Books

50 poetry books to read right now

Image of 50 poetry books to read right now

Poetry is not all Milton and Shakespeare, despite our high school curriculum's best efforts to make us think so. Brimming with new names and modern content inspired by today's ever changing cultural and policital landscapes this list of 50 poetry books is meant to be a departure from the classics. Among a few icons - Sylvia Plath, Frank O'Hara, and Maya Angelou to name a few - discover up and coming poets and recent award winners like Justin Philip Reed and Frank Bidart.

Discover poems about race, oppression, and feminism alongside poems that explore love, loss and personal growth. For seasoned poetry readers and those new to the genre, our list of 50 poetry book to read right now has something for everyone.

Share

Essential books of poetry

By Ada Limón
By Hieu Minh Nguyen
By Danez Smith
By Dorothea Lasky
By Fatimah Asghar
By Joshua Jennifer Espinoza
By Jose Olivarez
By Ursula K. Le Guin
By Courtney Peppernell
By Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo
By Paige Ackerson-Kiely
By Michael Dickman
By Brenda Shaughnessy
By Carol Ann Duffy
By Willie Perdomo
By Kevin Young
By Sylvia Plath
By Frank O'Hara
By Mary Oliver
By Langston Hughes
By Robin Coste Lewis
By Anne Carson
By Billy Collins
By Johnny Cash
By Ted Hughes
By Alice Oswald
By Justin Phillip Reed
By Rae Armantrout
By Diana Khoi Nguyen
By Jenny Xie
By Claudia Rankine
By Adrian Matejka
By Jos Charles
By Patricia Smith
By Diane Seuss
By Tyehimba Jess
By Evie Shockley

More essential reading lists

20 October, 2021
Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time high fantasy series is epic in more ways than one. There are 14 novels where Jordan creates an imaginary magical world in immense detail and introduces thousands of good and evil characters.
1 Min Read
10 November, 2021
The mythical, the magical, and the magnificent! Fairy tales are some of our earliest stories and for centuries, children and adults alike have pored over the tales of princes and princesses, beasts and fairies.
1 Min Read
08 December, 2022
The British Library's Crime Classics series reprints detective novels and stories that were first published during the golden age of crime writing. Discover a selection of titles from the series.
1 Min Read