We recently connected with Liza Libes and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Liza thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I come from a post-Soviet family and was the first person in my family to be born in America. In the Soviet Union, it was standard to become an engineer, and because most Soviet immigrants in the U.S. have deep trauma from the socialist system, they often push their children into lucrative careers such as engineering, law, medicine, or finance. Many of my friends in college who came from similar backgrounds studied one of these subjects at the instigation of their parents. I feel infinitely lucky that my parents not only did not push a STEM career on me but also encouraged me to chase my dreams. The best piece of advice I ever received was from my dad: “If you are good at something—no matter what it is—you will make it.” My parents supported me in my English major when virtually no one else on the planet did, and I am eternally grateful to them for always believing in me.

Liza, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Liza. I’m a writer and a poet based in New York City.

I studied English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, where I concentrated on the poetry of Sylvia Plath and T.S. Eliot respectively. Shortly after, I founded The Pens and Poison Project to promote the literary arts and to foster appreciation for the written word.

During my time in college and graduate school, I witnessed the field of literary study constantly devolving into politics to promote a one-sided political agenda. I believe that literature should not be politicized, nor should it be understood under arbitrary political lenses. Through Pens and Poison, I hope to bring back the idea of literature as a work of art rather than a political vehicle and create content every day to return literature to its original purpose: engaging the human soul.

Pens and Poison has since reached over 500k poetry lovers across the world through engaging YouTube, Instagram, and Spotify content, and continues to draw in new literary lovers on a daily basis. Through my various platforms, I feature both works from my favorite authors and some of my own poems. My work, which frequently addresses themes of female identity, Judaism, and desire, has appeared in literary journals and online magazines such as The American Spectator, Willows Wept Review, Jewish Women of Words, and Kveller. I am excited to continue to reach new audiences through Pens and Poison as we spread our mission of promoting true literary study.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started working on my social media channels about three months ago. Since then, I have amassed 13k followers on Instagram and 22k subscribers on YouTube. Many of my followers are in disbelief that I have only been around for three months, and others are shocked to hear that I grew my socials so quickly with no prior social media experience.

I started off posting one reel every day—what I call my “daily literary bite.” At the start of my Instagram and YouTube journey, I would post reels primarily of me talking about a fun literary fact for 15-30 seconds. Many of my current reels have retained this format, though I have now added others into the mix based on trial and error of what seems to get my audience most engaged.

I have learned a heck of a lot through putting myself out there on social media and have three main tips for those just starting out:

1. Post every day! For me, consistency was key. Some reels did not do very well, some reels did much better than I would have ever expected. Posting daily with no exceptions—even on the days where I was tired, busy or sick—helped me understand the audience I was engaging and develop content that my followers best appreciated.

2. Don’t pay attention to what other people are doing. Sure, there are some Instagram “trends” that can be helpful, but I truly believe that what helped me grow was posting content that was unique. I came into Instagram with a blank slate—with no prior social media experience—and I believe that this was inadvertently the key to my success. I just posted what I wanted to post, and it turned out that no one else had done anything quite like this. This helped me stand out and develop a fresh brand rather than hopping on existing social media trends.

3. Embrace the haters. The most shocking part of my journey was receiving so much backlash for just wanting to spread the love of literature. It got me down at first—especially as a young woman online—but I soon learned that the more people hate on you, the more successful you become. It means that people are paying attention and are jealous of what you have achieved.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I’m currently earning minimal money from The Pens and Poison project. I haven’t gotten to the point yet where I’ve landed fancy brand deals or a book deal, and that’s okay. It’s a process. What people don’t understand is that I’m not doing this for money. (I actually have a separate, unrelated company that I run that pays the bills!) My creative endeavors as a poet and online literary presence are not meant to spring me towards monetary success—I talk about literature and write poems because that is where I find meaning in life. People criticize me for putting so much time into something that won’t financially support me as much as my company but I believe that a) it eventually will and b) art is a pursuit for the soul that for most people is not tied to financial success. Money is nice, but creating something new and leaving it in the world? That’s pretty awesome.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lizalibes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pensandpoison/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizalibes/
• Twitter: https://x.com/pensandpoison
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pensandpoison
• Other: Substack: https://pensandpoison.substack.com/