It’s bad. Simply put, it’s bad. That’s the long story short. But I want to make the story long.
The bad:
All of these poetry collections by people like Rupi Kaur and others of the same ilk are made with zero care for the craft that is poetry. These collections are filled with one-liners that fill a whole page, sometimes a whole two pages. It is done not for beauty or poetry, but for the shock value, the trend of writing down profound statements and calling it poetry. Because of these poets, the real wordsmiths are forgotten. They aren’t popular, their works tend to be much more lengthy, and many people just don’t get poetry. They’re not taught how to get poetry, and this uneducated audience is what makes these frauds so successful.
Recently I tried to read Aphrodite Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer. I started reading this collection under the very wrong impression that it was going to be full of myth and the use of Aphrodite as a complex and interesting concept and character. This collection is full of those one-liners, full of the whines and self-pity that publishers seem to be eating up. There is no depth to the work, just the same old collection of nothings. I wish I could say this is the only time this year I have been promised a full and promising poetry collection and came away disappointed. Good news is that the art in Aphrodite Made Me Do It is rather intriguing. Perhaps Mateer should stick with the art and not the poetry.
The good:
One-line poetry isn’t bad. No indeed it can be used to great effect, setting off lengthy poems with anti-climactic ends, or even climactic ones. But those who put this type of poetry to the best uses are forgotten. The only reasons I know about better poets are the facts that I am a poet myself, that I go looking for it, that I’ve studied poetry in all its forms for some time.
Again, if only more people were exposed to poetry in well-rounded and in-depth ways. But, to all of you out there who want to have a better understanding of poetry, or want to read better poetry, here are some resources that will set you on the right track:
Medium: there are so many poets on Medium, it would take more than a lifetime to read them all. But that is good, and there is so much variety among the poems and poets themselves – plenty of niches to curl into.
Literary Magazines and Journals: There is a plethora of literary journals and magazines that focus on or include poetry, and most are easily accessible. You can just google “literary journal” or “poetry journal” and you’ll be given many options. However, if you want a comprehensive list, I would suggest looking at Poets and Writers and well as Poetry Foundation. Many colleges and universities also have their own literary journals, so look there too!
Here are some of my favorite literary and poetry journals:
Platypus Press
Fairy Tale Review
The Rialto
Short Édition’s Short Circuit
There are so many other wonderful poets to read. Let’s leave behind shock value, and embrace the beauty of wordsmithing again.
Book Reviews by A. Siegel 