When you don't think you like poetryLike this list

20 items

• Lord of the Butterflies

  Gibson, Andrea (Poet),

  Add Lord of the Butterflies to your for later shelf

  Above all, take a listen to Andrea Gibson for a dose of radical vulnerability and heartfelt tenderness. Try a book, or take a google to find their recent videos, made amidst their cancer diagnosis.

• Louder Than a Bomb

  Add Louder Than a Bomb to your for later shelf

  Follows the fortunes of four Chicago-area high school poetry teams as they prepare for and compete in the world's largest youth slam.

• Word Warriors

  35 Women Leaders in the Spoken Word Revolution

  Add Word Warriors to your for later shelf

  A collection of poems and essays by thirty-five female spoken word artists from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including Sarah Jones, Leah Harris, Tracie Morris, and others.

• Crush

  Siken, Richard, 1967-

  Add Crush to your for later shelf

  If I were forced to pick one favorite, it'd probably be Crush by Richard Siken. Admittedly, it takes me a long time to get through one poem, because each one is long and so packed with good language. I like to stew in it. It's overwhelmingly…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

  a Novel

  Vuong, Ocean, 1988-

  Add On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous to your for later shelf

• Night Sky With Exit Wounds

  Vuong, Ocean, 1988-

  Add Night Sky With Exit Wounds to your for later shelf

• I Saw a Peacock With a Fiery Tail

  Urveti, Ram Singh

  Add I Saw a Peacock With a Fiery Tail to your for later shelf

  A single "trick" poem from the 17th century, but it's so interesting paired with the beautiful illustrations.

• Revolution on Canvas

  Add Revolution on Canvas to your for later shelf

  An anthology of poetry written by punk band members.

• In the Pockets of Small Gods

  Mojgani, Anis,

  Add In the Pockets of Small Gods to your for later shelf

  Anything by Anis is a winner. Try searching Shake the Dust on YouTube.

• The Performance of Becoming Human

  Borzutzky, Daniel,

  Add The Performance of Becoming Human to your for later shelf

  The Performance of Becoming Human, draws hemispheric connections between the US and Latin America, specifically touching upon issues relating to border and immigration policies, economic disparity, political violence, and the disturbing rhetoric of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Mouthful of Forevers

  Von Radics, Clementine,

  Add Mouthful of Forevers to your for later shelf

  Titled after the poem that burned up on Tumblr and has inspired wedding vows, paintings, songs, YouTube videos, and even tattoos among its fans, Mouthful of Forevers brings the first substantial collection of this poet's work to the public.

• Women of Resistance

  Poems for a New Feminism

  Add Women of Resistance to your for later shelf

  A collection with a feminist ethos that cuts across race, gender identity, and sexuality.

• Oceanic

  Nezhukumatathil, Aimee

  Add Oceanic to your for later shelf

  Luscious and intimate looks at the natural world.

• Long Way Down

  Reynolds, Jason,

  Add Long Way Down to your for later shelf

• Falling Back in Love With Being Human

  Letters to Lost Souls

  Thom, Kai Cheng,

  Add Falling Back in Love With Being Human to your for later shelf

  A transformative collection of intimate and lyrical love letters that offer a path toward compassion, forgiveness, and self-acceptance.

• Judas Goat

  Bates, Gabrielle, 1991-

  Add Judas Goat to your for later shelf

• Content Warning: Everything

  Emezi, Akwaeke,

  Add Content Warning: Everything to your for later shelf

  In their bold debut poetry collection, Akwaeke Emezi—award-winning author of Freshwater, PET, The Death of Vivek Oji, and Dear Senthuran—imagines a new depth of belonging. Crafted of both divine and earthly materials, these poems travel from home to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Space Struck

  Lewis, Paige, 1991-

  Add Space Struck to your for later shelf

  Wonderful and funny and a delight.

• Homie

  Poems

  Smith, Danez

  Add Homie to your for later shelf

  Homie is Danez Smith’s magnificent anthem about the saving grace of friendship. Rooted in the loss of one of Smith’s close friends, this book comes out of the search for joy and intimacy within a nation where both can seem scarce and getting…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Deaf Republic

  Poems

  Kaminsky, Ilya, 1977-

  Add Deaf Republic to your for later shelf

  Deaf Republic opens in an occupied country in a time of political unrest. When soldiers breaking up a protest kill a deaf boy, Petya, the gunshot becomes the last thing the citizens hear--they all have gone deaf, and their dissent becomes…Read moreRead more of this annotation