23 Authors You Should Follow On Instagram For A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Writing Life

Rupi Kaur (@rupikaur_)

Rupi Kaur is one of the standout poets recognized as an "Instagram poet" — meaning if you love poetry, you should be following her on Instagram. The best-selling poet, writer, illustrator, and performer of two poetry collections,Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers, Kaur’s feed is filled with artistic photos of the author herself, alongside poetry and illustrations from both her poetry collections. Follow her here.

Yrsa Daley-Ward (@yrsadaleyward)

Yrsa Daley-Ward is the author of the mesmerizing poetry collection bone and the forthcoming poetic memoir The Terrible (can’t wait!). Another poet who shares her writing as frequently on Instagram as she does in print, her feed is filled with artsy selfies, thought-provoking verse, and plenty of updates on where you can find her public readings and events. Follow her here.

Glennon Doyle (@glennondoyle)

Glennon Doyle is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Love Warrior and Carry On, Warrior, as well as being the founder of the nonprofit Together Rising. Her feed is filled with plenty of book love, feminist inspiration, shots of her and her and brand-new spouse Abby Wambach, and hilarious and heartwarming candid shots of her doing all the things writers do when they’re not writing — you know: raising kids, coming up with elaborate Elf on the Shelf displays, going to soccer mom meetings, and more. Follow her here.

Cheryl Strayed (@cherylstrayed)

I don't know about you, but I always want to know what Cheryl Strayed is up to when she's not writing my favorite books. Follow her here.

R. M. Drake (@rmdrk)

Angie Thomas (@angiethomas)

YA author Angie Thomas is New York Times bestselling author of the novel The Hate U Give and the forthcoming (get your TBR piles ready for 2018) novel On The Come Up. Super active on Instagram, you'll get treated to tons of book love, plus all sorts of fun glimpses into Thomas's life off the page. Follow her here.

Jennifer Pastiloff (@jenpastiloff)

Jennifer Pastiloff’s much-anticipated book, On Being Human, is currently forthcoming from Dutton, and her work has been featured on The Rumpus, Jezebel, Salon and more. But mostly, you want to follow her feed for #NoPantsSunday, #NoBullshitMotherhood, #RealMotherFuckingLife and (my personal favorite) #FilterFreeWithJenAndAnnie — her hilarious series of keeping-it-real Instagram stories with actress Annie Sertich. Follow her here.

K.M. Weiland (@authorkmweiland)

Herself a writer of speculative and historical fiction, K.M. Weiland’s Instagram account is a one-stop-shop for emerging writers and readers who just want some insight into the tricks of the trade. It’s filled with advice for writers, tons of how-to tips, and will give you a head’s up on all the must-read posts on Weiland’s website, helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com. Follow her here.

Susan Dennard (@stdennard)

Megan Stielstra (@meganstielstra)

Megan Stielstra is the author of two essay collections: The Wrong Way To Save Your Life and Once I Was Cool, and the short story collection Everybody Remain Calm; and her writing is as keepin’-it-real as her book titles suggest. On her Instagram you’ll find out all kinds of juicy details about what beloved books are on her own bookshelves, along with some love for her hometown, Chicago. Follow her here.

Chimamanda Adichie (@chimamanda_adichie)

Elizabeth Acevedo (@acevedowrites)

Elizabeth Acevedo is a poet and YA author of two collections of poetry: Beastgirl & Other Origin Myths and Medusa Reads La Negra's Palm and the forthcoming poetic YA novel The Poet X, which has been described as perfect for fans of both the poet Rupi Kaur and Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give. Her feed is filled with books, shots from Acevedo's public events, and lots of woman-power goodness. Follow her here.

Sarah Dessen (@sdessen)

Chances are, if you were ever once a young adult, you've read one (or two, or a million) Sarah Dessen titles (think: The Truth About Forever, Dreamland, Keeping The Moon, and more). The YA author has wracked up a whopping 30.5k followers on Instagram, where she shares tons of info about her books, her family, and her life. Follow her here.

R.M. Broderick (@r.m.broderick)

Another account that is all-writing, all the time, is poet R.M. Broderick’s. He sums up his IG in four words: “Poetry Quotes Thoughts Writing” — and you definitely need some of his poetic musings in your feed. Follow him here.

Nayyirah Waheed (@nayyirah.waheed)

At 429k followers and counting, Nayyirah Waheed is definitely another writer who can add the title of “Instagram Poet” to her resume. (In fact, if you Wikipedia her, she’s considered “the most famous poet on Instagram", and for good reason.) Waheed is the author of two collections: salt. and Nejma, and you’ll get a taste of both of those and more when you add yourself to her ever-climbing list of followers. Follow her here.

John Green (@johngreenwritesbooks)

Nicholas Kristof (@nickkristof)

Gayle Forman (@gayleforman)

If you recognize Gayle Forman, it's probably for her bestselling novel If I Stay (adapted for the 2014 film by the same name.) She's the author of nine other YA titles, including Leave Me and I Was Here. Fun fact about Forman: when she was little, she wanted to grow up to be the sun. (Girl, me too.) Follow her here.

Alison A. Malee (@alison.malee)

Alison A. Malee is the author of the 2016 poetry collection, Shifting Bone, and her Instagram is a quiet storm of the type of spare, striking, beautiful verse — and the occasional illustration — that fills her collection. Follow her here.

Elizabeth Gilbert (@elizabeth_gilbert_writer)

Because who doesn’t need more Elizabeth Gilbert in their day, every day? (I know I do.) The woman whose Eat, Pray, Love was read ‘round the world shares pics that are both hilarious and heartfelt — and scrolling will give you something to do while you wait (seriously, we’ve been waiting forever, right? Five years feels like forever...) for her next book. Follow her here.

Jon Krakauer (@krakauernotwriting)

Jon Krakauer — author of knockout works of investigative reportage (and adventure) like Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, Under the Banner of Heaven, and others — has the totally cheeky account handle of “krakauernotwriting”. And he’s definitely not writing on his IG feed. Instead, he’s, I dunno, scaling mountains and skiing down slopes and making friends with bull snakes and all sorts of other things that will either give you some serious wanderlust or make you super grateful you’re nestled cozily at home with a book. Or both. Follow him here.

Alexandra Bracken (@alexbracken)

According to bestselling YA author Alexandra Bracken's Instagram, she loves dark, sad things and wears a ton of pink — so, you already know you want to follow her. Bracken has written The Darkest Minds series and the Passenger series, and her writing has been translated into over 15 languages. Follow here here.

Pavana (@mazadohta)

Los Angeles-based writer and poet Pavana’s first collection, the self-published Rangoli, came out in July, and even though plenty of it is previewed on her Instagram account, you’re definitely going to want to check out the entire book — and, give her a follow while you’re at it (if you don’t already.) Hers is another necessary and beautiful voice that stands out in the growing-cacophony of Instagram poets. Follow her here.