POETRY IN MOTION

Study: Americans Are Reading More Poetry, Less Fiction

Percentage of Americans reading poetry rose to 11.7 percent last year.

According to a study published Wednesday by the National Endowment for the Arts, poetry reading is on the rise while Americans’ interest in fiction has fallen. The report, called U.S. Trends in Arts Attendance and Literary Reading: 2002-2017, found the percentage of adults reading fiction dropped from 45.2 percent in 2012 to 41.8 percent last year, while poetry reading increased from 6.7 percent to 11.7 percent. In the age of Instagram poets like Rupi Kaur, poetry sales have increased in recent years, and Americans have showed a renewed interest in museums, art festivals, and the performing arts, according to the study. The report found that reading for leisure has fallen slightly, with 52.7 percent of adults reading a book not required by school or work in 2017 compared to 54.6 percent in 2012. The NEA will release a more comprehensive report next year.