With poetry comes freedom, and it feels like no better time than the present for the resurgence of poetry. This beautiful and intellectual fine art has been quietly growing in its familiar circles, but it’s social media that has catapulted poets and their words into a realm of pop-art that everyone can relate to. For the first time in over 20 years, poetry reading is growing in the US, according to new survey data released by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The percentage of Americans who said they had read poetry in the prior twelve months was 12% in 2017, up from 7% in 2012.

Instapoet stars like Cleo Wade, Yrsa Daley-Ward, and Rupi Kaur use words as tools for healing. The strong emotional responses we have to poetry about current events, social inequality, identity, personal experiences, and more are evocative of the power of this art. Poetry in contemporary artwork, advertising, and highly produced YouTube videos are growing applications of the art in mainstream media. Brands like Gucci, Netflix, and Coca-Cola are working with poets in marketing and as brand ambassadors. In the seventies, political anthems were sung by rock stars; today it is largely rap artists that use the power of language to bring to light social justice and political messaging. Rap is a form of poetry today and lyrics are being shared as posts on social media, acting as affirmations and epigrams. 

Poetry has a unique ability to capture our attention and convey emotional depth, something very rare today. 

Influencers

Terrance Hayes 
Poet and educator, Terrance Hayes uses his poetry to discuss culture, race, music, and the concept of masculinity and how it is viewed today. 

Kate Tempest 
The English poet Kate Tempest has changed how and where poetry is experienced, taking the traditional spoken performance and moving it out of the poetry clubs and onto the festival stage. 

Dream Delivery Service 
Writer Mathias Svalina created the Dream Delivery Service where he writes poems every day and delivers them to monthly subscribers. Svalina hand delivers the poems using his bike to nearby subscribers and mails the poems to more distant subscribers. 

Cleo Wade 
Poet, artist, and public speaker, Cleo Wade merges positivity and femininity within her work, particularly in her debut book, “Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life.” Cleo has recently collaborated with Gucci and was featured on the lists of America's 50 Most Influential Women by Marie Claire, 100 Most Creative People In Business by Fast Company, Woke 100 from Essence, and Next Generation of Socially Conscious Women by Vogue. 

LionHeart 
LionHeart is a TEDx Speaker, Award Winning Poet, and International SpokenWord Performer. Author of debut poetry collection, ‘The Mute’s Rebellion’, which excavates memories of social anxiety, selective mutism, upbringing, emotional vulnerability, and more. He is also the CoFounder of Subjectivity, a group forum discussing socially sensitive topics. 

Jenny Holzer 
At the 2018 Grammy's, many artists wore a white rose in solidarity with the #TimesUp movement. Lorde opted to wear a red dress with a poem by Jenny Holzer sewn on the back. Holzer penned the poem 'The Apocalypse Will Bloom', which read, "Rejoice! Our times are intolerable. Take courage, for the worst, is the harbinger of the best. Only dire circumstance can precipitate the overthrow of oppressors." 

Da Poetry Lounge 
One of the longest running weekly open mic poetry lounges in America, Da Poetry Lounge aims to create a communal space for individuals who are longing to share their stories and poetry talents with like minds.