Mobile Photography/Art – Saturday Poetry – ‘The One’ by Lang Leav
Rishi Dastidar, Assistant Editor of Poetry Magazine explains poetry, (in a sense), “it’s important to remember that poetry is not just about the uncontrolled expression of how you feel but how you shape that expression. What makes you a poet is learning the craft, spending time reading other poets and bringing writerly tools to the emotions you are trying to convey“.
The reason I was reading this was because of the ‘uprising’ of Instapoets on Instagram. These poets are connecting, moving their readers and achieving commercial success with it. “It’s actually a great subversion of the debates on narcissism and self-obsession which always accompany social media”, says Dastidar. “Posting a poem instead of a selfie means you are asking people to engage with you at a deeper level and that sort of subversion is part of poetry’s tradition“.
I can see both sides of this story and my leanings are very strong in both literature and photography and art. So, this week, I thought it would be great to marry a mobile image with one of the vibrant new Instapoets on Instagram. This week’ poetry is by Lang Leav, one of the bestselling poets catapulted to celebrity status, through her use of social media. With a following of 153k followers on Instagram alone and a very successful Tumblr blog ‘The Girl Who Cries Wolf‘ star is opening poetry up to a new generation.
Her latest book ‘Love & Misadventure’ is available here to purchase.
Leav’s new poem to her blog is called ‘The One’ and it is illustrated below. I have matched this poem with this image by Urbanmuser entitled “Spotlight Series, 1, She Walks Softly Now…”.
To view the others in our Mobile Photography/Art Saturday Poetry section, please go here.
To ensure your image receives our attention, please upload it to Instagram with this hashtag – #theappwhisperer
“Spotlight series, 1 – She Walks Softly Now…” – ©urbanmuser (Instagram link)
“The One” – ©Lang Leav (Website link)
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
