You’ll find poets who write love poems and poets who write about history. These brilliant artists are formal and experimental, their collections full of sonnets and odes, erasure poems and prose poems and new poetic forms of their own invention. In different ways, their work speaks to and illuminates the present moment. It is personal and political, intimate and universal, deeply painful and full of joy. I’ve linked, in most cases, to each poet’s profile on poets.org, which provides a fantastic entry into their work, with poems you can read and listen to, a brief bio, and a list of their books. Once you’ve made your way through the work of these incredible poets, why not dive into the books of these must-read modern poets of color? Or maybe your next favorite poet is one of these amazing writers, who came into my life thanks to The Sealey Challenge. And for ravenous poetry lovers, there’s plenty more in our poetry archives!
