The Confessional Voice of The Female Poet and The Rise of Insta-Poetry

Abstract: This essay investigates the prospect of confessionalism’s potential resurgence in contemporary poetics through female poets on Instagram and discusses its relevance and likeness to mid 20th century confessional poetry. Two case studies of highly popular Insta- poets Rupi Kaur and Alicia Cook are presented and a close reading of a few of their poems is introduced in order to investigate their adaptation of what I call an over-confessional style that addresses issues such as mental health, family, sexuality, and the perception of the female body. Kaur and Cook employ visual strategies and forms in their poetry in order to achieve an over-confessional style which is not simply individualistic but carries such larger social and public concerns. Studies of Insta-poetry are scarce due to its newness and partly due to the widespread dismissal of the genre by academics and researchers. However, because of the growing popularization of digital media and Insta-poetry as a literary mainstream more studies of the genre are needed and there has been a rising critical interest in the genre. The public nature of Instagram and the autobiographical lyric style of confession have made Insta- poetry very accessible and relatable to readers, resulting in a new relationship between the poet and the reader. I demonstrate that Kaur’s and Cook’s writing displays autobiographical, aesthetic and thematic tendencies commonly associated with confessional poetry, but also pushes the confessional mode to its limits. Apart from broader structural comparison, I attempt a literary analysis of Insta-poetry in order to provide an understanding of the social aspect and the visual strategies of Insta-poets.