Poetry: Overview

Your guide to all things poetical, including links to the library catalog, web sites about poetry, connections to poetry happenings locally, and links to Poets in the Libraries readings.

Poetry in Action

Use these tabs to find online assistance and information about local poets.

Includes

A series of readings at each of the library branches with featured poets and readings by community poets who live nearby. The series is hosted by Albuquerque Poet Laureate Mary Oishi, with library staff talking about the history and features of each library.

Poetry Playhouse
A place for poetry and play. Featuring visiting poets, writing workshops and classes, retreats, readings, and events.
Poet-Heart - Poetry Group in Albuquerque
Poetry group through meetup.com with a cooperative bulletin board for events, writer's groups, slams, conventions, and "madcap adventures."
ABQ Slams
ABQSlams provides support and opportunities as well as publicizes events, educational programming through Albuquerque Public Schools, the Albuquerque correctional system and UNM.
New Mexico State Poetry Society
Mission is to foster the appreciation and creation of poetry in the state of New Mexico. Chapters of the Society choose their own format and activities, which range from workshops, writing activities, round-robins, and youth programs.

Shelter In Poems This National Poetry Month, we ask our readers to share a poem from our Poets.org collection that helps to find courage, solace, and actionable energy, and a few words about how or why it does so. As responses continue to arrive from across the globe, we invite you to continue sharing poems on social media with the hashtag #ShelterInPoems or by writing to us at shelter@poets.org. Whether you’re writing in or tagging us on twitter, facebook, or instagram, we will select some of your responses to feature on this special Shelter in Poems page.
Alice Notley, Poet Celebrated for ‘Restless Reinvention,’ Dies at 79
In Praise of Poetry About Bugs
Creativity Challenge - Take a Page from Dr. Seuss: Write Some Poetry
In 'Words with Wings and Magic Things,' poetry is beautifully illustrated — and fun!
Alta Live: The Disappearance and Afterlife of Lew Welch
Love Comes Back Like a Murderer: Seven Poetry Books to Read This June
Poetry from Daily Life: Thinking of poems as 'glimpses of life to save and re-savor'
Is Wendy Cope’s poetry worth the social media craze?
Meet the 2025 Griffin Poetry Prize finalists.

Poet's Market
The Most Trusted Guide to Publishing Poetry! Want to get your poetry published? There's no better tool for making it happen than Poet's Market 2020, which includes hundreds of publishing opportunities specifically for poets, including listings for book and chapbook publishers, print and online poetry publications, contests, and more. These listings include contact information, submission preferences, insider tips on what specific editors want, and--when offered--payment information. In addition to the completely updated listings, the 33nd edition of Poet's Market offers articles devoted to the craft and business of poetry, including the art of finishing a poem, ways to promote your new book, habits of highly productive poets, and more.

Books on Writing Poetry for All Ages

Books on Writing Poetry

For Kids and Teens

Immersed in Verse by Tuesday Mourning (Illustrator); Allan Wolf Poetry's hip, poetry's hot, and poetry's a blast with this cool, contemporary guide created in the same entertaining style as the popular In Print! Kids instinctively love poetry--its rhythm, its rhymes, and its playful transformation of ordinary language. And these days, such cutting-edge, youthful forms as rap, hip-hop, and slams have made poetry more relevant than ever. With its fun facts, exciting writing activities, and words of encouragement from a respected professional, Immersed in Verse nurtures the nascent poet in every child. Best of all, these awe-inspiring ideas have nothing in common with blah school assignments. Instead, youngsters rearrange their favorite (or least favorite) poems; start their own poetry workshop; present #147;open mike night” in the basement; and record their friends reciting. Along the way, they'll open more than a few #147;poet's toolboxes.” They'll explore the wonderful world of words and learn about attitude, equipment, techniques (including #147;metaphors be with you”), different styles of verse, revising your writing, getting published, and performing.nbsp; Allan Wolf has served as the educational director for the national touring company Poetry Alive! His books include The Blood-Hungry Spleen and Other Poems about Our Parts and New Found Land. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and three children. A Selection of the Children's Book of the Month Club.
Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry by Jack Prelutsky Have you ever tried to write a poem about a pizza? How about a pig? How about a pigeon, penguin, potato, Ping-Pong, parrot, puppy, pelican, porcupine, pie, pachyderm, or your parents? Jack Prelutsky has written more than one thousand poems about all of these things--and many others. In this book he gives you the inside scoop on writing poetry and shows you how you can turn your own experiences and stories about your family, your pets, and your friends into poems. He offers tips, advice, and secrets about writing and provides some fun exercises to help you get started (or unstuck). You'll also get a behind-the-scenes look at the ingredients of some of his most popular poems. If you are a poet, want to be a poet, or if you have to write a poem for homework and you just need some help, then this is the book for you!
Poetry Matters by Ralph J. Fletcher; P. Fletcher Maybe you've heard before that poetry is magic, and it made you roll your eyes, but I believe it's true. Poetry matters. At the most important moments, when everyone else is silent, poetry rises to speak. I wrote this book to help you write poems and to give practical ideas for making your poems sound the way you want them to sound. We're not going to smash poems up into the tiniest pieces. This book is about writing poetry, not analyzing it. I want this book to help you have more wonderful. moments in the poetry you write. I want you to feel the power of poetry. it's my hope that through this book you will discover lots of ways to make your poems shine, sing, soar... -- Ralph Fletcher
Sophie and Sadie Build a Sonnet by Amanda StJohn; Luanne Marten (Illustrator) Friends Sophie and Sadie learn how to write sonnets with the help of their after-school program teacher.
How to Write a Poem by Margaret Ryan All successful people are effective communicators. This series forms a complete set of how-to-references that give young people a solid grounding and practical pointers in all areas of spoken and written communications. Includes a bibliography, a glossary, and an index.
Catch Your Breath by Laura Purdie Salas "Introduces and defines essential elements of writing poetry accompanied by compelling writing prompts for practicing new skills. Real-life author bios and excerpts enhance skills and understanding"--
How to Write a Poem by Kwame Alexander; Melissa Sweet (Illustrator); Deanna Nikaido In this evocative and playful companion to their New York Times bestselling picture book How to Read a Book, Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander teams up with poet Deanna Nikaido and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet to celebrate the magic of discovering your very own poetry in the world around you. Begin with a question like an acorn waiting for spring. From this first stanza, readers are invited to pay attention--and to see that paying attention itself is poetry. Kwame Alexander and Deanna Nikaido's playful text and Melissa Sweet's dynamic, inventive artwork are paired together to encourage readers to listen, feel, and discover the words that dance in the world around them--poems just waiting to be written down.    
What Is Poetry?: the Essential Guide to Reading and Writing Poems by Michael Rosen; Jill Calder (Illustrator) Celebrated poet and critic Michael Rosen takes readers on a whirlwind tour exploring what poems are, what they can do, and the joys of reading and writing them. For thousands of years, people have been writing poetry. But what is poetry? Award-winning wordsmith Michael Rosen has spent decades thinking about that question, and in this helpful guide he shares his insights with humor, knowledge, and appreciation -- appreciation for poetry and appreciation for twenty-first-century children embarking on their own poetic journeys. Young readers are invited to join him on a welcoming exploration of the British poetic canon, replete with personal insights into what the renowned poet thinks about as he writes and advice on writing their own poetry. When he's finished, readers will be able to say with confidence: this is poetry. Included in this accessible handbook are writing tips, analyses of classic poems, and an appendix of poets and useful websites.

For Adults

Write a Poem, Save Your Life by Meredith Heller; Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge (Foreword by) "Join Heller on her quest to help save the world, one poet at a time." -- from the foreword by Susan G. Wooldridge Write a Poem, Save Your Life helps writers of all ages and experience levels navigate their way through all aspects of life. With writing prompts, tools, encouragement, and moving student examples, Meredith Heller gently guides us in the art of using poetry to figure out who we are and what matters to us and to heal the deeper issues many of us face, such as depression, addiction, health and body image issues, low self-esteem, trauma, gender and sexual identity issues, and home and family problems. Along the way, we learn that writing poems helps us believe in ourselves, make positive life choices, and find direction, purpose, and meaning.
Ordinary Genius by Kim Addonizio "The creative process is just that," maintains Kim Addonizio. "Not a means to an end, but an ongoing participation." A widely acclaimed poet and finalist for the National Book Award, Addonizio meditates on her own process as she encourages writers to explore both their personal and political worlds, to seek inspiration from poets new and old, and to discover the rich poetic resources of the Internet. Lively, accessible, and informative, Ordinary Genius?provides wisdom gleaned through personal experience and offers a heady variety of writing exercises. Chapters on gender, addiction, race and class, metaphor and line invite each individual writer to find and to hone his or her unique voice. This is the perfect book for both experienced writers and beginners eager to glimpse the angel of poetry.
The Ode Less Travelled by Stephen Fry I have a dark and dreadful secret. I write poetry... I believe poetry is a primal impulse within all of us. I believe we are all capable of it and furthermore that a small, often ignored corner of us positively yearns to try it. Stephen Fry, The Ode Less Travelled Stephen Fry believes that if one can speak and read English, one can write poetry. Many of us have never been taught to read or write poetry and think of it as a mysterious and intimidating form. Or, if we have been taught, we remember uncomfortable silence when an English teacher invited the class to "respond" to a poem. In The Ode Less Travelled, Fry sets out to correct this problem by giving aspiring poets the tools and confidence they need to write poetry for pleasure.Fry is a wonderfully engaging teacher and writer of poetry himself, and he explains the various elements of poetry in simple terms, without condescension. His enjoyable exercises and witty insights introduce the concepts of Metre, Rhyme, Form, Diction, and Poetics. Aspiring poets will learn to write a sonnet, on ode, a villanelle, a ballad, and a haiku, among others. Along the way, he introduces us to poets we've heard of, but never read. The Ode Less Travelledis a lively celebration of poetry that makes even the most reluctant reader want to pick up a pencil and give it a try. BACKCOVER: Advanced Praise: Delightfully erudite, charming and soundly pedagogical guide to poetic form Fry has created an invaluable and highly enjoyable reference book. Publishers Weekly A smart, sane and entertaining return to the basics If you like Frys comic manner this book has a lot of charm People entirely fresh to the subject could do worse than stick with his cheerful leadership. The Telegraph(UK) intelligent and informative, a worthy enterprise well executed. Observer(UK) "If you learn how to write a sonnet, and Fry shows you how, you may or may not make a poem. But you will unlock the stored wisdom of the form itself." Grey Gowrie, The Spectator(UK) intelligent and informative, a worthy enterprise well executed. Observer(UK)
Rules for the Dance by Mary Oliver "True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, / As those move easiest who have learn'd to dance," wrote Alexander Pope. "The dance," in the case of Oliver's brief and luminous book, refers to the interwoven pleasures of sound and sense to be found in some of the most celebrated and beautiful poems in the English language, from Shakespeare to Edna St. Vincent Millay to Robert Frost. With a poet's ear and a poet's grace of expression, Oliver shows what makes a metrical poem work - and enables readers, as only she can, to "enter the thudding deeps and the rippling shallows of sound-pleasure and rhythm-pleasure that intensify both the poem's narrative and its ideas."
The Poetry Home Repair Manual by Ted Kooser Recently appointed as the new U. S. Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser has been writing and publishing poetry for more than forty years. In the pages of The Poetry Home Repair Manual, Kooser brings those decades of experience to bear. Here are tools and insights, the instructions (and warnings against instructions) that poets—aspiring or practicing—can use to hone their craft, perhaps into art. Using examples from his own rich literary oeuvre and from the work of a number of successful contemporary poets, the author schools us in the critical relationship between poet and reader, which is fundamental to what Kooser believes is poetry’s ultimate purpose: to reach other people and touch their hearts.   Much more than a guidebook to writing and revising poems, this manual has all the comforts and merits of a long and enlightening conversation with a wise and patient old friend—a friend who is willing to share everything he’s learned about the art he’s spent a lifetime learning to execute so well.
Singing School by Robert Pinsky Quick, joyful, and playfully astringent, with surprising comparisons and examples, this collection takes an unconventional approach to the art of poetry. Instead of rules, theories, or recipes, emphasizes ways to learn from great work: studying magnificent, monumentally enduring poems and how they are made— in terms borrowed from the “singing school” of William Butler Yeats’s “Sailing to Byzantium.”
Lessons from a Desperado Poet by Baxter Black 118 tips from America's Cowboy Poet on how to carve a living out of thin air and live with yourself while you do it "Probably the nation's most successful living poet." New York TimesPart memoir, part how-to, all Baxter Black, Lessons from a Desperado Poet is a humorous, witty take on making a living by doing the right thing and trying everything. According to Baxter Black, success "does not require a genius; it just requires the persistence of a glacier. Remember, often it's not ability that gets you ahead, it's reliability. The world is run by those who show up." A mind-tickling romp through the formation, fermentation, and fruition of the author's career as a poet in a country where publishing poetry is "practically illegal," Lessons from a Desperado Poet boldly injects a poem now and again when it is relevant, just to prove a point It's instructional for the entrepreneur, inspirational for the ambitious, and entertaining for the teeming masses. Since it is also a story of continuously overcoming the odds, Lessons from a Desperado Poet leaves a trail of self-improvement and motivational tortilla crumbs that readers will follow with delight before, that is, squirreling them away in their own cerebral pockets for later use."
You, Too, Could Write a Poem by David Orr A collection of reviews and essays by David Orr, the New York Times poetry columnist and one of the most respected critics in America today, his best work of the past fifteen years in one place   Poetry is never more vital, meaningful, or accessible than in the hands of David Orr. In the pieces collected here, most of them written originally for the New York Times, Orr is at his rigorous, conversational, and edifying best. Whether he is considering the careers of contemporary masters, such as Louise Gl#65533;ck or Frederick Seidel, sizing up younger American poets, like Matthea Harvey and Matthew Zapruder, or even turning his attention to celebrities and public figures, namely Oprah Winfrey and Stephen Fry, when they choose to wade into the hotly contested waters of the poetry world, Orr is never any less than fully persuasive in arguing what makes a poem or poet great--or not. After all, as Orr points out in his introduction, "Poetry is a lot like America, in the sense that liking all of it means that you probably shouldn't be trusted with money, or scissors."   Orr's prose is devoted to common sense and clarity, and, in every case, he brings to bear an impeccable ear, an openhandedness of spirit, and a deep wealth of technical knowledge--to say nothing of his shrewd sense of humor. As pleasurable as it is informative, Orr's journalism represents a high watermark in the public discussion of literature. You, Too, Could Write a Poem is at heart a love note to poetry itself. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Call Number: eBook
How Poems Get Made by James Longenbach Why does a great lyric poem ask to be reread, even after we know it by heart? In How Poems Get Made, acclaimed poet and critic James Longenbach answers this question by discussing a wide range of exemplary poems, from Shakespeare through Blake, Dickinson, and Moore, to a variety of poets making poems today. In each chapter of How Poems Get Made, Longenbach examines a specific aspect of the poetic medium--including Diction, Syntax, Rhythm, Echo, Figure, and Tone--and shows how a poet may manipulate these most basic elements to bring a poem to life.
Making of a Poem by Mark Strand; Eavan Boland "Concise, learned, revisionary... should enrich the passionate conversation about poetic forms for years to come."-- Edward Hirsch, author of How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry Two of our foremost poets provide here a lucid, straightforward primer that "looks squarely at some of the headaches and mysteries of poetic form": a book for readers who have always felt that an understanding of form (sonnet, ballad, villanelle, sestina, among others) would enhance their appreciation of poetry. Tracing "the exuberant history of forms," they devote one chapter to each form, offering explanation, close reading, and a rich selection of examplars that amply demonstrate the power and possibility of that form.

Recent Poetry Titles for All Ages

New Poetry Titles

For Kids and Teens

Knucklehead by Tony Keith Jr. dear Knucklehead, perhaps you are like me: always figuring out if your soul and your skin are thick enough to protect your body from sticky stones thrown from the mouths of those who know that spoken words have the power to spit out freedom and break-in bones.  While society often assigns the label "knucklehead" to kids with attitude problems, this brilliant and electric poetry collection by spoken word poet and hip-hop educator Tony Keith Jr. subverts that narrow way of thinking and empathizes with young people who are misunderstood and unheard. There are poems about the power of language to transcend the racist and homophobic constructs of a society prejudging Black boys. There are poems that serve as a salve for a world that inflicts hurt, poems that offer a beacon of hope for the curious and questioning, and poems that transform the way people love Black gay boys and men. This is a journey of self-discovery through history, family, friendship, and falling in love. Knucklehead is a breathtaking work, full of black-and-white illustrations and unforgettable poetry that will heal, provoke, and inspire.
Call Number: Young Adult
Torrible Puns by Tricia Torrible; Robert Dunn (Illustrator) Get ready to laugh out loud at some of the most ridiculous - and hilarious - puns you've heard, from poet extraordinaire, Tricia Torrible! Spring and Summer were no fun at all, but Humpty Dumpty had a great Fall. Packed with witty humor, this clever mix of poetry and puns features everything from animals and beloved nursery rhyme characters to outer space and favorite sports. Each poem contains at least one word or phrase with a double meaning, which will not only make children (and adults!) laugh out loud, but also provides a fun lesson on homonyms. The short poems, the lovely art, and the groan-worthy punchlines will leave readers begging for "just one more." This collection has something for everyone, with more than thirty poems featuring pitch-perfect rhyme and varying length. With its additional back matter information about puns along with its vibrant illustrations, Torrible Puns will be a book that children, teachers, librarians and parents reach for over and over again. Perfect for storytime, bedtime, or anytime!
Call Number: JEasy
A Forest Song by Kirsten Hall; Evan Turk (Illustrator) Beautifully illustrated by an award-winning artist, this cento poem about experiencing a forest with all of your senses will make the perfect read-aloud for nature lovers and curious explorers of all ages. Into the forest, dark and deep, With miles to go before I sleep . . . Beneath the holy oaks I wander. Here, O my heart, just listen! This vivid and evocative poem reimagines classic lines of poetry from Robert Frost, Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe and others. Readers will journey into a forest, listen carefully to its sounds, and observe the creatures that call it home. With swirling colors, the stunning illustrations create scenes of the forest awakening through the eyes of a child - a wolf finds its lair, a deer steps with care, even the trees appear to flutter awake! Through each verse, the forest bursts with life and the trees slowly stretch up toward a starry night sky, whispering a gentle goodnight. And when the child awakens, the forest will be there to greet the morning anew. A tribute to writers of the past, this stunning picture book by poet Kirsten Hall and award-winning illustrator Evan Turk celebrates the beauty of our forests, and encourages readers to respect, honor, and be in awe of their natural wonders.
Call Number: JEasy
Girls on the Rise by Amanda Gorman; Loveis Wise (Illustrator) An electrifying new picture book by #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman Who are we? We are a billion voices, bright and brave; we are light, standing together in the fight. Girls are strong and powerful alone, but even stronger when they work to uplift one another. In this galvanizing original poem by presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, girls and girlhood are celebrated in their many forms, all beautiful, not for how they look but for how they look into the face of fear. Creating a rousing rallying cry with vivid illustrations by Loveis Wise, Gorman reminds us how girls have shaped our history while marching boldly into the future.
Call Number: JEasy
Haiku Kaiju Ah-Choo! by George McClements "Clements brings readers on board right away...providing plenty of inspiration for making kaiju haiku of their own." -Publishers Weekly A clever boy comes to the rescue when a sick Kaiju needs help explaining that he feels unwell in this comics-style picture book--perfect for future fans of Dog Man and The Bad Guys. A giant kaiju (think Godzilla!) awakes one morning not feeling well. He is confused and needs help. Off to the city where his size makes him seem dangerous. Meanwhile, over at Kaiju Central (they keep watch for kaiju activity 24/7), a dad and his son arrive to find the KAIJU alarm sounding for the first time ever! A kaiju has been spotted! Now what? Written in extra-relatable haiku and full of classic monster movies tropes, this bighearted comic tale will rev up story time with its satisfying blend of poetry, kindness, adventure, and humor.
Publication Date: JEasy
Fast Cheetah, Slow Tortoise by Bette Westera; Mies van Hout (Illustrator); David Colmer (Translator) A whimsical portrait of animals--and antonyms--in action. How do you contrast creatures as different as cheetahs and tortoises, or as similar as butterflies and moths? In this lively book of poetry, antonym pairs introduce thirty-two members of the animal kingdom. Each spread presents the voices of two unique creatures: are you more like an obedient sheep or a rebellious goat? What about a tidy pig or a messy warthog? A bossy gorilla or a meek monkey?  With bold, vibrant art and amusing free verse, this collection is a memorable way to explore vocabulary, opposites, and animal traits with young readers. Every flip of the page brings a new set of faces--and another chance to laugh.
Ode to Grapefruit by Kari Lavelle; Bryan Collier (Illustrator) Before there was Mufasa...Before there was Darth Vader... There was a young boy names James Earl Jones, who spoke with a stutter and dreaded having to talk in class. Whenever James tried to voice his thoughts, his words got stuck in his throat. But James figured out a solution for his shame- if he didn't speak, he wouldn't stutter. And so he was silent...until he wrote his own poem, Ode to Grapefruit, and found a love for poetry. Lyrical text, stunning art, and compelling backmatter about stuttering pair together for a remarkable picture book about how a boy who refused to speak for eight years learned to manage his stutter through poetry--and grew up to become an EGOT-winning performer with a voice few could forget.
Call Number: JBiography
Best in Show by David Elliott; Cindy Derby (Illustrator); Rebecca Green (Illustrator); Ebony Glenn (Illustrator); Julie Flett (Illustrator); Antoinette Portis (Illustrator); David Ezra Stein (Illustrator); Emily Hughes (Illustrator); Matthew Cordell (Illustrator); Kenard Pak (Illustrator); Raissa Figueroa (Illustrator); Leo Espinosa (Illustrator); Charles Santoso (Illustrator); Oge Mora (Illustrator); Cátia Chien (Illustrator); Raúl the Raúl the Third (Illustrator); Elaine Bay (Illustrator) A celebration of the extraordinary and ordinary power of dogs of all kinds, in sly and cheerful verse from celebrated poet David Elliott. Features artwork from an all-star cast of eighteen bestselling and award-winning illustrators. In so many hearts you're number one! Agile! High-spirited! Obedient! Fun! You hunt. You fish. You search and find. You cheer the old. You guide the blind. In this ode to our most loyal companions, you'll meet the Labrador Retriever and sixteen other remarkable dogs. There's the Bloodhound, who has a sense of smell one thousand times better than yours or mine. And there's the Irish Wolfhound, the world's tallest dog, who was once the companion of royalty. And we can't forget the mutt. But that's not all! You'll meet big dogs and small dogs, scruffy dogs and elegant dogs, and dogs from all around the world. Pairing engaging poems with surprising facts, Best in Show is a one-of-a-kind gift and a paw-sitively perfect read-aloud for dog lovers and aspiring pet owners. Includes illustrations by Elaine Bay, Cátia Chien, Matthew Cordell, Cindy Derby, Flavia Z. Drago, Leo Espinosa, Raissa Figueroa, Julie Flett, Ebony Glenn, Rebecca Green, Emily Hughes, Oge Mora, Kenard Pak, Antoinette Portis, Raúl the Third, Sergio Ruzzier, Charles Santoso, and David Ezra Stein. Don't miss these titles by David Elliott: On the Farm In the Wild The Seventh Raven Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc Bull
Call Number: JEasy

For Adults

Is This My Final Form? by Amy Gerstler Aren't we all shape-shifters? Is any animal, vegetable, or mineral - even a commonplace object - what it seems to be at any given moment? Who isn't juggling constant transformations, conflicting roles, changing loyalties, loves, perceptions, and selves, all while being pummelled by shifting devotions, emotions, and obsessions? Do even the dead continue to evolve in surprising ways? Revelling in these questions, Gerstler's latest protean poetry collection includes loose sonnets, shapely praise of Mae West, the lament of an actor who can't shed his costume, dramatic monologues, whiffs of gender slippage, a love lyric to the bride of Frankenstein, and a ten-minute play.
Making the Best of What's Left by Judith Viorst From the bestselling author Judith Viorst comes a witty and poignant exploration of the joys and sorrows of life's twilight years--one that leaves us laughing, pondering, and grateful for the moments we have left. In a career that has spanned more than fifty years, Judith Viorst has captivated readers with her bestselling children's books and collections of poetry reflecting on each decade of life. Now in her nineties, Viorst writes about life's "Final Fifth," those who are eighty to one hundred years old. Her signature blend of humor and vulnerability infuses personal anecdotes and observations, drawing you into her world of memories and candid conversations. She confesses, "I never ever send a text while driving, and not just because I don't know how to text." She discusses the afterlife (She doesn't believe in it, but if it exists, she hopes her sister-in-law isn't there). She complains to her dead husband ("I need you fixing our damn circuit breakers. I need you! Could you please stop being dead?"). And she explores the late-life meanings of wisdom and happiness and second chances and home. With a wit that defies age, Viorst navigates the terrain of loss. It's a poignant dance between grief and levity that will resonate with those in their Final Fifth as well as anyone who has parents, relatives, or friends in their eighties and beyond. This is Judith Viorst at her best.
A Map Without Your Shadow by Kat Heatherington This collection of poetry charts the arc of a marriage, from the formation of the relationship and building a dreamed-of life together, through cycles and years of emotional abuse, and then into and through divorce and its healing aftermath. It grapples unflinchingly with deception, loss, love, heartbreak, and ultimately finding a path to wholeness and healing.
Open-Hearted Horizon by Valerie Martínez (Editor); Shelle VanEtten de Sánchez (Editor) Open-Hearted Horizon: An Albuquerque Poetry Anthology invites you into a poetic conversation. The anthology includes a wide range of Albuquerque-based poets and poems that are inspired?directly, associatively, obliquely?by Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a place and as a community. Anthologies commonly celebrate a multitude of voices. Because this one is place-based, it aims to draw you into a circle that deepens your sense of place and people, of contexts and cultures, whether you know Albuquerque or not. Because the Albuquerque poetry community is characterized by its support for individual writers and by a strong impulse toward creative collaboration, Open-Hearted Horizon features poems in multiple voices. In addition to poems by individual poets, this collection also features collaborative works, including those by the EKCO collective and one that features a line from every poem in the anthology. Overall, the collection invites you to experience Albuquerque in all its richness, diversity, and depth.
Good Grief by Brianna Pastor "Brianna Pastor is by far one of my favorite new writers. Good Grief is a powerful testament that shows how hard the past can be and that overcoming it is possible. If you want to feel seen and deeply moved, read Good Grief. Brianna Pastor has unparalleled talent, let the power of her writing guide you to a better life."--yung pueblo, #1 New York Times bestselling author An expanded edition with over forty brand-new poems of the bestselling poetry collection Good Grief by Brianna Pastor When Brianna Pastor released her self-published poetry collection, Good Grief, she was blown away by the outpouring of support from people who reached out and said, "Yes. Me too." For anyone who has struggled with questions of identity or coped with serious emotional issues, including grief, trauma, anxiety, and depression, this collection will help you find hope on the other side. we don't know how long our pain will last. we assume that because it hurts now, it is probably going to hurt tomorrow. it may even hurt the next day. perhaps it will get worse. but we sleep, and you see, and we do this marvelous thing in our sleep--we mend. And tomorrow is not always what we thought it would be.--from Good Grief
Paper Boat by Margaret Atwood An extraordinary career-spanning collection from one of the most revered poets and storytellers of our age Tracing the legacy of Margaret Atwood--a writer who has fundamentally shaped the contemporary literary landscapes--Paper Boat: New and Selected Poems, 1961-2023 assembles Atwood's most vital poems in one essential volume. In pieces that are at once brilliant, beautiful, and hyper-imagined, Atwood gives voice to remarkably drawn characters--mythological figures, animals, and everyday people--all of whom have something to say about what it means to live in a world as strange as our own. "How can one live with such a heart?" Atwood asks, casting her singular spell upon the reader and ferrying us through life, death, and whatever comes next. Atwood, in her journey through poetry, illuminates our most innate joys and sorrows, desires and fears. Spanning six decades of work--from her earliest beginnings to brand-new poems--this volume charts the evolution of one of our most iconic and necessary authors.
Blues in Stereo by Langston Hughes; Danez Smith (Editor) Publishers Weekly's Top Ten Fall 2024 Poetry Books From Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes, a stunning collection of early works written from 1921-1927 curated by award winning poet and National Book Award finalist, Danez Smith. Hanif Abdurraqib calls the collection of polished poems and raw, unfinished, works-in-progress, "a gift to any poet working at any stage of their life and career."    Before Langston Hughes and his literary prowess became synonymous with American poetry, he was an eighteen-year-old on a train to Mexico City, seeking funds to pursue his passion. Beloved verses like "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," were written without formal training, often on the back of napkins and envelopes, and were inspired by the sights and sounds of Black working-class people he encountered in his early life. Blues in Stereo is a collection of select early works, all written before the age of twenty-five, in which we see Langston Hughes with fresh eyes.    From the intimate pages of his handwritten journals, you will travel with Hughes outside of Harlem as he travels the world, celebrate love as a tool of liberation, and enjoy his musical verse poetry, including a play he cowrote with Duke Ellington with a full score. Blues in Stereo foreshadows a master poet that will go on to define literature for centuries to come. And by keeping his original, handwritten notations found in archival material, we get to witness a genius's earliest thought process in real time. National Book Award-nominated poet Danez Smith offers their insight and notes on themes, challenges, and obsessions contained in Hughes's early work.      
Light of Wings by Sarah Kotchian This haunting collection merges spirit and nature in a voice both elegiac and celebratory. Kotchian explores our deep connection to the natural world, one increasingly at risk even as it continues to surprise and inspire. From meditations on the dangers of global warming to supporting a friend with cancer, from grieving the loss of her own mother to celebrating nature from New Mexico to a wild Scottish island, the poems celebrate both solitude and companionship and enlarge our concept of belonging and community, offering us threads of resilience, persistence, and hope.
Wrong Norma by Anne. Carson A NEW YORK TIMES BEST POETRY BOOK OF 2024 FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR POETRY Published here in a stunning edition with images created by Carson, several of the twenty-five startling poetic prose pieces have appeared in magazines and journals like The New Yorker and The Paris Review. As Carson writes: "Wrong Norma is a collection of writings about different things, like Joseph Conrad, Guantánamo, Flaubert, snow, poverty, Roget's Thesaurus, my Dad, Saturday night. The pieces are not linked. That's why I've called them 'wrong.'" 
The Silk Dragon II by Arthur Sze National Book Award-winner Arthur Sze presents a one-of-a-kind anthology that vividly traces Chinese poetry from its centuries-old lyrical traditions up to the present day. In The Silk Dragon II, National Book Award-winning poet Arthur Sze presents a sophisticated vision of the vitality, diversity, and power of the Chinese poetic tradition. Traveling over one and a half millennia, Sze guides readers through a luminous history of verse, from the contemplative insights of fifth century poet Tao Qian, through Tang dynasty poets such as Wang Wei and Du Fu, and into subsequent centuries in which lived such innovative artists as Li Qingzhao and Bada Shanren, among many others.  Extending the work from the original 2001 volume, The Silk Dragon II then traces classical Chinese poetry's eruption into the free verse of the modern and contemporary eras, introducing groundbreaking poems by the Chinese Modernist master Wen Yiduo, as well as those from major living poets such as Wang Jiaxin, Zhai Yongming, and Xi Chuan. Through this remarkable journey--deepened by Sze's personal introduction--we see that the "impossible task" of translation is yet rich with encounter, as both long-lost voices and those still speaking enter the same conversation, with the same vivacity.
The Kármán Line by Daisy Atterbury The Kármán line describes the altitude at which outer space begins and national airspace ends, where the body in flight achieves orbit. In The Kármán Line, a heartsick narrator drives across the Jornada del Muerto to the commercial rocket launch site Spaceport America. Tracing back from outer space to the American Southwest, their account glides between off-planet simulations, uranium mining, queer erotics, military rockets, galactic zones of avoidance, and settler logics to arrive in the "outside of outside." In Daisy Atterbury's hybrid epic, colonial histories and speculative futures coalesce into hope for a shared present.
Rangikura by Tayi Tibble A fiery second collection of poetry from the acclaimed Indigenous New Zealand writer that U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo calls, "One of the most startling and original poets of her generation." Tayi Tibble returns on the heels of her incendiary debut with a bold new follow-up. Barbed and erotic, vulnerable and searching, Rangikura asks readers to think about our relationship to desire and exploitation. Moving between hotel lobbies and all-night clubs, these poems chronicle life spent in spaces that are stalked by transaction and reward. "I grew up tacky and hungry and dazzling," Tibble writes. "Mum you should have tied me/to the ground./Instead I was given/to this city freely."    Here is a poet staking out a sense of freedom on her own terms in times that very often feel like end times. Tibble's range of forms and sounds are dazzling. Written with Māori moteatea, purakau, and karakia (chants, legends, and prayers) in mind, Rangikura explores the way the past comes back, even when she tries to turn her back on it. "I was forced to remember that,/wherever I go,/even if I go nowhere at all,/I am still a descendent of mountains."    At once a coming-of-age and an elegy to the traumas born from colonization, especially the violence enacted against indigenous women, Rangikura interrogates not only the poets' pain, but also that of her ancestors. The intimacy of these poems will move readers to laughter and tears. Speaking to herself, sometimes to the reader, these poems arc away from and return to their ancestral roots to imagine the end of the world and a new day. They invite us into the swirl of nostalgia and exhaustion produced in the pursuit of an endless summer. ("My heart goes out like an abandoned swan boat/ghosting along a lake"). They are a new highpoint from a writer of endless talent.