Poetry is one of the oldest forms of writing. Almost as long as humans have been around, they have recorded emotions, events, and thoughts.
These poetry books cover a wide range of topics and forms, spanning the possibilities of the unique genre. We have gathered love poetry books, as well as poetry books about identity, history, and grief.
Both the most famous poetry books and books by new voices in the genre have a lot of beauty and insight to offer to readers. Poetry books are meant to evoke strong emotions using interesting and creative verse.
Whether you’re a regular reader of poetry or you’re ready to give the genre a try, here are some of the best poetry books for you to dive into right now!
A book of poetry can be called an anthology or a collection. An anthology refers to a book of works written by multiple poets, while a collection usually consists of poems by only one poet. However, an author may choose to refer to their book by either of these names or simply as “a book of poetry.”
There are many must-read poetry books, but one that rises above is the classic poetry book, Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, written in 1855. Another favorite is Shel Silverstein’s 1974 poetry collection aimed at young readers, Where the Sidewalk Ends. For contemporary readers, Ocean Vuong’s 2016 collection Night Sky with Exit Wounds is a must-read.
It can be intimidating to begin your journey into poetry. To read a poem, begin by reading it through like you would any piece of writing. Then, reread the poem to get a deeper feel for the intentional word choices and formatting of the poet. You may want to look up any words you are unfamiliar with. You can also try reading the poem out loud to experience the unique sound or cadence intended by the author.
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