5 TikTok Trends for Your Poetic FYP
TikTok has changed the poetry game—and made our favorite genre more popular than ever. Last year, TikTok star Raegan Fordemwalt burst into the publishing scene with her debut collection, Lover Girl, and in 2025 we can look forward to Sunbreak: Notes on Hope from platform favorite Donovan Beck. Both titles showcase how writers getting their start on TikTok are already popping up on reading lists and in bookstores. With this real-life impact in mind, it’s helpful for poets and fans to know the current trends sweeping TikTok, as they reflect how readers are interacting, continuous and interesting changes in publishing, and where the genre is headed. We at Read Poetry scrolled our FYPs and saw what’s standing out.
Sweet poetry and baking videos
If you’ve ever had the perfect slice of cake or crumbly muffin at your favorite coffee shop with a book by your side, then you know poetry and baked goods pair well. Now, TikTok is honing in on that connection with videos of people baking delectable creations as they read their own poetry or the work of others. Lose yourself in language and footage of the satisfying swirl of a mixer or folding in of creamy batter. You’re going to want to add a new poem or writer to your reading list – and grab dessert.
Sharing handwritten drafts for a touch of analog personalization
While TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms have proven revolutionary for poetry, providing more ways to share writing and a larger audience, a digital experience isn’t always better. The handwritten poetry trend, in which writers reveal drafts within their notebooks and read them aloud, brings the tangibility of paper and ink to the social media realm, and gives extra insight into those in the poetry community by unveiling their trademark scrawls. See this TikTok from @allthingsoflife, which has more than 100K views, for an example.
Getting literary and entrepreneurial by selling typewriter poetry
Like handwritten drafts, this trend also packs old-school charm. Typewriters are more popular than ever for both writers and readers of poetry. It gives writers a chance to step into the literary practices of past icons like Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, and others, and printed typefaces can be used as cute literary decor. Poets are taking this trend to the next level by selling typewriter poetry in public—often written impromptu, at farmers markets, small business pop-ups, and indie book fairs.
The “in poetry we say” trend is spotlighting the breathtaking beauty of ordinary life
“In real life we say… but in poetry we say…” is the popular new format through which people are filling in the blanks with their favorite poetic lines to show the beauty and power of figurative language. Take this line from a recent TikTok by @whitneyhansonpoetry: “In English we say ‘You don’t love me you only love the idea of me,’ in poetry we say, ‘You say you love me, but what you really mean is you need a space for your love to occupy. You need someone to be the object of your affection, which in truth has nothing to do with me. I do not want to be loved for the sake of being loved. I want to be loved because you’ve traced my scars back to their origins and found something familiar on the way there.’”
Vulnerability and relatability continue to take the lead, with readings from front seats, mirror vanities, and everywhere else
Part of the appeal of poetry has always been its diaristic nature. TikTok poets let followers into their real, daily lives – often messy, unglamorous, and emotional. They’re ideating in real time about romantic mishaps, insecurities, and regrets. It’s like a poetry reading mixed with early ‘00s style vlogging and makes watching your favorite poets feel like an honest, in-the-moment venting sesh with a friend.
Are you always scouring your TikTok feed for poetry recommendations? Pause the scroll and check out our list of viral collections that more than earned their hype.
