Poetry in the Present Tense

 

Poetry in the Present Tense

The Many Voices of Contemporary Verse

By Kieran Beville

 

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n today’s literary landscape, poetry is experiencing both a renaissance and a reckoning. Far from the ivory towers of tradition, it now thrives on social media feeds, open mic stages, and experimental corners of the internet. But with this expansion comes a question: what, exactly, is poetry in the 21st century?

Contemporary poets are operating in a highly diverse field, shaped by competing styles, audiences, and philosophies. The resulting registers—postmodern, surreal, academic, performative, digital, experimental, and pop-cultural—offer a strikingly pluralistic view of what poetry can be. Each register reflects a different set of priorities, and each has both devoted followers and sharp critics.

Ivory Towers and Masters in Creative Writing

The academic register still holds considerable sway. Shaped by Master Degree programmes and literary journals, this style of poetry leans heavily into formal experimentation, dense allusion, and linguistic innovation. Poets like Jorie Graham and Terrance Hayes exemplify its ambition.

Jorie Graham and Terrance Hayes are both highly acclaimed contemporary poets known for their innovative and impactful contributions to modern poetry. Jorie Graham (an American poet born in 1950) is known for her complex, thoughtful, and often philosophical poetry that explores themes like time, nature, history, and human experience. She’s received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (1996) for her collection The Dream of the Unified Field: Selected Poems 1974–1994. It was a major recognition of her innovative and influential work in poetry.

Graham often experiments with form and language, creating poetry that’s rich and intellectually engaging. She has also taught at prestigious institutions like Harvard University.

Terrance Hayes is an American poet born in 1971. His work is known for its exploration of identity, race, masculinity, and American culture. Hayes uses inventive forms and a strong narrative voice to tackle complex social and personal issues. He won the National Book Award for Poetry in 2010 for his collection Lighthead. Hayes is praised for blending lyrical beauty with sharp social commentary.

Both poets are influential voices in contemporary American poetry, known for pushing boundaries and enriching the field with diverse perspectives and innovative styles. Supporters praise its depth and craftsmanship. Detractors, however, say it can be needlessly opaque and inaccessible, catering more to peers than to a broader public.

Open Mic Moments

Meanwhile, spoken word poetry continues to electrify audiences in coffeehouses, community centres, and digital platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Known for its emotional immediacy and social engagement, performance poetry has become a powerful tool for activism and personal storytelling. Yet some critics argue that in chasing viral moments and crowd reactions, the genre can slip into formula or sentimentality, sacrificing nuance for impact.

The Instagram Effect

Social media has ushered in a new poetic register—what many call “Instapoetry.” With its short lines and clean visuals, it’s brought poetry to millions. Writers like Rupi Kaur have built massive followings, offering bite-sized reflections on love, trauma, and identity.

Advocates see it as democratising and inclusive. Sceptics claim it often favours accessibility at the expense of originality or depth, blurring the line between poetry and self-help slogans.

Language on the Edge

In smaller presses and art spaces, experimental poets are pushing language to its limits. Here, poetry can be visual, algorithmic, fragmented—sometimes unrecognisable by traditional standards. Figures like Caroline Bergvall and Kenneth Goldsmith lead this avant-garde. While this register keeps poetry fresh and unpredictable, it also courts the risk of becoming too abstract or insular, appealing to a narrow niche of readers well-versed in theory.

Pop, Culture, and Poetry

A growing number of poets are blending literary technique with pop culture, genre fiction, and internet memes. Poets like Patricia Lockwood and Franny Choi are infusing their work with humour, irony, and cultural critique, creating a new hybrid style. This register often delights in surprise and satire, but its referential nature can date quickly or alienate those unfamiliar with its sources.

A Chorus, Not a Canon

What unites these varied voices is their divergence. Poetry today is less a unified movement than an ongoing conversation. Some of that dialogue is harmonious, much of it contentious. What defines good poetry? Who gets to decide? These questions remain unresolved—and perhaps rightly so. In an age of fragmentation and flux, poetry reflects our moment: messy, multi-vocal, and deeply human.

One thing is certain—poetry is no longer confined to bookshelves or lecture halls. It’s alive in hashtags, on stage, in code, and in the margins. And as long as there are people searching for meaning in language, poetry will continue to evolve, resist, and speak.