Katrina Thornley

What is poetry?
According to Oxford, poetry is “literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature.”
To me, poetry is a form of expression and the ability to understand emotions. Poetry gives us power to give voice to our emotions and allow others to experience them, or to understand their own emotions.
Poetry is pulling words from the deepest parts of ourselves and turning them into coherent thoughts and images for others to also find meaning. My favorite part of writing poetry is being able to say a lot in a few words; poetry gives you the ability to paint a scene or an emotion with a handful of words.

Why is poetry popular now?
Poetry has seen a resurgence in popularity which I personally find to be amazing! Social media played a role in this with “insta-poets” gaining popularity.
As Matt Abbott said in his UNtoday article, “the 2020s are leading people to feel an increasing need for honesty, authenticity, and connection. Aside from questions of truth or believability, we live in an age of content overload. It’s all viral videos and clickbait articles. Again – there’s a need for something heartfelt and genuine.
Poetry is the language of so many worldviews and experiences. It’s still the art form we turn to when we feel that everyday conversation won’t suffice. It’s the art form we devour when our feelings don’t make sense. And it’s the art form we borrow when we want to convey our feelings but don’t feel capable: at weddings, funerals, proposals, and more.”
Personally, I think poetry is continuing to be popular simply because of how busy we are as a society. Our attention is always being pulled this way and that, but many of us still search for a free moment to pick up a book and read (or a kindle). Poetry provides bite sized chunks of reading time.
It seems like people are always in a rush, so I wanted to create short but powerful poems. They’re poems that can be read on lunch breaks, between chores, before starting work, or whenever you have a few minutes. The words are meant to stick with you throughout the day or give you something to reflect on. That’s the beauty of poetry.

Newest Release: Read Receipts by Ella C. Potter
I didn’t start writing poetry until 2016. That’s when Read Receipts was originally born even though it didn’t really have a name at the time. It was just a collection of poems written on the back of receipts and stuffed away.
Read Receipts was never meant to be shared but then I heard all these stories of toxic love, and I knew other people needed to read the words I had written. I hope they help people find hope and aid them in their healing journey. Because of how personal these poems were and how different they are from things I’ve written in the past, I chose to write under the penname of “Ella C. Potter.” Ella Potter was actually my great-great grandmother who passed away at a young age.
I still remember pulling these poems from their hiding places and reading them and writing responses to them. These poems became the “after”.

“We were the stars

Burnt out before anyone knew,

Exploding in the blink of an eye.

But god, were we beautiful.“

The poems in this collection are personal and real and provide a bit of a glimpse into my life at a certain point. They are fairly different from the poems I’ve shared in my Arcadians series which is primarily inspired by nature and small-town life. This collection was inspired primarily by people, by a single person and my own reflections. Just know that if you find yourself relating to any of these words, I’m sending you a virtual hug!

Read Receipts along with my Arcadians series can be found on Amazon and at Rarities Books & Bindery.