Best Poetry Books

Explore the beauty of nature and the connections between all living things with this stunning collection of over 200 poems by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver. Spanning over five decades of her literary career, this carefully curated volume features Oliver's best work, arranged by the author herself. Known as "far and away, this country's best selling poet," Oliver's masterful verse will leave you feeling inspired and enlightened by her passionate observations of the natural world.

Experience the imaginative world of Shel Silverstein's classic poetry collection, Where the Sidewalk Ends. Meet a boy who turns into a TV set, a whale-eating girl, and other fascinating characters. The poems are both outrageously funny and profound, making it a beloved book for generations. With its excellent sense of rhymes and alliteration, this masterful collection is a pleasure to read aloud, making it one of Parent & Child magazine's 100 Greatest Books for Kids. Join the delightful adventure of Where the Sidewalk Ends and discover why Silverstein's unique creativity has captivated readers for decades.

Citizen is a powerful book that tackles the subject of race in today's society. It recounts various racial encounters and aggressions that happen in everyday life and in the media. Claudia Rankine's work is an essay, image, and poetry-based meditation on belonging, citizenship, and the individual and collective effects of racism.

"Magical Negro" is a powerful collection of American poems that serve as an archive of Black everyday experiences, a catalog of contemporary folk heroes, and an ethnography of ancestral grief. The poems connect themes of displacement, grief, ancestral trauma, and objectification while exploring and troubling tropes and stereotypes of Black Americans. With a primary focus on depictions of Black womanhood, this collection tackles interior and exterior politics, of both the individual and the collective experience. "Magical Negro" creates a space for witness, airing grievances, pointing out patterns, and living documents that capture timeless Black melancholies and triumphs.

Discover a collection of powerful poetry celebrating African American life, womanhood, and the legacies of Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela. From Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie to Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise, each of Maya Angelou's inspiring words are bound together in this complete poetry collection.

This definitive collection presents over three hundred poems from one of America's most influential poets. Audre Lorde's complete works offer a captivating exploration of the conflicts, fears, and hopes of our world. Discover Lorde's previously unavailable early works alongside her acclaimed poetry, including The First Cities, The New York Head Shop and Museum, Cables to Rage, and From a Land Where Other People Live.

"Oculus" by Sally Wen Mao is a powerful collection of poems exploring themes of exile, technology, and the violence of the spectacle. Through haunting and imaginative pieces, Mao delves into a range of topics including robot culture, electronic waste, and the complex roles that women of color are forced to endure. The collection also features a unique sequence narrated by film legend Anna May Wong, who journeys through the history of cinema with a time machine. With sharp wit and a speculative imagination, "Oculus" confronts the paradoxes of being seen and the effects of technology on contemporary society.

This award-winning poetry collection by a groundbreaking author explores urgent subjects such as violence against black men and the afterlife they deserve. The book also touches on issues of desire and mortality, including the dangers of living in a body with a diagnosis of HIV positive. Through deft lyrics and performative power, the author confronts America on issues of race, grief, and the need for miracles.

Discover the exquisite and mystical poetry of thirteenth-century Sufi mystic Rumi in this bestselling book, The Essential Rumi. With a new introduction by Coleman Barks and over 80 never-before-published poems, this revised and expanded edition is a must-read for anyone seeking spiritual enlightenment. Through Barks' lyrical translations, Rumi's ecstatic poetry has been made accessible to readers across the world. Don't miss out on the definitive selection of Rumi's most beautiful and moving poetry.

Explore the depths of romance, family, memory, grief, war, and melancholia in this captivating collection of poems. The author masterfully weaves each theme into his words, showcasing the power of breath and cadence to calm even the strongest hunger. This is a must-read for anyone searching for a poetic journey through the human experience.