AN INTERVIEW WITH INSTAPOET R.R. NOALL

Today I’ll be hosting Instapoet Rachel Ryan Noall on my blog.

Me:  Do you have a specific routine on how you create poetry or do they just come to you randomly?
Rachel: I have a few writing habits that are helpful to my writing routine. Each poem I post on Instagram is written the day it’s posted – this is purposeful. It allows me to write about things that are relevant to the day’s events, and also keeps me sharp. It also speaks to the Instapoet name – poetry, instantly.
Nature is very inspiring to me. When I sit and write for an hour or so, I often think back to sensory-focused experiences I’ve had. Usually a poem ends up forming around a single image or word that sticks out to me.

Me: How are you dealing with the recent crisis?
Rachel: This time isn’t easy on anyone. While my life, like many others, has experienced changes, I have felt so inspired.
I am writing a lot. My new poetry collection is almost finished, which I will query to publishers.
I’ve also founded a digital marketing firm exclusively for creative entrepreneurs, called RN Marketing Collective. The goal: to provide cutting-edge creative marketing solutions to small business at an affordable rate.

Me: Has it taken a toll on how you work?
Rachel: No, it hasn’t. If anything, this strange time has fuelled my creative purpose and process.

Me: How long have you been writing poetry?
Rachel: I’ve been writing poetry for about 13 years. I only started sharing it on Instagram about 4 years ago.

Me: Which colour describes you the best?
Rachel: This is a tough one! I think purple. When you see a sunrise or sunset, a deep purple often precedes and proceeds it. I am that, something that helps set up the beauty.

Me: What are some of your favourite books?
Rachel: Many of the classics – Gatsby is a favorite. Also The Picture of Dorian Gray. Loving Gwendolyn Brooks’ poetry right now, and pretty much anything by Ben Lerner.

Me: So your work seem to have a large fan base on Instagram. Do you plan to keep your work accessible to everyone for free and keep growing there or do you plan to publish it anytime soon?
Rachel: Accessibility is important – it’s what really made poetry popular again. Before Instagram, there weren’t many young people reading poetry… Things have changed because of this platform in a major way. While I do plan to keep sharing as an Instapoet, I do plan to continue publishing collections. Fingers crossed for early in 2021 in terms of a timeline.

Me: You run a podcast too? Tell us more about it.
Rachel: Yes! I have a poetry podcast called Poems for People. I interview cool humans, and then turn our conversations into a poem, live during the recording, on my typewriter. I like to say it’s a podcast sharing human stories, and turning them into art.

Me: Share a favourite piece of yours with our readers?
Rachel: Right now, time is either driving you crazy, or you’re making the most of it. I am constantly reminded by how lucky I am to have an amazing and supportive human in my life.

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R.R. Noall is a poet, the founding editor of From Whispers to Roars, a literary magazine, and is also the CEO of RN Marketing Collective, a marketing firm for creative entrepreneurs.

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You can find R.R. Noall on

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