Poetry world split over polemic attacking 'amateur' work by 'young female poets'

Writing in PN Review, Rebecca Watts has slammed the popularity of writers such as Rupi Kaur and Hollie McNish as ‘consumer-driven content’

Giving a fresh meaning to the notion of a poetry slam, the august poetry journal PN Review has published a stinging critique of the “rise of a cohort of young female poets” led by the likes of Kate Tempest, Hollie McNish and Rupi Kaur, describing their work as characterised by “the open denigration of intellectual engagement and rejection of craft”.

Poet Rebecca Watts took to the pages of PN Review to lay out her disdain for “the cult of the noble amateur”, and her despair at the effect of social media on poetry. Highlighting the work of poets such as Kaur (whose debut collection Milk and Honey has sold more than 1m copies worldwide), Tempest and, in particular, McNish, Watts attacks the “cohort of young female poets who are currently being lauded by the poetic establishment for their ‘honesty’ and ‘accessibility’”.

Related: Hollie McNish's 'funny and serious' poetry wins Ted Hughes prize

Some seem to think poetry is primarily an excuse for having rather mean-spirited conversations about poetry

I’ll tell you the point I stopped reading, when Rebecca Watts compared Kate & Hollie’s popularity to Trump. When trying to rip two esteemed poets who write for the greater good apart, don’t use Trump as your analogy. Any nobel amateur could tell you that. Love to @holliepoetry. https://t.co/nzogtbkwny

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