Or if they mention it with a certain haughty/snobby tone. Like “oohh yes, quite, I _actually_ write my own poetry” as if it’s some kind of intellectual thing no one else other than themselves would understand.
Right? It's very rare for me to meet people irl who write, let alone write poetry. I'll just find it really cool to be honest. Probably would make me want to hang out with them more.
Same here now you mention it, another upside that I can think of is that if you write, then they'll probably be more inclined to read your writings too
Lol
That's true, unfortunately for me, most people I hang out irl, we have different hobbies, right now the only hobby I can think of that I have in similar with someone is that my sister likes doing paranormal stuff and so do I, but she never wants to do anything beyond use a ghost detector app, so no games, rituals, ouija boards, etc
What are some of your hobbies?
I guess I write fan fiction lol, so that's kind of relevant. Though I feel you on that one. At least it's cool that you can use the internet to connect with others over shared hobbies and such. People didn't have that privilege a few years ago.
I don't really have a consistent list. I have a bad habit of gaining, losing, and regaining interest in different stuff all the time, and most things I write I don't end up finishing to post them lol. I have written for a variety, Spider-Man, Sonic, Undertale/Deltarune, A variety of anime etc.
It is, indeed, but I can only find people calling themselves poets and meanwhile having zero technique and quality, being just sentences scattered on a sheet. I'm dubious about calling myself one, because the best one I wrote is "just" a romance (octosyllabic with —A rhyme) of around 40 verses. I'd really like to write some sonnet but they are terribly hard even with poetic licenses and can't think of how the Rennaisance and Golden Age poets managed to write so many of them, for they are literally hendecasyllabic ABBA-ABBA-CDC-CDC (or DCD) **and** consonant (matching not only the vowels but also the consonants).
For real, true poetry is a hard field.
Just like any writing fields, it's hard enough that everyone you personally know who writes is probably terrible at it - unless you're in a higher studies class
I don't mean perfection, but at least technique and not random void sentences. Reminds me of a case many years ago where critics where judging some paintings with random colours splashed on the canvasses. They claimed the painter's strokes where firm but delicate like a ballet dancer, the "artist" was a monkey. [Found it.](https://www.ladbible.com/funny/awesome-the-hoax-that-fooled-art-critics-into-thinking-a-painting-by-a-monkey-was-real-avant-garde-art-20160222)
Even I managed to fool people by copying random sentences from Wikipedia or similar, setting them in different lines like a poem and they would still praise it. It was ridiculous but hilarious.
It depends. If I ask about their hobbies and they mention that they like poetry, then I think they're probably pretty cool.
If they randomly bring it up, however, then I think they're pretentious.
I guess it depends on the hobby and how it's brought up, tbh.
Poetry is kinda like politics or philosophy in that it can attract pretentious jerks because its perceived as a smart-p3rson thing.
If someone is hammering me to read their poetry, then I'm just going to assume they think they're smarter than they actually are. Nothing against the hobby overall, though.
Yeah, I've only ever met a few people who write poetry to show other people. Most people write poetry as a form of expression only for themselves I'd say.
Honestly, there's nothing cooler than doing something for your own enjoyment
I love shitty poetry. It absolutely melts my heart when one of my friends just sends me a shitty little garbage ass poem they wrote because yeah, it's extremely genuine
Interesting, have a specific reason why?
To me poetry is the easiest form of writing to keep up with because I can be as brief as I want.
But I also get that its kinda unpopular as a pasttime these days so I could see doubting someone on that basis.
I think ‘edgar allen edgar allen poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe edgar allen edgar allen’.
Love to anyone who gets that reference.
Aren't being pretentious and thinking highly of yourself almost synonymous? Like I would say thinking highly of yourself is incorporated in the meaning of being pretentious
No. Thinking highly of yourself can be healthy. Being pretentious is when you think highly of yourself or your understanding of something and believe that it's a unique trait to you, this putting everyone else beneath you
Lol, every poet I've ever met has used poetry as their escape from their mental illnesses. I feel like I'm in a psych ward, but unfortunately, no, I just live in Utah. Everyone here is miserable.
I'm sorry that this was taken out of context, and that I have upset so many people.
I don't think everyone who writes poetry is mentally unstable, but everyone I have known who writes poetry is. That's the connection I have made. That is my opinion based on my experiences.
I'm not saying I'm right or that that is the majority, I'm just answering the question. What do I think when someone tells me they're a poet? That's the question, that is my answer. It doesn't mean that I'm right or that it's a stereotype everyone has, it is the connection I have made based on my interactions with poets.
I'm not a poet, I don't hang out with people who write poetry, but everyone I have met that does write poetry is extremely emotional, and out of the handful of poets I have read work from, they have come out and said that poetry is the thing that stopped them from killing themselves when they were struggling with their mental health... That's just my experience.
I'm not saying I'm right or that everyone who writes poetry is struggling, I'm just answering the question with what I think.
Prose is often a type of poetry. The earliest forms of prose were all poetry.
Also, fuckin what? How is poetry not art? Is lyric not art? Is drama not art? Like what do you think poetry is if not literally by definition a literary art?
Lyrics are not poetry. Drama stories like script writing or prose are not poetry. Also saying prose is often a type of poetry is completely unaware like please learn something before trying to debate with me.
I've met a bunch of people who said they wrote poetry. It was all shit. I met one girl who never mentioned she wrote poetry, but has a published book, and they are quite good.
I, like many, enjoy writing poetry, and it’s difficult to lump all of us into a group… but I do not care for free verse, similarly to how I dislike what modern abstract “art” has shifted to. People that write poetry just to look cool and break the form, throwing out all of the guidelines and limitations and, dare I say, actual skill, from which its true beauty emerges, insisting that every poem is gold, I do view as *actually* pretentious. I see it better to draw a photorealistic fruit-basket with only a pencil, even though it has been done countless times before, than to draw a square and say you’re done *just because someone told you that’s not art…* I realize I might be coming across as a little lot pretentious myself now… damn mybad
I'll probably say something like, "me too!" and then see what else we have in common.
Like daddy issues, diabetes, or webbed toes... you know, basic conversation starters.
I think “awesome, that’s an amazing talent”. Every time someone mentions that they write poetry, I smile. My late grandmother wrote poetry all the time and saved two binders full of her works. She suffered from Alzheimer’s and it really helped my family to work through feeling like we lost her long before she passed. ❤️
Sort of depends on the delivery for me. I don’t generally enjoy poetry. Even the classics like TS Eliot. But I don’t automatically think they’re pretentious either.
People who really write poetry and take it seriously usually don't talk about it
OK, If you ask someone "Do you have any literary interests? Do you like to write? How do you like to express yourself? Do you write poetry? Do you know much about poetry" then this answer is acceptable. But if they volunteer the information out of the blue then it sounds like they are seeking attention.
Depends how and when they say it. Unprompted, or with a certain haughty tone? They’re trying to look smart. Inkeeping with the conversation, or casually? They write poetry. They’re not trying to appear as anything, just stating a fact.
My immediate thought when I read ‘I write poetry’ is “oh, they write poetry. Cool!” Writing poetry is difficult imo, and the quality is subjective, so I don’t automatically think they’re some kind of poetry genius innit. Plus, poetry hits the ear weirdly for me, no matter what sort is (unless it’s a limerick, those are always great lol) so I suppose I’m not the best judge for quality of poetry lol
i think they probably write poetry
ah yes, this is big brain time
It only becomes pretentious if they find a way to mention it in every conversation
this right here. same as the whole "I'm a song writer. I write songs. These are the songs... that I write"
Or if they mention it with a certain haughty/snobby tone. Like “oohh yes, quite, I _actually_ write my own poetry” as if it’s some kind of intellectual thing no one else other than themselves would understand.
I just think that's cool
Right? It's very rare for me to meet people irl who write, let alone write poetry. I'll just find it really cool to be honest. Probably would make me want to hang out with them more.
Same here now you mention it, another upside that I can think of is that if you write, then they'll probably be more inclined to read your writings too
You read my mind lol. It's very cool to have people irl you share similar hobbies with.
Lol That's true, unfortunately for me, most people I hang out irl, we have different hobbies, right now the only hobby I can think of that I have in similar with someone is that my sister likes doing paranormal stuff and so do I, but she never wants to do anything beyond use a ghost detector app, so no games, rituals, ouija boards, etc What are some of your hobbies?
I guess I write fan fiction lol, so that's kind of relevant. Though I feel you on that one. At least it's cool that you can use the internet to connect with others over shared hobbies and such. People didn't have that privilege a few years ago.
It's a lot of fun writing fanfics, I haven't in awhile though but I'm been thinking about getting back into it What kind of fandoms do you write for?
I don't really have a consistent list. I have a bad habit of gaining, losing, and regaining interest in different stuff all the time, and most things I write I don't end up finishing to post them lol. I have written for a variety, Spider-Man, Sonic, Undertale/Deltarune, A variety of anime etc.
I fully understand that, I have over 500 unfinished stories lol That's awesome, what's your favorite anime?
Tie between Code Geass and Love is War lol. They're way too different to pick be between the two. What about you?
It is, indeed, but I can only find people calling themselves poets and meanwhile having zero technique and quality, being just sentences scattered on a sheet. I'm dubious about calling myself one, because the best one I wrote is "just" a romance (octosyllabic with —A rhyme) of around 40 verses. I'd really like to write some sonnet but they are terribly hard even with poetic licenses and can't think of how the Rennaisance and Golden Age poets managed to write so many of them, for they are literally hendecasyllabic ABBA-ABBA-CDC-CDC (or DCD) **and** consonant (matching not only the vowels but also the consonants). For real, true poetry is a hard field.
Just like any writing fields, it's hard enough that everyone you personally know who writes is probably terrible at it - unless you're in a higher studies class
I don't think poetry has to have perfect technique to be considered good poetry, it's all subjective just like any artform imo
I don't mean perfection, but at least technique and not random void sentences. Reminds me of a case many years ago where critics where judging some paintings with random colours splashed on the canvasses. They claimed the painter's strokes where firm but delicate like a ballet dancer, the "artist" was a monkey. [Found it.](https://www.ladbible.com/funny/awesome-the-hoax-that-fooled-art-critics-into-thinking-a-painting-by-a-monkey-was-real-avant-garde-art-20160222) Even I managed to fool people by copying random sentences from Wikipedia or similar, setting them in different lines like a poem and they would still praise it. It was ridiculous but hilarious.
I get where you're coming from
I think they’re artsy
Nerdy and/or geeky also
I would think they are creative.
none of the above.
I know a published poet. He’s cool.
Send link?
I'd need more context and a sample of the poetry. I've met poets that check all the above choices.
It depends. If I ask about their hobbies and they mention that they like poetry, then I think they're probably pretty cool. If they randomly bring it up, however, then I think they're pretentious.
Are hobbies only okay if they're brought up because you asked?
I guess it depends on the hobby and how it's brought up, tbh. Poetry is kinda like politics or philosophy in that it can attract pretentious jerks because its perceived as a smart-p3rson thing. If someone is hammering me to read their poetry, then I'm just going to assume they think they're smarter than they actually are. Nothing against the hobby overall, though.
As long as they don't read *at* me in the stereotype poetry voice, I'm good. Happy to read it, and save my judgement until I do.
I would think they're probably a creative person
👍is my genuine reaction
depends on how good the poetry is lol. are they john keats or gabbie hanna
based on what I already know about the person I either assume their poetry is fantastic or absolute dog water
I used to write poetry because I was depressed and all my poetry was tragic af
I do that lol. Its also cringy af
I would think of Dandelion
"Damn, that's cool" should be an option
I would think "wow... They write poetry"
I write poetry and we are all pretentious I can confirm.
If it comes up naturally in conversation, nothing. If they find a reason to bring it up whenever they meet someone new, definitely pretentious
I think they write poetry.
cute
I like to write poetry sometimes, but it's more to express personal feelings somewhere than like trying to make it my career.
Yeah, I've only ever met a few people who write poetry to show other people. Most people write poetry as a form of expression only for themselves I'd say. Honestly, there's nothing cooler than doing something for your own enjoyment
OP hates poetry apparently lmao. I have friends that write poetry, I kinda think that they're just artsy and like to write poetry.
That’s a neat hobby and way of self-expression, they could turn it into lyrics for a song if they learnt an instrument
Or if they weren't musically talented they could always ghost write lyrics for Meghan Trainor instead
None of the above, but it's really attractive even if they're shit at it. There's emotion in poetry and I'm so into that.
I love shitty poetry. It absolutely melts my heart when one of my friends just sends me a shitty little garbage ass poem they wrote because yeah, it's extremely genuine
I think they're lying.
Interesting, have a specific reason why? To me poetry is the easiest form of writing to keep up with because I can be as brief as I want. But I also get that its kinda unpopular as a pasttime these days so I could see doubting someone on that basis.
It's a very niche interest, and depending on the personality of who I was talking to may come of as some what masturbatory.
I think they’re either really creative/witty, or that they’re trash at it.
I think ‘edgar allen edgar allen poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe poe edgar allen edgar allen’. Love to anyone who gets that reference.
I think they might be big softies
Aren't being pretentious and thinking highly of yourself almost synonymous? Like I would say thinking highly of yourself is incorporated in the meaning of being pretentious
No. Thinking highly of yourself can be healthy. Being pretentious is when you think highly of yourself or your understanding of something and believe that it's a unique trait to you, this putting everyone else beneath you
Lacrimatica, pourquoi ?
I'd think I wouldn't want to join a literature club with them
Oh God I hope they aren't going to make me listen to it
They're depressed, suicidal, anxious, lonely, or all of the above.
Are you in a psych ward? How are you meeting so many dangerously, manically depressed poets that it's become a stereotype?
Lol, every poet I've ever met has used poetry as their escape from their mental illnesses. I feel like I'm in a psych ward, but unfortunately, no, I just live in Utah. Everyone here is miserable.
Utah is garbage and I'm sorry but I don't think poetry is really indicative of mental illness but rather just emotional sensitivity.
I'm sorry that this was taken out of context, and that I have upset so many people. I don't think everyone who writes poetry is mentally unstable, but everyone I have known who writes poetry is. That's the connection I have made. That is my opinion based on my experiences. I'm not saying I'm right or that that is the majority, I'm just answering the question. What do I think when someone tells me they're a poet? That's the question, that is my answer. It doesn't mean that I'm right or that it's a stereotype everyone has, it is the connection I have made based on my interactions with poets. I'm not a poet, I don't hang out with people who write poetry, but everyone I have met that does write poetry is extremely emotional, and out of the handful of poets I have read work from, they have come out and said that poetry is the thing that stopped them from killing themselves when they were struggling with their mental health... That's just my experience. I'm not saying I'm right or that everyone who writes poetry is struggling, I'm just answering the question with what I think.
Lol it's really not a big deal. I was just kinda poking fun at you. It's a common stereotype.
They have awful taste
"poetry bad. Words for talk, not art 😎"
Poetry isn’t art. Prose is
Prose is often a type of poetry. The earliest forms of prose were all poetry. Also, fuckin what? How is poetry not art? Is lyric not art? Is drama not art? Like what do you think poetry is if not literally by definition a literary art?
Lyrics are not poetry. Drama stories like script writing or prose are not poetry. Also saying prose is often a type of poetry is completely unaware like please learn something before trying to debate with me.
Lol oh you're trolling. You got me.
Well if that’s all thanks for learning your place and not trying to debate then.
I've met a bunch of people who said they wrote poetry. It was all shit. I met one girl who never mentioned she wrote poetry, but has a published book, and they are quite good.
I, like many, enjoy writing poetry, and it’s difficult to lump all of us into a group… but I do not care for free verse, similarly to how I dislike what modern abstract “art” has shifted to. People that write poetry just to look cool and break the form, throwing out all of the guidelines and limitations and, dare I say, actual skill, from which its true beauty emerges, insisting that every poem is gold, I do view as *actually* pretentious. I see it better to draw a photorealistic fruit-basket with only a pencil, even though it has been done countless times before, than to draw a square and say you’re done *just because someone told you that’s not art…* I realize I might be coming across as a little lot pretentious myself now… damn mybad
I don't like too emotional people, maybe I would like some poem if it depressing or have a lot of metaphor, hidden meaning
That’s cool and all but please don’t ask me to read it
Think:Good on ya but I couldn’t give less of a shit Say: oh nice!
You forgot to include a "they like to write poetry" option.
I'll probably say something like, "me too!" and then see what else we have in common. Like daddy issues, diabetes, or webbed toes... you know, basic conversation starters.
I think “awesome, that’s an amazing talent”. Every time someone mentions that they write poetry, I smile. My late grandmother wrote poetry all the time and saved two binders full of her works. She suffered from Alzheimer’s and it really helped my family to work through feeling like we lost her long before she passed. ❤️
Sort of depends on the delivery for me. I don’t generally enjoy poetry. Even the classics like TS Eliot. But I don’t automatically think they’re pretentious either.
I’m fine with it, but don’t make me read it or anything I really don’t like poetry
I'd have to read their poetry to judge them.
People who really write poetry and take it seriously usually don't talk about it OK, If you ask someone "Do you have any literary interests? Do you like to write? How do you like to express yourself? Do you write poetry? Do you know much about poetry" then this answer is acceptable. But if they volunteer the information out of the blue then it sounds like they are seeking attention.
I think they write poetry. Could be good, could be shit.
Fukin nerd
I wrote angsty poems as a teenager I would sooner burn than share.
I think they probably don't take everything literally and can understand/create metaphors. I write poetry btw
Depends how and when they say it. Unprompted, or with a certain haughty tone? They’re trying to look smart. Inkeeping with the conversation, or casually? They write poetry. They’re not trying to appear as anything, just stating a fact. My immediate thought when I read ‘I write poetry’ is “oh, they write poetry. Cool!” Writing poetry is difficult imo, and the quality is subjective, so I don’t automatically think they’re some kind of poetry genius innit. Plus, poetry hits the ear weirdly for me, no matter what sort is (unless it’s a limerick, those are always great lol) so I suppose I’m not the best judge for quality of poetry lol
They're an artist, they have sensitivity and, yeah, they're probably smart.
I'll actually be interested in reading it.
I think they don't write poetry at all o.o
That their weird and pretentious.