Poets are taking full advantage of the many ways they can present their poetry on Instagram. We love reading short snippets, just-written poems, and keeping up with their latest book releases. It’s also cool to see snapshots of their personal lives — the comforts of home or the landscapes outside that inspire them to keep writing. And of course, we could watch their live poetry readings for hours on end.
Here are 12 poets that you should follow for the verse.
Kaur is an Instagram superstar and one of the first “Instapoets” to hit the big time in publishing. Her debut collection, Milk and Honey, has sold millions worldwide.
Vuong debuted his novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, in 2019. His poetry has attracted loyal fans since Night Sky with Exit Wounds, for which he won the T. S. Eliot Prize for poetry in 2017.
Maggie Smith / @maggiesmithpoet
In 2016, Smith’s poem “Good Bones” became a viral hit. Since then she’s published three volumes of poetry and often updates Instagram with handwritten poems and observations.
Cathy Park Hong / @cathyparkhong
Hong is an award-winning poet in addition to being a professor and editor. Her latest effort, Minor Feelings, is part memoir, part cultural criticism of the Asian experience in America.
Deborah Landau / @landaudeborah
Known for her confessional and lyrical style of poetry and her talent for finding humor in the pains of life, Landau’s Soft Targets landed on every must-read list when it was released.
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Parker’s Instagram is a celebration of the poet community. Her most recent collection, Magical Negro, explores what it means to be a black woman in America.
Anthony Anaxagorou / @anthony_anaxagorou
British by way of Cyprus, Anaxagorou is a poet, publisher, and educator. His latest, After the Formalities, examines race, masculinity, and history, and was shortlisted for the 2019 T. S. Eliot Prize.
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Rucker has been a cornerstone of spoken word poetry for decades, often lending her incredible voice to musicians, like Josh Wink or The Roots. Her frequently-updated Instagram is always a treat.
Robin Coste Lewis / @robincostelewis
Lewis is a recent Poet Laureate of Los Angeles. Her debut collection of poems, Voyage of the Sable Venus, won the National Book Award.
Debris Stevenson / @debrisstevenson
Stevenson is a self-described “Writer, GrimePoet, Dyslexic Academic, Queer ExMormon” and her musical, Poet in da Corner, is an autobiographical bestseller.
Leav is a bestselling poet and a novelist, generous with her poetry on Instagram. Her latest novel, Poemsia, is a mix of poetry, love, and stardom.
Taylor is an award-winning U.K. poet, fearless performer, playwright, and educator. She’s also the host of Out-Spoken, a monthly performance of London’s hottest poets and musicians. Her latest is Songs My Enemy Taught Me.
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