Become a poet - STARTER KIT [32/40] 

How to Become a Great Poet: Write down what comes from your heart Lead a Tragic Lifestyle Go largely unnoticed while you are alive Have all of your friends and family totally not get what you are on about Have one friend who believes in your work Most importantly Die Have friend or family member publish your poetry to great riches Humour aside right what comes to your heart and follow the Muse wherever it takes you.

I actually love that old poem. It was cheesy but so heart-warming in a way.

I write poetry all of the time, it is helping me to come to terms with my degenerative illness. I came to poetry because of my illness, and now write poems that have won national competitions in the past. poetry. I honestly don't know what state my mental health would be in without being able to blast out an angry poem in my diary. I think poetry is very cathartic and the time spent doing it should be seen as an investment in yourself. In this world of rising anxiety and declining mental health I think poetry should be encouraged (and modern poetry should be taught as well in order to break the stereotype of it being boring).

I write poetry in the form of verse novels (my first was published just last week eeeep!) and it's just the best thing to me, its so rooted in instinct and there are no rules so it feels freeing and lovely and ugh I just love it so much

RU-vid needs more people like you.

I love this :) I feel like poetry can feel so inaccessible for people especially as they get older and the FEELINGS of teenager-dom sort themselves out into the emotional responses of a reasonable person. But as you said so beautifully, dipping into the world of poetry shows just what a wealth of variety and style there is out there and how there's really no wrong way to do it, maybe more so that in any other form of expression, poetry is about experimentation and pushing and taking the conversation in whatever direction most resonates with you. Just in case anyone might benefit from some advice slightly more nuts and bolts than this, my method when I know I've got a poem in me about a subject is to word vomit into a word document or onto a notepad, anything, all the little images and thoughts and cool turns of phrase that are sort of floating about in my head with regards to the topic I want to talk about. Then I sort of build with that, finding connections and adding and generally building it into this big lump of word marble which I can then edit down again until I find it's core. The bits that best encompass what I want to say and how I want to say it, and there's the poem.

YES! Tales from Outer Suburbia. Such a fantastic, weird little collection of art and story. This is a really good video, and it's always encouraging to be reminded that you don't have to be good to begin with. I used to be quite a keen writer but for various reasons it's been a couple of years now since I've written a poem in earnest and I'm so afraid that I'll have forgotten how to do anything with words.

I have started writing again recently. The first time since highschool. I'm lucky that many of my friends are writers and many of them are involved in the student publications. It's great to have this resource of possitive people.

Your 'My Favourite Poetry' playlist is what's got me into poetry! If songs count, then I'd the lyrics to the song 'Lateralus' by Tool, which leaves it's meaning slightly ambiguous, but I believe the chorus is about trying to overcome the struggle of anxiety holding you down. It's truly beautiful: "Overthinking, overanalysing separates my body from my mind, Withering my intuition, missing opportunities and I must, Feed my will to feel this moment drawing way outside the lines."

Poetry is one of the most adaptable and personalizable of all writing forms, and it's just beautiful that there's this concept that allows you to lay down your feelings and thoughts into something sacred without being constrained by other people's rules. For folks who want to write poetry and want to find their voice, I personally found it helpful to make note about what I appreciated in other people's poems...symbolism? rhyming schemes? poetry built on physical word structure? etc....then started exploring those concepts in my own poetry. It takes a while but you'll grow into your poetry shell eventually.

I was made to learn poetry in school (for context I'm 18 and went to an unusual school) I don't remember most of it, but I remember lines and little snippets and then sometimes I come across the poem I learned and it's lovely to see all the words I half know and half don't and fill in the gaps that I've forgotten.

I was just saying the other day to my friend how I wished to be able to write poems like yours. This is perfect timing for a video and it was so useful. I love how much you know about this stuff and it makes me so happy that you share it. Thank you!

I would love to write storys - Since I can remember it's what I do all the time in my head, when I'm alone or around boring people. I tell the storys to myself. And I'm not that bad at writing when it comes to essays or speeches. But never have I ever written a story down - because it feels like I would trap the characters and the plot and everything, in my head it's all so fluid and I can transfer one character to another story, i can exchange the names or the appearance of the characters or even swap the plots. It's all so alive and when I want to write them down I just can't think of the one version that I like the most or that 'feels right'...

wow so many links to discover more poets, thank you Leena! I find it hard to call myself a poet but I love writing poetry and sharing it on internet as well :3

Most RU-vidrs talk about useless things, thank you for getting to the point!

I know this is not an intelligent or constructive thing to say - but seriously, thankyou! I feel really inspired and I am sure you have I inspired others. Off to have a cuppa and a scribble down of ideas ☕

I love your English accent

I've been posting poetry vids to my channel for about a year and a half now and I can already see my improvement and I genuinely think most of that has come from watching and reading loads and loads of poetry. I studied Seamus Heaney for my alevel coursework this year and although a lot of his farming ones aren't very relatable, the ones about his marriage and his teaching and this are absolutely beautiful (honeymoon flight being one of my faves!). I can't wait to check out some of the people you mentioned!

The first poem I ever read by Carol Ann Duffy was 'Valentine' and it's eccentricity king of went over my head at the time, but she's definitely grown on me, even if the memories of pouring over her work in a stuffy classroom are slightly uninspiring. "War Photographer" by her is amazing! I really recommend it

I started to write a comment thanking you for your encouragement and ended up deleting it. I thought about why I deleted it and tried to write a poem about it... Delete, delete, delete! Anonymity should give me the courage to set my emotions free. Delete, delete, delete! You don't know me, yet I can't release the demons who won't let me be... Delete, delete, delete! I just wanted to thank you for the words that uplifted me. Delete, delete, delete! When faced with fight or flight, my only option is to flee!

Okay, so I just watched Mark Grist's videos after this video and I love it! He captures so much emotion. I'm also going to pick up some of the books that you've mentioned here-thank you so much.

Enjoyed hearing your thoughts, and reminded me I haven't written in ages - I don't really know why but want to get back to it. Wise Words Festival in Canterbury is wonderful if you/anyone reading wants to see more live poetry. The setting and vibe is beautiful and they have an eclectic mix of performances and workshops for all ages. Think they open end of April for 10 days.

Mistakes in the background by Laura Dockrill has been my FAVOURITE poetry book for YEARS!! And no one ever talks about it! xx

I have a word document that is basically an extended diary, so when I have a ‘pivotal mood change’ as it were or a break up or something, I wrote a poem about it, usually allegorical, it’s probably not very good but it feels nice to make some kind of art full of feeling

this was v interesting!! i'm not much of a writer but i do love love love reading/listening to it, even though i really need to take out some time and read some classics which i never seem to get around to. thanks for the poetry recs and slam poetry links i'm always looking for new ones!

This is sooo great! You inspired me to write since I saw that RU-vid is dead slam poem, I loved it, felt compelled to write too. I write both in Portuguese (my native language) and English, I feel we have to get inspired by other poets and also kind of strip ourselves from rules and expectations and just try, but studying it makes it better and more enjoyable, as long as you don't see it too black and white. I took part in one of Jen's workshops, so worth it!!!! Nice video, I'm loving all of your lent series :)

LOVE Austin Kleon's poetry!

Poetry can be so powerful and i absolutely love your playlist x Edit: you've got me obsessed with slam poetry i delved into it a bit before but i spent hours last night gauging on them!

i wish i 'understood' poetry...i just dont get anything out of it. ive read so so much but im always wanting more of a novel. i guess im the type of person that needs to immerse myself in a story and poetry just doesnt get me like that. the odd slam poem has made me think (some of savannah browns are great) ...but I see them less as a poem and more of a conversation/rant. i just dont know what it is...I LOVE lyrics to songs, i love stories and novels...but poems are lacking the things I love about songs (the melody and rhythm), and the things i love about stories (an in depth experience of characters etc). Im going to keep persisting but poems are just a bit flat to me.

I love blythe baird. She has appeared in several button poetry vids. When the fat girl gets skinny is so full of raw emotion. It's brilliant and gets me teary every time

Wow thanks so much

would 100% recommend 'grief is the thing with feathers' by max porter. it's a novel that is part poetry, part prose but complete genius!!

subbed! this is the first video that ive watched of yours & looking forward to seeing more x

I'm obsessed with Jennae Cecelia's work at the moment

my favourite video so far! i have a very similar approach to poetry.( i began writing poetry on the bus and i use the 'google keep' app. ) i was also always shit at keeping a diary, so instead I have a poetry journal which i make sure to date so in years to come i can laugh at my 16 year old cringey poetry!

I've being toying with poetry for a while but I'm worried it'll be rubbish so I jumped when I saw this title!

Only 8 days left :( Don't leave us starving, Leena. I fucking love poetry; I think John Burnside said that when he writes poetry, the first that is born is the rhythm. Maybe we should try starting not with words, but with beat. I also write on my phone - it kind of comes when you're not really thinking about it.

bro philip larkin is someone we do for higher english in scotland but you also do duffy too. duffy is one of my favourite poets 100%

I Like It man

Can you make a video about getting through rough times? Or how you cope with things???? Please???????????

I also tend to write my last line in a poem first!

I have a lot of things that happen in my life, sometimes I want to write them down.

the thing about not having the time to write a novel or a song about something so you just BLEH it like YESS THIS OMG thats EXACTLY how me writing terrible poetry feels lol

I love your poem!! Why were you so shy reading it! I absolutely loved it. Wow. How can I find your blog?

'To be thy lips is a sweet thing and small. Death, Thee I call rich beyond wishing if this thou catch else missing. (though love be a day and life be nothing, it shall not stop kissing).' E.E. Cummings I love this poem but it's so difficult to write in this ye olde talk unless you read so much of it first!

I saw this video and mimicked myself throwing up because I assumed this would be a cringe video about someone who does not know what they are talking about. I was wrong. Thank you so much and keep up the good work Leena!

Who wrote the water buffalo one? There was a water buffalo in a field where I used to live and I'm wondering if he was the muse - I can't imagine there are many U.K. Fields home to water buffaloes?? But you never know!

there is milk and honey by rupi kaur that is everywhere on tumblr but i am really getting into it and it's a very short read. trigger warnings tho.

i recommend Rhiannon McGavin, especially First Base Gold. her youtube channel is thegeekyblonde. she does wonderful slam poetry. i write (patroclvs on devientart) but i'm not great at it. i've been writing for as long as i can remember though, and it's great fun!

SISTER ACT AHHH !!

Anything by Danez Smith. Particularly, Dinosaurs in The Hood. Such a good slam poet.

Thank you thank you thank you

I have a book but need help to push it

Hey! Please make the fave musicals video!!!

Kate Tempest- Hold your own

You should sell 'You're the Toy in my Cereal' to a rom com in which 2 lovers are dramatically and prematurely separated by death, could be a real tear jerker in the appropriate context i used to write poems and still do when something dramatic happens, i put them on a tumblr blog (username shimmery)

we have the same sweatshirt💙

my friend writes poetry (it has been 3 years now ish) and I think that what he does is truly amazing just like his other friends but he doesn't want to share it with the world ! i honestly think he has a lot of talent his work is astonishing but I also feel like he is scared even though he always says his stuff is never ready like for everyone to see yet! what can I do to convince him??? and great video as always:)))

Will you ever write a book? And in a ideal world with unlimited time what would you write about?

My fav slam poem: Shay Stewart - "Song of the Prettybird". Check it out :) It always gives me chills.

bba love this

Your are lovely, I appreciate your enthusiastic opinion, but please just calm down. Yet thanks for the knowledge

Leena do you know ClickForTaz?? She is an amazing slam poet on youtube

I write poetry. Kind of. God, I feel pretentious saying that. They're really more spoken word things and they tend to sometimes come out via politically swayed Facebook statuses. The two I've written that I really like are called Women Of Thunder (which I posted on IWD on Facebook and my wordpress: caelmo) and Beauty Is Pain (which I wrote a couple years ago and can be found on currently abandoned writing tumblr: caelmoco)

I'm coming to terms with calling myself a poet. It's so weird to say out loud still. But recently I've found myself in this rut of writing poems that sound the same. You know, the typical abcb rhyming pattern. I've been buying all sorts of poetry books so I can see how other people form their poems. It's great. I really loved this video! It's makes me feel like I'm not doing this whole poetry thing wrong. I'm slowing trying to turn my personal blog into a poetry blog so we'll see how that goes! I've written quite a few poems that I like but the one I always return to is this one. whoiwasblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/29/this-is-a-poem/ Followed by one I wrote called "having a crisis is funny" but that one isn't published yet. Maybe soon.

You’re so down to earth and honest ❤️ kate of @lillytales recommended you to me, and true enough, you’re SO LOVABLE! You’re so authentic and uncaught in the stereotypical, boring hype these days. Check her out btw, she’s amazing!

hi, I love your videos and I would really recommend any poetry collection by Imtiaz Dharker if you haven't already read them, they are really powerful. I perform/write a lot of poetry for my art and although I don't publish them in full anywhere, as I am writing them for performance you can see lines from them on my Instagram @georgia.gardner.art :) x

Emily Dickinson is amazing.

I compare poets to wine snobs...they are so far up their own arses that the outside world is just an afterthought. You want a poet. You can't get better than Edgar Allan Poe. He devoted his life to poetry..he didn't do it for pomposity or to be esoteric.

I must be the wrong generation because I want you to slow down a bit 🥴

You can't become a poet..either God gave you the gift or He didn't

Your lipstick is so asymmetrical that I can't concentrate (left side lower lip. ugh!).