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Kate Tempest

I’m going to kick off my blog by talking about my personal favorite poet – Kate Tempest. I love Tempest because she is raw and explodes with emotion. Often times using her poetry as an optimistic view in an often times dark world, she is a shining ray of light. Tempest is a poet and rapper from London, England who enjoys mixing music and her words to create a new platform for her audience. She is also very mindful of the topics she chooses to base her work around. One of her newest pieces, Let Them Eat Chaos, for example, is based around seven people and their lives, but also hits themes such as environmental issues, police brutality, and economic crisis. This piece is an example of her mixing her poetry and rapping to create something new. Let Them Eat Chaos began as a spoken word/hip-hop endeavor, where she created an album, but was also released in book format, providing multiple ways for her audience to enjoy her work. Here is the performance in its entirety (warning: this video contains explicit content). (This video was originally published by Bill Froog on Youtube – click on the video for a link to the original page.)

 If you don’t have time to watch the full performance, here is a track called “Europe is Lost” which is part of Let Them Eat Chaos. (This video was originally published by KEXP on Youtube – click the video for the link to original post) warning: this clip contains explicit content:

Tempest is also well recognized for her piece Brand New Ancients, a poem which follows the lives of two intertwined families, but ultimately portrays the message that we are all gods, no matter who we are. This began as a written piece, but also later released it as a CD. She also mixed media and created some short films that coincide with the poem. Here is the first video: (originally published by baclondon on YouTube)

Tempest’s words have a way for everyone to connect in one way or another. I feel that anyone could find a link between their life and her words. One way in particular that she connected and engaged with others through her poetry was when she took part in a unique show that broadcast to 120 different prisons. She used an excerpt from Brand New Ancients as her message. You can watch the performance here (originally posted by Letters Live on Youtube):

 One other example of Tempest using music to support and connect with others was through a Tiny Desk Concert she did with NPR. Her words against the music are perfection. She hits topics such as war and adolescence (originally posted by NPR Music on Youtube):

Tempest’s use of music as a backdrop for her writing and even creating music from her writing, is an innovative way to engage her followers. Her platforms of getting her work out there, whether it be through CDs, short films, speeches, or in collaboration with organizations such as NPR, is inspiring and important. I personally have felt changed by her words so much so that I got a tattoo (see image below) so that I always have a piece of her inspiration with me. Tempest is groundbreaking with her methods and her writing – creating content that reaches so many to consume. 

Button Poetry

I discovered Button Poetry a few years ago. Based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, they are a publishing company that strives to get poetry out there in many forms – be it videos, performances, events, or chapbooks. How I discovered them, like many, was through social media. Button has a huge following on Facebook, with over 2 million “likes.” They are artist run and have poets from all walks of life. The diversity of the poets, their background, and the content they create is what makes Button so great. You can listen to a poem about racial inequality, or pick up a chapbook based around women and feminism. I love this company because the messages the poets give, but also because it reaches such a large audience. Millennials like things that pop up in their newsfeed on Facebook, something that has a message that they can relate to, and something short enough to keep their limited attention span. Button’s videos fit all that criteria, which is exciting knowing it’s reaching so many people my age, making poetry more accessible for everyone. 

I thought I’d take a few of the most popular videos from Button and break them down. 

With 91 million views on facebook, and 14 million on youtube, “OCD” by Neil Hilborn is a strong and honest poem. (Originally published by Button Poetry on YouTube)

His performance of this piece is so special, a voice which couldn’t be duplicated. He tells the story of having OCD and falling in a love so deep that it changed him. My favorite part of the poem, which are the opening lines, are,  

“The first time I saw her…

Everything in my head went quiet.

All the tics, all the constantly refreshing images just disappeared.

When you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,

you don’t really get quiet moments.”

He talks about a love so strong that even though his mind is never usually at ease, she makes him feel peaceful. 

The poem continues on and goes through the motions and hardships of having OCD and being in love, and ultimately losing his love as a result of his condition. The last three lines of the poem are the most powerful, 

“I want her back so bad…

I leave the door unlocked.

I leave the lights on.”

These lines are there to show his attempt to prove that he has changed, and how true his love was.

This poem is truly beautiful because of the performance. However, this poem proves that so many people can relate to it, too. If you follow this link you can see how this piece has inspired Reddit users. Not only has it touched people who deal with OCD, but it also touches people who have dealt with heartbreak and loss. It’s a truly inspiring poem, with a brilliant poet and performer behind it all. 

Another topic Button isn’t afraid to touch is racial inequality. Donte Collins does an amazing job covering this topic in his poems, especially in his chapbook “Autopsy.” This poem, titled “What the Dead Know by Heart” is a striking insight of how Collins feels being a black male. Watch his performance here (Originally published by Button Poetry on YouTube):

The imagery he creates in this poem is so strong it sends chills down my spine. 

“lately, when asked how are you, I

respond with a name no longer living

Rekia, Jamar, Sandra

I am alive by luck at this point. I wonder

often: if the gun that will unmake me

is yet made, what white birth

will bury me, how many bullets, like a

flock of blue jays, will come carry my black

to its final bed…”

Starting off with names of real people who have died is so raw. Then, when Collins speaks of the gun that could one day kill him, it really digs deep into the readers emotions. 

This poem isn’t just relatable to black males, or those fighting racial inequality – it’s for anyone who seeks justice for everyone. It’s for people to see the hardships of someone else through a different view. 

Finally, a third poem I wanted to share is titled “Like Totally Whatever” by Melissa Lozada-Oliva. Watch here (originally published by Button Poetry on YouTube):

The poem dives head on into the way women are talked down upon and treated differently, especially by white men. 

It opens up, 

“In case you haven’t realized it has somehow become necessary for old

white men to tell me how to speak

They like, interrupt a conversation that isn’t even theirs, and are like

“speak like you mean it” and like “the internet is ruining the English

language.”​”

My personal favorite lines are, 

“And it’s like maybe I’m always speaking in questions because I’m so used to

being cutoff.

Like maybe, this is a defense mechanism: Maybe everything girls do is

evolution of defense mechanism.”

This speaks volumes about what girls and women go through every day just because of their gender. Just because we are women doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have the same right to express ourselves and our stories the same way men do. We are so often silenced by others. Another good line from this poem is, “It’s like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway were geniuses for turning women into question marks.” We are not question marks, we are meant to be heard. 

Overall, I feel that Button Poetry is helping the poetry community of spreading poetry to more people. Their push on social media really drives them to reach large audiences. Their poets are fierce writers and performers, as you can see, and really aren’t afraid to dive into topics like mental health, racial inequality, and gender inequality. Button is taking something so dear to me, poetry, and making it a better experience for so many, which is why I have so much love for them and what they do.

Instagram Poetry

Social media has taken over so many things – from the way we connect with our friends to the way we take a look into the lives of our favorite celebrities. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and other forms of social media have played a role in this. Instagram, a social media platform devoted to posting images with optional captions, usually is used to see pictures of your friend’s dinner, or an image from your favorite musician on tour. However, one thing that it’s starting to be used more and more for is to spread poetry.

          Posting poetry on Instagram is perfect for the millennial attention span – it’s short and straightforward, and usually on topics that are relevant to the millennial generation. There are many poets that are taking advantage of this platform and have used it to grow as a poet, and have their work reach more people. Shamir Reuben is a poet that has earned some followers on Instagram. He says he likes sharing his work on this platform because, “The good thing about social media is the interaction is two-way; so there’s feedback and the encouragement acts as an incentive to keep writing.” (Hindustan Times) So not only is the work beneficial to the reader, but it helps the artist grow as well. (To read more about Reuben, his work, and the work of other Indian “Instapoets” follow this link.)

          Another poet that has gained a lot of puplatiry is Rupi Kaur, an empowering female poet. She is a great example of a poet making an impact in the world of poetry on Instagram. She has received a lot of criticism for her Insta poetry, especially because it’s easy to parody. People enjoy criticizing her work and posting about it. Here’s an example of a tweet someone made in reference to her poetry (original post by : Olivia Craighead@oliviacraighead)

While it’s easy to mock her, and her poems can sometimes be overly simplistic, it’s hard to argue with the fact that she’s doing something right – with more than 3.5 million followers on Instagram. 

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kaur answers some questions about her poetry and Instagram. Here’s an excerpt from the interview: 

What makes a poem right to post on your Instagram, versus the ones that stay in the book only?

If I can read a piece that I’ve written, and by the last line, it kicks me in the stomach, then I know that I can share this online.

So which of your poems do you look at and say, “This one isn’t going on Instagram”?

I think that’s going to be a new challenge for me, because mostly, everything in Milk and Honey I’ve shared online at some point or another. And if I haven’t posted them, it’s because I’m very embarrassed. I’m like, “Oh my God, this is what I used to think like five years ago! This is not the 2017 version of me.”

But going to the new book, I don’t know. It’s difficult to share something like “Broken English” online. I don’t think it’s possible to share a whole piece online [when it’s so long].

So now I’ve kind of split those into like, the exact thing I was telling you earlier: Picking a couple gems out of each one, and then being like, “Okay, I’m posting this as just an excerpt.” Or if there are pieces that are, for example, the one about female feticide — that’s a poem that I think needs a lot more context. It’s something that I think the West could read wrong if not given the right context. We’re figuring out how to do that, and introduce a large part of my audience who doesn’t know what female infanticide in India and China looks like — but doing it in a strategic way that will help them bring awareness.

(source: Entertainment Weekly) 

Because of her willingness to share and open up on social media, her followers continue to grow, which helps spread her messages to everyone. I think it’s great because her words are powerful and it’s important for people to connect through art. Here’s a TED talk by Kaur, talking about her body and reclaiming it (original post by
TEDx Talks on YouTube):

Here’s a link to her Instagram, too, so you can read some of the words that have made her an Instagram poet phenomenon. (She is also a NYT bestseller.)

Another example of Insta poet fame is R.M. Drake (whose real name is Robert Macias). Drake has used Instagram to blow up and become a best selling author. 

He used the platform in such a way to gain a huge following. Beginning by putting his work out there just for fun, it blew up to be shared by celebrities like Ludacris and the Kardashians. In an article from the Tech Times, Drake says, “It just started as an experiment. I honestly didn’t think anyone would read it,” he says chuckling, trying to explain how his work went viral. “It seems unreal, having such a huge celebrity following. Just yesterday I found out that Brandy was following me and I was like wow, that’s cool.” 

He also explains why Instagram is a good platform for his work, “The more I write things about myself the more that people relate to it,” he says. “At least on social media, people want to expose how they’re feeling and things they’re going through and that’s what my writing does. It’s self-exploration and self-therapy.”

(These quotes come from an article from Tech Times which can be found here.)

Drake went from a few followers and blew up by getting likes, shares and followers. He worked his way to the top, becoming a best selling author in Amazon’s poetry category and able to make this his full time job. 

An example of one of his more recent Insta poems (this is from his instagram)

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0lY5cQpLCy/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

With his reassuring words that so many can relate to, it’s no wonder why he has a massive 2 million followers on Instagram.

Here is a video talking more about his journey (originally posted by FUSION on YouTube):

While Kaur and Drake are excellent examples of how one can go from just posting on Instagram to becoming best selling authors, there are many other amazing poets on Instagram. Check out Atticus Poetry, Amanda Torroni, Tyler Knott Gregson, and Christopher Poindexter. 

Using Instagram to reach so many is helping both poets and their audiences. We get to see more of what we love in a new way, while they get to do what they love and reach a larger audience. Poetry truly is a beautiful art form that makes the world a better place through words, and poets like these, in ways like these, are making the world better one poem at a time. 

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