Poetry’s Not Dead

By Jasmine Waller ~ Staff Writer

Graphic created by Jasmine Waller

I ate at a diner with my friends last week, and the waitress asked us our majors. I told her I was a double major in Counseling Psychology and English. 

She asked what I wanted to do with my English degree, and I said, “I want to write poetry.” 

She said that she hadn’t heard about poetry in a long time. I was shocked because poetry is everywhere and holds such a special place in my heart. 

Poetry is the language of love, tragedy, happiness, beauty, and pain. That is why I love it. It’s raw and emotional.

There is something profoundly magical about creative writing: the way words come together to build worlds, shape emotions, and capture the essence of human experience. 

From an early age, I found solace and excitement in crafting stories, allowing my imagination to spill onto the page in ways spoken words sometimes could not. Whether through poetry, fiction, or personal essays, creative writing has been more than just a hobby; it has been a refuge, a form of self-expression, and a tool for understanding the world around me. 

In an era where digital content often prioritizes brevity and instant gratification, storytelling remains a powerful force, offering depth, connection, and meaning. This love for creative writing is not just about the stories I tell but about how writing has shaped my perspective, voice, and ability to navigate life’s complexities.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with  Dr. Kelly Jacobson, head of Creative Writing at the University of Lynchburg,  to chat about her thoughts on poetry and what makes it so powerful.

“I think what’s cool about poetry is that it can be anything; in my class, we learn about poetry techniques and forums, but in the end, they don’t have to use any of them if they don’t want to. A lot of poetry comes down to emotional expression,” said Jacobson. 

Emotion is our biggest superpower as humans. We feel emotions deeply, and poetry is another way to express that feeling.  

“My students end up liking poetry the best, which surprises them, but poetry is where they gravitate because they have a lot of big feelings they want to express,” stated Jacobson.

“I think poetry is important to college students because they find it therapeutic. Poetry makes you evaluate your feelings; you’re not just having a feeling, but you’re thinking about your feeling and how to share that feeling,” explained Jacobson. 

Releasing our feelings onto paper or even using our phone notes app is incredibly therapeutic, and writing poetry is like free therapy. 

“I don’t think poetry is a dying genre. Reading, in general, is down, which is hard for me as a novelist, a poet, and for everyone. I feel like writing poetry is very much alive, and students still enjoy it. I think the spoken word really keeps it alive. I think it will stay alive as long as we have emotion, which is forever,” said Jacobson. 

As long as we have emotions, poetry will stay alive. Poetry is the poster child for emotion in humans. 

Poetry isn’t a dying art—it’s alive with raw emotion and honesty, offering us a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. 

To truly appreciate it, we must approach poetry with an open mind and recognize its beauty in its unfiltered expression.

For more information on how poetry is incorporated into the curriculum at the University of Lynchburg, visit Creative Writing Minor – University of Lynchburg.