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POV- the top 25 poetry books that changed how I view the world
25
items When I log onto bookshop.com or enter my favorite local bookstore, I immediately head for the poetry section. These are the top 20 poetry books that have fundamentally changed how I view the world- be they on home & migration, nature, disability, queerness, or existentialis...
Sections
7
on nature
on disability
on finding home
on queerness
on existentialism
on relationships with self/ others
on nature
You’ll see the natural world with a closer eye after reading these works by BIPOC authors.
I will never see a plum with less than absolute adoration after reading this! I got to hear Ross Gay speak on this work & The Book of Delights in person, and I find him to be profound in such a nonchalant/ everyday way that’s so inviting. PRO TIP...
Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude
everything about this was beautiful. about half of my book is dog-eared. what a gift to come back to. timing felt aligned with the changing of the leaves. If you’re already intrigued by the natural world, this book will enhance your curious eye.
You Are Here
a rich, transcendent, expansive experience of interconnectedness. PRO TIP dedicate time to go to your favorite local coffee shop or library to put headphones on and read this with a pen and journal to write down quotes in in order to fully appreciate...
The Woman Who Fell from the Sky
I read this slowly by a river on Labor Day last year and it was the perfect sit and be in nature read! PRO TIP sit by a rock in the shade and enjoy J Drew Lanham’s words at your own pace!
Joy Is the Justice We Give Ourselves
on disability
Confront ableism, life, and the power of queer crip love with these raw works.
I would truly give this 11 stars if I could. will be coming back to my copy for many reads. Sat on my bed and FELT and DOG-EARED and JOURNALED and WEPT. an ode to queer crip friendship in a world on fire and the tenderness and roughness that keeps u...
The Way Disabled People Love Each Other
this is one of the first books I lent out to my best friends because I needed them to feel transformed the way it transformed me. if you are queer, disabled, and/or POC, or an ally who doesn’t shy away from the honesty of survival of self & commu...
Bodymap
on finding home
Essential poetry on finding and losing a sense of home and belonging.
this is my all time favorite poetry book to reread/ lend out if anyone asks. read it for the first time back as a freshman in high school because my spanish teacher knew the author, and since then I have discovered a genuine appreciation for his work...
Looking for the Gulf Motel
an exquisite epic that blends genre, gender, time, and place. feels like a futuristic Puerto Rican queer folk tale. I LOVED that the book was in Spanish and then you flip the whole thick book over and it’s in English so you can choose to alternate la...
Algarabía
this is an intimate collection that felt familiar and nostalgic yet distant to me at the same time. It was an enjoyable read that took me out of my daily life and placed me into the “house of belonging.” I highly recommend purchasing your own copy of...
The House of Belonging
Another masterpiece by Ocean Vuong. If you loved “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” then this poetry collection on family, migration, and identity will resonate. Beautiful book to read on the plane, train, or during a season of life transition when yo...
Night Sky with Exit Wounds
this was so cool! rhythmic works that honor ancestors. truths on lineages of ritual and migration. loved the mix of languages and dialects used. his poem in reaction to Octavio Paz’ death was tender. reminded me of my & friends’ urge to write in ...
Wise Fish
this is an incredible anthology! I loved that each author narrated in a unique way so you really felt like you got a glimpse into 15 different worlds and lived experiences. my personal favorites were: “eres un pocho” “the price of admission” “#Julian...
Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed
on queerness
Intimate reflections from queer and trans authors.
this was my favorite poetry read of the year, along with “I Shimmer Sometimes, Too” by Porsha Olayiwola. thank you, Kay, for the gifts you share with us. I left many dog-eared pages that I plan to return to
When The Chant Comes
the late andrea Gibson was unmatched in their unflinching vulnerability. PRO TIP- I read a physical copy of this book under the stars while camping, and I felt like it was the desired setting to read it.
You Better Be Lightning
on existentialism
Poetry to reflect on the end of times/ current times/ space and time.
a resonant contemporary collection. reminded me of “Life on Mars” by Tracy K Smith. my favorites include: “demilitarized zone,” “things that already go past borders,” “dispatches from a future great great granddaughter,” and “comfort poem”. some coul...
The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On
so honest and resonant to the now we are living. favorites from this collection: •“at some point, they’ll want to know what it was like” •”the museum of obsolescence” • “savior machine” • “they may love all that he has chosen and hate all that he has...
Life on Mars
on relationships with self/ others
Intimate reflections on self, dating, identity, race, being a daughter, and more.
incredible. my keepsakes: • had my parents not been separated… • time capsule • unnamed • I’m the type of fanciful warlock who…. • I wish to eat what my partner does not and this is how we love
I Shimmer Sometimes, Too
I liked “The House on Mango Street” but LOVED this poetry collection. There are some really beautiful and difficult reflections on identity and self here.
Woman Without Shame
This short yet powerful book exceeded my expectations! The poems about the author’s relationship with her mom and cooking food resonated most with me. These are a few quotes I appreciated:
“under a moonless sky, counting cherry pits, I curse each st...
I Love You, Call Me Back
gave this a 5 star rating when I stumbled about it at my favorite literary coffee shop and decided to read it. want to return to it
Motherland Fatherland Homelandsexuals
poetry-adjacent
A 5-star drama, novel in verse, musical poem collection, and visual history that blur genre lines.
reading this and seeing it performed are a play are experiences that I think should be required reading/ watching. will change the way you see the world.
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf
4 / 5 stars a really interesting multi media work of art that calls into question borders and their enforcement in the US
Defacing the Monument
I’d been wanting to read this story for years, and it didn’t disappoint. I would love to read the final contrapuntal poem in hard copy since I listened to the audiobook. X’s ferocity and desire to be heard come through so sharply. I think the teenage...
The Poet X
another great catharsis of art & emotion from Jessie. Her work is always so raw and guttural and lyrical. In particular, the poems about eating sour fruit the first dry eyed day in a year resonated with me. I loved this as a sequel to “Words of a...
The People's Purge
A friend and I were just talking about the brilliance of this small but mighty book! Zambra is one of my favorite contemporary Chilean authors. Genius political use of a restrictive form (verbal academic aptitude test, v 1993) to arrange these emotio...
Multiple Choice