Do You Enjoy Art in Poetry Collections?

Hey Chris!

I have to be honest with you, I think the type of Rupi illustrations you are talking about, or swirly line drawings as I call them, are... in my opinion... very tired. I get sent a lot of collections and read a lot of others and they all have the exact same style of illustrations. I think they are a good addition if they are spread across the collection nicely and aren’t on every page, but I would definitely consider the style of illustration @Nathan Huntcollection has really great illustrations you should check out!

I might be the wrong person to answer this. I'm not an artist in any way, shape, or form. And I know little about art, too. However, at the risk of sounding like I'm sitting on the fence (indecisive as ever...) I think it's all about balance but let me explain a few points.

I'm not against art being included in a poetry collection. I find it quite interesting to see a visual interpretation of the poem. However, (and I mean no disrespect to any kind of artist here) I would prefer a details and in depth piece of art rather than the small sketches which as you pointed out is more associated with insta poetry. I hope that makes sense?

Also, I think my enjoyment of the art would depend on the frequency of the art (if that makes sense?) What I mean is, if I pick up a book of poetry, I would expect more poems than art. Even every other page as art would be a bit much for me.

I hope this makes sense. Of course, this is just my opinion :)