Mini Genre Presentation: Rethink Poetry

I’ve always loved to read and write poetry; in high school I read the entire works of William Shakespeare three times through. There’s something beautiful about the rhetoric in its former glory, I love deconstructing and understanding early modern English. What most people don’t realize is that you don’t have to feel the way I do to enjoy poetry. In my opinion, poetry is one of the most dynamic and varying genre we’ve talked about all year. Every day we start our class off with a poem, and although they’re usually lovely, classic pieces I watch half the class pull out their phones and zone out. Poets in all their styles and creative genius have evolved over centuries to create some truly powerful pieces.

In high school I every book written by the talented, nontraditional poet, Ellen Hopkins. The subject matter of each individual book is very subfusc, but what is particularly intriguing about these books is that every page is a different poem. The poems are formatted in varying structures and prompt the reader to occasionally read the lines in different orders. This innovative method of communication spells out the emotions of the speaker that are ‘in between the lines.’ Hopkins’ style of writing engages the intellect of the reader and engulfs them into the story.

Another favorite poet/comedian of mine is Bo Burnham. His free verse poems are all completely different from each other in length, subject, and depth. In his book Egghead every turn of a page is an unpredictable literary adventure that could either lead you to lament or laughter. Bo finds an intellectual way to illustrate his thoughts on love, failure, anxiety, society, etc. while providing comic relief with poems from the perspective of animals, snarky quick-witted humor and so much more. I’ve personally probably read Egghead thirty times through. Burnham never ceases to amaze me with his caliber of wordplay and choice of subject.

Poetry slams are a very common sub-genre of poetry. Poetry slams are typically competitions using elimination rounds for the reading or performance of poetry. However, I’ve also been to open mic nights at bars and coffee houses that were considered poetry slams. Slams are a unique sub-genre because you get to see the author’s intention in their behavior and hear their inflection as they recite their work. In my opinion, people find poetry hard to understand because it can be challenging to expand your own perspective to see through the eyes of the author. Both poetry and poetry slams are intended to entertain and engage an audience, but the visual component of slams adds appeal.

I love and appreciate poetry in all its forms. For a long time, I told my friends that I wish they enjoyed poetry the way that I do. Consequently, after years of making them listen to my favorite poems and watch slam videos online, a lot of them now admit to having a favorite poem or at least genuinely enjoying poetry now. Unconventional poetry holds a special place in my heart, because it is the physical manifestation of creative evolution. Finding new ways to communicate ideas and engage with people around you provides a platform for intellectual conversation. In that way, I believe poetry is an exercise of intelligence in a society where intelligence grows increasingly unpopular.