Updates and News

Thoughts on the failure of "Mr. Wasted Potential"

August 27 2025

For the first few days after I released Act I of my narrative poetry collection, Mr. Wasted Potential, it was hard to feel anything except for disappointment. Disappointment for the fact that, despite having a following of over fifty thousand people, less than 3000 were showed anything related to the project. Disappointment because I was unable to see success on Instagram as anything other than a high amount of views, a high amount of likes, shares, comments, etc. And, to be curt, it sucked. Friends and family know that I moped around for about a week after everything had been released, angry at the fact that even though fifty thousand people had consciously signed up to be notified every time I posted something, Instagram was only willing to show my work to a few thousand of them.

But now, looking back on the project (which, if you were among the few that did see it, you will recall only being the first half of what was meant to be a two part collection), I see success in it. I had to remember why I started posting on Instagram in the first place: I wasn't interested in making content. Not bashing anyone who wants to do that, but I was never interested in being a content creator, or an influencer. I was interested in being an artist. Instagram wasn't meant to be the pinnacle of my artistic career, it was just supposed to be another outlet for my artistic endeavors to go. And I think I lost sight of that when things blew up, because seeing all that support gave me such a big ego boost that I couldn't realize how unhealthy it is for a sixteen year old boy to feel like he's on top of the world.

And looking back, that's exactly what Mr. Wasted Potential was supposed to be. It wasn't supposed to be content. It wasn't supposed to be easily consumable, which is why it wasn't easily consumed. It was art. And, to be entirely honest, it's art that I'm proud of. So, to that extent, Mr. Wasted Potential was a success, and despite the fact that it is severely unpopular with my following, I am still going to finish what I started and release Act II. Because it was never supposed to be about the following, or the content, or how easy it is for someone to press a little heart icon next to my video. I started doing this because I care about the art I make, and after some reflection, I can't see a single reason why the commercial failure of this project should stop me from caring.

Act II of Mr. Wasted Potential, because of the resounding success of the first one, is still in the works, and will be released in due time.

This is Fine is now published!

June 17 2025

After a few weeks, I have finally managed to self publish my version of This is Fine, which is now available on Amazon! It's listed at $15.27 CAD, and has its original cover art, poem list, with a new dedication and foreword. Thank you everyone who has waited patiently for this. I'm so excited that it is finally up!

Update on This is Fine (and other projects)

May 31 2025

Unfortunately, due to tariffs on printing, Oesa Arts is unable to sustain a publishing house financially, and are pulling their edition of This is Fine off the shelves by mid-June. As soon as their edition is no longer for sale, I will be RE-SELF PUBLISHING my version on Amazon for anyone to purchase, and it should be up and running by the end of June! 

On an unrelated note, as many of you may know, I am currently working on getting my unnanounced novel published with a different, more established publishing house. However, after serious consideration and deliberation with my mentors, I've decided to rescind my business with this publisher and self publish it as well, after one more final round of editing, because I feel as though this novel is very personal to me and would be better delivered if I do it my way.

So, in short: Get ready for TWO big announcements in the near future! In particular, I'm extremely excited to finally announce my novel after so long. So stay tuned!

This is Fine is being traditionally published!!

March 9th 2025

I’m beyond thrilled to announce that my book, once self-published, is now getting a traditional republication with Oesa Arts! Working with their team has been an absolute pleasure, and I want to give a special shoutout to Amal Alhomsi (@a.h.alhomsi on Instagram) for their incredible support throughout this process.

This new edition features revised poems, four brand-new pieces, and a foreword by Wakefield Brewster, Calgary’s Poet Laureate (2022–2024). I can’t wait to share it with you all. Your babygirl is so back.

On Instagram

February 21 2025

I am completely shocked to say that, in the span of three days, my Instagram following has exploded from just under two hundred to over TEN THOUSAND followers. I am so excited to have so many people supporting me on my journey to turning my dream into reality. Much more to come!

Flywheel & Poetry Parlour

January 9 2025

It was an incredible to be the feature at both of these events. I had a magnificent time sharing some of my work with audiences, being interviewed, selling books, and learning more about the writing community. I am extremely grateful to have been given these opportunities by the wonderful women who run them: Ashley J.J. White via Poetry Parlour, and Jani Krulc via Flywheel. Such a delight!

When Words Collide

August 18 2024

Probably my favourite event in the local creative scene that I've been to so far. Everybody there was so lovely, and it was great to meet everyone and hear everyone's stories. I sold out all my books at the Shared Authors Table and finally got an actual publisher interested in my current project (which is a secret. Shhhhh. It's not like I talk about it all the time).

I loved getting the chance to see all of my friends in the writing community and make new connections with people I'd never met before. The panel was really fun to do as well. I felt like a game show judge. Anyway, thanks to everyone who talked to me! It was a pleasure.

Airdrie Public Library Poetry Slam

July 20 2024

I just returned back to Calgary from the Airdrie Public Library Poetry Slam. I had a ton of fun, and everybody was very welcoming. Everyone had a blast reading some poetry, talking quite a bit about nothing particularly important, and booing the judges (a commonly held tradition).

The Book Launch

April 9 2024

The book launch was a complete success! I am in complete and utter shock. Not only did I sell out, but I sold out within the first ten minutes of the event, and had to direct a large amount of people to the Amazon link. I'm so incredibly grateful for the immense support shown by my community, and would like to assure everyone that the support is not going to waste - I am constantly cooking up something new.

I was also glad to hear that the majority of my audience agrees with me on the thought-provoking views presented in the book, particularly the instances where I whine about Michael Bay and the weird end pieces of bread for many minutes. All jokes aside, I am genuinely very happy to see the overwhelmingly positive connections that people are making with my work.

Make sure to tune in to the Events page so that you don't miss any upcoming events!

Thank you for the incredible support

March 2 2024

Two days after its launch, This is Fine has sold over 40 copies. As a self published author, I thought I would sell, like, four copies in my entire lifetime, so I would like to give an immense thank you to everyone who supported me and bought my book. I am incredibly grateful and sincerely hope you enjoy it. This is Fine reached number one in youth poetry on Amazon, and was automatically added to Goodreads due to the high traffic around it. So, thank you all so much. I am genuinely grateful.

This is Fine is available for purchase!

February 29 2024

My debut book, This is Fine, is now available for purchase on Amazon. It's been a crazy journey! And this book was so fun to write. Well, really anything where I get to insult the Transformers franchise and talk about food over the course of multiple poems is fun to write. It can be purchased on Amazon for $15.27 CAD, and is much, much better than the Transformers franchise (I hope). I mean it's a pretty low bar, but I hope this book is more meaningful than "Maybe the real transformers were the ones that transformed our friendships." Here's the blurb:

Everything is fine. Except for, you know, everything. But this collection of poetry explores the relationship between denial and vulnerability through an even balance of comedic and heartfelt poetry. Through 21 longform poems, multiple metaphors revolving around bread, a few made-up words, and a passionate hatred of the Transformers franchise, Peter Katsnelson paints the picture of someone learning how to let go of denial in this compelling mix of emotions, humour, and personal expression.