ARCH HADES, POET

The best-selling poet democratises poetry through her social media channels, posting easy-to-share, relatable short poems that engage with all audiences. Discover how her love of literature was ignited and her minimalist sartorial palette.

“It was at school that my love of literature ignited.”

When I was at boarding school, the most fun you could have was reading something not on the curriculum - this was before Instagram and Netflix, of course - for me, that was poetry. Byron, Keats, Wordsworth, Coleridge. Reading was very important to me because it was a sort of rebellion. I could go anywhere I wanted to in my mind, at a time when I had to stay in one place.

“Poetry should be for everyone.”

I think it can be difficult to get into poetry when you’re first introduced to it at a young age at school through ancient Shakespearean language or war poets. Gen Z can’t relate to that. An entryway into poetry should be readable and relatable. So I started posting little snippets of my poems on Instagram and it really took off. I think Instagram is an invaluable tool for the publishing industry because it’s like instant feedback - you can see instantly what resonates with the audience.

“I believe it’s poetry’s job to express a personal experience that can be felt on a universal level.”

​​I feel like I have a real connection with my Instagram followers.They ask me questions in my DMs or ask for my advice in the comments about the particular topics I cover in my poetry, like anxiety, depression and heartbreak. We all feel isolated and lonely sometimes. Things like love and death are something that anyone can relate to. It's a comfort to know that other people have felt things similar to myself and are going through the same situations.

“I only wear black - though ironically, my favourite colour is yellow.”

My style has been consistently all black for some time. But just because it’s monocolour doesn’t mean it’s minimalist. I love a Shakespearean ruffle, for instance. I find black a very functional colour. It refines my decision making process in the morning, so I don't have to spend so much time thinking about what to wear. If you only wear black, everything is an outfit and automatically matches. The one downside is dog hair, which I’m constantly covered in courtesy of my corgi, Byron. Although it’s somewhat ironic that my favourite colour is yellow. I have an old childhood friend who recently bought me a pair of bright yellow clogs for my 30th birthday as a joke - but the joke's on her because I wear them all the time. It turns out David Hockney has the same pair, so I’m in good company.