts befasst hat, die bereits eine große Plattform haben. Hier wäre es schön gewesen, wenn man auch kleine Accounts herausgepickt hätte, die eine Chance verdient gehabt hätten.

So wirkt "Instagram Poetry for Every Day" letztendlich doch leider nur so, als hätte man den größeren Poetry-Accounts letztendlich nur eine Plattform geboten, um noch mehr Werbung für sich machen zu können, anstatt sich tatsächlich auf die Qualität der Texte zu konzentrieren.

[Martin Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mum bought this for me because "I like poetry" and "I use Instagram." And I had a laugh, but it's a shame it's in vogue to hate on this kind of poetry. Like, yes, most of this poetry was meh at best, but it didn't detract from my life. Seeing how grassroots poets with little reference to any literary canon are reacting to Instagram as an outlet is fascinating. Most of these poems I think would have made good starting off points for essays!

[Nadine Frediani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent a copy of 'Instagram Poetry for Everyday' by @laurencekingpub for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book is beautifully presented. There's an introduction that explains the importance of poetry and art together via a social media platform and I agree. The poems are then divided into 10 sections, with a wide variety of genres. Each section was then introduced and compared to the works of well known poets, which I also enjoyed.

I love poetry so I was keen to read and review this. I found the poems, creative, relatable, inspirational, and funny. I think as this is poetry it is totally subjective, there were poems I really enjoyed and some that I didn't. The poems I liked the best, others might not have. For example, I love Blackout poetry!

There were a lot of poems that focused on important topics, such as feminism, and identity. I found this book enjoyable and I am glad I read it!

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved reading this book. It has such a unique format.
This book is divided into several ‘chapters’, all representing a certain theme (such as love, nature,...). Within these chapters, instagram poems are shown in their respective form (the famous instagram square) with a bit of explanation from the poet. I think this book is so unique and it’s amazing that it helps to support the poets who mostly put their work on instagram. I loved discovering all these new amazing poets.

[mohini☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

◈2.5◈

This book featured selected insta-poems originally submitted for National Poetry Library’s Instagram Poetry Exhibition. So I was truly excited to see the “chosen ones” but unfortunately I couldn’t really get into it.

I loved the concept of it and how it thrived to showcase the raw talent of new poets who are shaping the poetry world anew with their creativity and originality. I also loved how this book featured not just the poems but also little notes of the poet’s & curator’s thoughts on Instagram as a platform and how they compose their art.

The book’s design structure was is amazing which features visual art since Instagram IS all about visual and aesthetics. Some of those pieces were hard to read, though. Also, having the poems sorted in different categories like Aspirations, Creativity, Identity, Humour, Love, Mental Health, etc. along with little introductory notes is clever.

I enjoyed it though I firmly believe the collection could’ve been more amazing if more research behind the selection was done. Poems were good but people who spend enough time scrolling on Instagram know that they’ve read better than what's included here.

Thanks to NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing Ltd. for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Shruthi Maniraj · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful effort by the team. Collating all the beautiful poetry by some of the famous and some upcoming poets of Instagram. Bite sized and so fun to read.

E-Arc provided by NetGalley for honest feedback.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lovely little book. I know not everyone is a fan of instagram poetry, but I like it and something about this collection touches on why I like it. Instagram poetry often entails a visual element to the words which often can elevate the message.

It short and sweet and arranged into themes. Occasionally there is a short caption from the author on how the enjoy Instagram as a medium for sharing their poetry and/or art (often paired together in this collection) but mostly this collection is just an introduction to what you can find being shared on instagram.

[Kirsten Tattersall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delightful collection of poetry.

[Tayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an e-copy of this collection on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was very intrigued when I saw this on netgalley as I have recently found some accounts on instagram that share poetry and I really enjoy seeing them on my timeline. I liked that this book was split into sections and included the captions from instagram under each poem. However I did not feel like this was as relatable as some other poetry collections I have read previously. Some of the poems felt more aesthetically pleasing to your eyes rather than something you would stop and read fully on instagram so didn't really make much sense (to me).

Regardless of this, I will be going to follow some of the accounts on instagram to see their future work. Like all poetry, your enjoyment is personal when it comes to instagram poetry so my review and rating is nothing personal towards the artists or this book.

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection offers a refreshing perspective on the often misunderstood cultural phenomenon that is Instagram Poetry. I liked the visuals and there were a handful of poems that I enjoyed, but the majority fell flat for me. Some didn't made sense, some are hardly poetry, and some are little wonder why this genre is misunderstood.

I also found the introduction and chapter 'inserts' by the editors to be overly long, preachy, pretentious and unnecessary. And just as I was expecting a final note from them, the book ends abruptly.

Each page ends with a little note from the poet/artist, which I thought was a nice touch, but they all pretty much echoed the same thing/values so after a while it stopped being a nice touch.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This collection takes a look at how poetry is done differently on Instagram and how poets can express themselves in a different way. It's an interesting look and also as if it is a museum exhibit of the poetry.

We get an introduction to each section which has a theme and we get the photos as they would have been posted to IG. There are also snippets of thoughts from the poets which explain their process or how IG has influenced them.

This was an interesting collection but I struggled to feel much from reading the poems. I found a few really great, the way they use objects to emphasise the meaning on the poems and it is almost like a piece of art. Overall, the collection had themes but it just didn't feel like a usually poetry collection and more like a study piece.

What I did enjoy, was how they talk about the accessibility of poetry on Instagram as a way for poets to get their work out there.

If you'd like to see an overview of how poets use Instagram and the platform to express themselves, then this is a great collection to flick through.

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated the way social media and verse combine in this very interesting and thoughtful collection. The ways that digital technology afford sharing ideas is continuing to shape literature in ways that we will explore for years to come -- this book celebrates that notion in noteworthy and remarkable ways.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cool grouping of different types of poems! I always see these as I scroll around on Instagram but I really liked how they were sorted into one book. Lots of cool poems which led to lots of new accounts for me to follow.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

So let's start with my first impressions of this book. I'm not particularly thrilled by the cover–though I know it's to reflect the Instagram app Icon–since it lacks any pizazz of true creativity for me, and I feel like it doesn't help showcase the WONDERFUL art and poetry within this anthology. I was also concerned because the Goodreads reviews are very mixed, with both high and low ratings. I REALLY love "internet" poetry, so I was really excited to dive into this book and see what it had to offer, but some Instapoetry can really miss for me, so I was curious to see what would happen.

This anthology starts with an Introduction that speaks on the history and heavily divided discussion on "internet" poetry, and specifically Instagram Poetry followed by the featured poems split into 10 distinct sections. This collection originated from the National Poetry Library (NPL) exhibit on Instagram poetry, and was then condensed into this anthology.

Throughout this book I was excited to see poets I recognized, such as Tyler Knott Gregson and Noor Unnahar, plus some of my FAVORITE POETS such as Amanda Lovelace and <3 NIKITA GILL <3 (my all time favorite poet).

But for the most part, I was exposed to a sea of new (to me) poets that feature stunning artwork and poetry. There were so many standout poems and pieces of art that really stuck out to me and made me remember the poets names as I read this anthology. Pretty much all of the poems follow the Instagram Poetry style, obviously, which I love and fit well together despite the extreme range and variety of work featured in this anthology, which is purposeful as directly started in the Introduction.

I also really liked the layout of this book, with the poems and artwork featured like a photo (as you would see on Instagram) with words from the poet at the bottom of the page (from questions asked by the NPL, I believe) just as you would see a caption to a post. The style was simple and consistent, and really worked well for this anthology. I do with the layout would have been a bit more artistic, but perhaps it would have taken away from the artistic poetry, the clear spotlight of this book. Duh.

Though I really enjoyed reading this anthology, I did have a few issues with it. Some of the images were blurry, so blurry that I was physically unable to read them. I think )and seriously hope) that is is because I read an e-arc, and that in print these issues would be resolved and each image and poem crystal clear for the reader to enjoy. Also, like with much poetry, and particularly short "internet" poetry, I'll definitely forget a lot of the poems and art featured in this book as some was not to my particular taste, and therefore won't stick out in my memory after finishing this anthology. As I mentioned in the beginning, I wish the cover better reflected the artwork featured in this book.

Overall, I'd recommend that anyone check out this book, ESPECIALLY if you enjoy "internet" or Instagram poetry. And if you're looking to dip your toe into the world of Instagram poetry, this is the perfect place to start because of the wide variety of styles and artists, so you're bound to find something or someone you enjoy reading.

I really enjoyed reading this anthology and hope you do too!

Rating: 4 stars

[Jenny Radloff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieses Buch ist in insgesamt 10 Abschnitte mit unterschiedlichen Schwerpunkten gegliedert. Es handelt sich um eine Anthologie von Künstlern, die ihre Gedichte auf der Plattform "Instagram" veröffentlichen. Daher werden ihre Gedichte stets von Bildern begleitet. Manchmal bilden diese Bilder Elemente des Gedichtes ab, manchmal ergänzen sie die Botschaft des Gedichtes, und manchmal geben sie einfach die Stimmung des Gedichtes wider. Neben einer kurzen Einleitung zur Entstehung dieses Buches gibt es auch zu jedem Abschnitt eine kurze Erklärung. Neben den abgedruckten Gedichten/Bildern ist sowohl der Name, als auch der Instagram-Nickname des Künstlers/der Künstlerin vermerkt. Des Weiteren kommen die meisten KünstlerInnen selbst kurz zu Wort und beschreiben bspw., was Poesie auf Instagram für sie besonders macht, wie sie selbst dazu gekommen sind oder welche Vorteile die Plattform bietet.

Mir hat diese Mischung aus Poesie und Fotografie sehr gut gefallen. Es finden sich sehr viele unterschiedliche Ansätze in diesem Buch wieder, und nicht alle haben meinen Geschmack getroffen, aber die Vielfalt, die man auf Instagram finden kann, wurde meiner Meinung nach sehr gut wiedergegeben. Während des Lesens habe ich immer wieder nach einzelnen KünstlerInnen gesucht und mir weitere ihrer Werke angesehen, sodass ich für mich einige schöne Neuentdeckungen machen konnte.
Ich hätte mir allerdings gewünscht, dass mehrere Bilder pro KünstlerIn gesammelt abgebildet worden wären. Und auch ein paar mehr Informationen über die KünstlerInnen bzgl. der Hintergründe ihrer Werke wären schön gewesen.
Empfehlenswerte 4 Sterne für alle, die mal eine etwas andere Art von Poesie entdecken möchten.

 
In English:

This book is divided into a total of 10 sections with different focuses. It is an anthology of artists who publish their poems on the "Instagram" platform. Therefore, their poems are always accompanied by pictures. Sometimes these images represent elements of the poem, sometimes they complement the message of the poem, and sometimes they simply reflect the mood of the poem. In addition to a brief introduction to the creation of this book, there is also a brief explanation for each section. In addition to the printed poems / pictures, both the name and the Instagram nickname of the artist are noted. Furthermore, most of the artists have their own say and describe, for example, what makes poetry on Instagram special for them, how they got there themselves or what advantages the platform offers.

I really liked this mix of poetry and photography. There are so many different approaches in this book, and not all of them met my taste, but the variety that can be found on Instagram has been reflected very well in my opinion. While reading, I kept looking for individual artists and looking at more of their works, so that I was able to make some nice new discoveries for myself.
However, I would have liked to have shown several images per artist collectively. And also a little more information about the artists regarding the background of their works would have been nice.
Recommended 4 stars for everyone who wants to discover a different kind of poetry.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I give it a 3.75/4 out of 5 stars. It was a super interesting read. I liked reading the little clips and the intro. I thought it was neat that they would talk to the poets that were included in the book and got their take on how instagram has influenced their poetry or how instagram may have helped or a little bit that they want to be included. I also thought it was cool that some didn't have any little blurbs but just let the poetry speak for itself. And I even saw poems I recognized that has come across my instagram feed. I think the combination of photographs and poetry is such an interesting thing. I like the quote that @travisalabanza (Instagram handle) said “I do think what we are seeing is a push from artists to make their own platforms, not wait for the door to open, rather to create our own doors.” I was reading the book on my phone and there were a few poems that I was having trouble reading because of how my phone was loading the pictures BUT it was an interesting book. I didn't think that it hindered my ability to read everything.

[Kylie Psaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a collection of visual poetry that were posted on Instagram by different poets such as Amanda Lovelace and Nikita Gill. The poems are all categorised in different themed chapters - love, creativity, spirituality, etc.

What I liked in this book: It is very visual. The poems are real posts on Instagram and with the majority of the posts, there are captions from the poets about how they get their inspirations or what they write about, and so on.

Apart from the poems, the photos are very creative, and as a photography lover I enjoyed it quite a lot.

Another thing is that, it is quite diverse. It features different poets, with different cultures and beliefs too.

What I didn't like: As much as I liked a lot of poems from this collection, there were also some that I didn't enjoy - either I didn't like them or found them to be boring.

In the end, I ended up following a lot more poets on Instagram. It is a good read to anyone who wants to find new inspirations.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of poets whose striking lines and imagery can catch hold of today's 8-second attention span. This collection draws many of them together, showcasing the creativity, depth and inspiration of the poets Instagram has come to love.

The sections, ranging from 'Aspirations' to 'Identity', highlight the variety of topics poetry makes accessible and relatable. Each is filled with content from Instagram artists – stunning photography, careful illustrations and beautiful words.

Something I enjoy about social media is how it allows art to reach the masses, regardless of the artists' ages, backgrounds, qualifications or publishing experience. Therefore, anyone can create and share their work, and new voices are being heard that might otherwise have been lost.

I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in contemporary poetry, anyone who actively engages with Instagram and anyone looking for inspiration.

[Ida Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just a super inspiring collection of poems, visualised and published by Instagramers on Instagram. I don't know how much sense it makes to collect them in an e-book where a lot of the insta-vibe is obviously lost, but I am glad they were collected nonetheless. The book also takes the time to comment on the pictures of the astetically pleasing poetry, for example explaining what a haiku is and so on. The book is sectioned into chapters like 'love', 'identity' or 'humour' and I liked the little introductory paragraphs to the themes. I studied English Lit at university, so there wasn't a whole lotta new stuff that was conveyed to me through that, but I think it's perfect to engage an Instagram-audience to the world of poetry books. I a way this book can be considered a nice transition medium.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short collection of poetry taken from Instagram shows how the arts continue to evolve and change, finding ever new outlets for the creativity that fosters them. The book offers poems in the categories of Aspirations, Creativity, Identity, Humour, Love, Mental Health, Nature, Society, Spirituality, and Word Play.

I enjoyed the visuality of these poems and the notes provided about each poet. The inherent brevity of Instagram forces the poems to be honed for the most impact, and I appreciate that the egalitarianism of the medium gives each of the poets a chance to be seen, heard, read, and followed.

My thanks to NetGalley and the National Poetry Library for permitting me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are indeed my own.

[Grumpybookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this would be a great introduction to poetry for someone like myself who is trying to expand their reading preferences and learn a bit more about poetry. Many people (myself included) feel intimidated by poetry and starting with instagram poetry is a great way to get exposed and ease your way in. It's "accessible," for people in that it reads from a more modern voice than some of the classics do. I enjoy seeing books like this come out because it helps people get more acquainted with words they might normally steer away from.

This is definitely geared toward a certain audience, though, so hard-core poetry readers and those who are very experienced poetry readers will likely not be the right audience.

[Charleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an engaging, unique book presenting the work of Instagram poet’s. It was separated into sections; aspirations, creativity, identity, humour, love, mental health, nature, society, spirituality and word play. 

There were many kinds of poems, and the book also featured the original posts so we could see exactly how they were presented.

The book featured some of my favourite poets including Nikita Gill, Amanda Lovelace and Ben Maxfield, but it also gave me some new poets to check out. 

Overall, the book is offered in bite-sized chunks showcasing the versatility of Instagram poetry, and how it’s a fantastic platform for poets to share their work. 

[Kate Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such an original book. So different, and such a great idea.

I just expected this book to be the usual poetry every day book - i was so wrong!!!
The book literally has just taken some of instagrams posts and put them straight into this book.
It is not just poetry, but positive mantras, and sayings. As it is taken directly from instagram it is such a visually pleasing book, as well as it being positive and up-lifiting with the words in each post.

The only downside is that it got a little repetitive in format by the end.
However, I think this book is best to dip in and out of, and not to read from start to finish!

So many things to think about! really enjoyed this!!