Best poetry books on Reddit
213 reviews from r/suggestmeabook, r/booksuggestions, r/Poetry and 10 more subreddits
213 reviews from
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By Brand
/By Product
#1
Mary Oliver
5.0
(16)
"Big fan of Felicity by Mary Oliver."
"Devotions by Mary Oliver."
"I just bought Devotions by Mary Oliver and am enjoying it as a newer poetry reader."
"I love Mary Oliver."
"Mary Oliver."
"Her work is often very 'universal' in how it speaks to people."
"Devotions - Mary Oliver"
"But since you mentioned poetry about dogs, I suggest Mary Oliver's *Dog Songs.*"
"It was quite beautiful and quick and breezy to get through."
"She was fantastic."
#2
Shel Silverstein
5.0
(8)
"Whimsical and a bit creepy but great themes."
"Teaches the important lesson that poetry can be fun."
"{{Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein}}."
"{{A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein}}."
"Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein!"
"Shel Silverstein's *Where the Sidewalk Ends*."
"Shel Silverstein"
#3
Billy Collins
4.8
(6)
"Billy Collins! He writes deceptively simple poetry."
"Charming, accessible."
"Try Billy Collins Picnic, Lightning as well as his anthology Poetry 180."
"Anything Billy Collins."
"Billy Collins (Sailing Along Around the Room), Mary Oliver (A Thousand Mornings)."
"Any of Billy Collins collections. I recommend the art of drowning."
#4
Walt Whitman
5.0
(4)
"Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. Every line is a visual image."
"Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman is a poetry collection, and a good place to start."
"Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman"
#5
Emily Dickinson
5.0
(4)
"Includes a lot of really neat context about how she developed a lot of her poems."
"Emily Dickinson's Selection of Poetry is very lovely if you're looking for classics."
"I’d recommend the Barnes and Noble Classics version."
#6
Warsan Shire
4.8
(4)
"I would suggest Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth."
"Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire."
"It's one of my favorite books of all time."
"If you like Rupi Kaur maybe try *Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth* by Warsan Shire."
#7
Louise Gluck
4.8
(4)
"Not sure if she has been suggested yet, but Louise Gluck is lovely to read."
"Louise Gluck."
"And of course *Faithful and Virtuous Night* from Louise Gluck."
"Louise Gluck. Her poems are complex and layered."
#8
Charles Bukowski
4.0
(4)
"I've been reading On Drinking by Charles Bukowski."
"Charles Bukowski has a lot of good poetry books."
"Love is a dog from hell by charles bukowski."
"I love anything Bukowski, 'Hot Water Music' and 'Love is a Dog from Hell' are both good places to start."
#9
Nikita Gill
5.0
(3)
"I would suggest anything by Nikita Gill."
"I like Nikita Gill's poetry. Maybe you could try her books."
"I like Nikita Gill's poetry. Maybe you could try her books."
#10
Langston Hughes
5.0
(3)
"I always found Langston Hughes very accessible in college."
"Langston Hughes' poetry is moving and easy to read."
"I would recommend some books by Langston Hughes."
#11
Ada Limon
5.0
(3)
"Also highly recommend Ada Limon’s Bright Dead Things."
"The Carrying by Ada Limon, US Poet Laureate!"
"Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón."
#12
Garrison Keillor
5.0
(3)
"Good Poems is a compilation edited by Garrison Keillor."
"I really enjoyed both collections assembled by Garrison Keillor 'Good Poems' and 'Good Poems for Hard Times'."
"The anthology Good Poems, selected by Garrison Keillor, is a nice collection that covers a lot of terrain."
#13
Wendy Cope
5.0
(3)
"...and Wendy Cope’s If I Don’t Know."
"Try serious concerns by Wendy cope promise u won’t be disappointed."
"Cope has a good sense of humour so her poems don't feel too stuffy."
#14
Richard Siken
4.7
(3)
"War of the Foxes and Crush by Richard Siken."
"*Crush* by Richard Siken."
#15
Amanda Lovelace
4.7
(3)
"You should check out Amanda Lovelace and Lang Leav if you’re looking for contemporary poetry!"
"Anything by Amanda Lovelace (my personal favorite of hers is To Make Monsters Out Of Girls)."
"This was the first actual poetry book that I read and I quite liked it."
#16
Tracy K. Smith
4.3
(3)
"I also found Life on Mars by Tracy K Smith enchanting."
"Life On Mars by Tracy K. Smith is a good one!"
"I really enjoyed Tracy K Smith’s Life on Mars."
#17
Rupi Kaur
4.0
(3)
"Milk and honey by Rupi Kaur"
"Check out if Rupi Kaur is your style (for example Milk and Honey)."
"I've enjoyed Rupi Kaur recently."
#18
Sylvia Plath
5.0
(2)
"Ariel by Sylvia Plath."
"Ariel by Sylvia Plath, I also had a selected poems of Allen Ginsberg, I really enjoy reading that."
#19
Kaveh Akbar
5.0
(2)
"My personal favorites."
"Kaveh Akbar's *Calling a Wolf a Wolf*. It's a beautiful book about addiction and recovery."
#20
Robert Frost
5.0
(2)
"I love Robert Frost."
#21
M.Icon
5.0
(2)
"Poetry book called- Meraki: a collection of poetry for every heart, by M.Icon was great from Amazon."
"Poetry book called Meraki: a collection of poetry for every heart, by M.Icon was great from Amazon."
#22
Pablo Neruda
5.0
(2)
"Pablo Neruda is my favorite poet."
"'The Captain's Verses: Love Poems' by Pablo Neruda."
#23
Rainer Maria Rilke
5.0
(2)
"Start with Letters to a Young Poet and The Selected Poetry of RMR."
"Rilke and Yeats if you want Poetry with a capital P."
#24
P J Keegan
5.0
(2)
"[The Penguin Book of English Verse] by P J Keegan is a great anthology."
"The New Penguin Book of English Verse edited by P J Keegan."
#25
Harivanshrai Bachchan
4.5
(2)
"Mandatory ones that everyone should read."
"Try madhushala to begin with IMO."
#26
Danez Smith
4.5
(2)
"Are two of my faves."
"Danez Smith."
#27
Bloodaxe
4.5
(2)
"You might enjoy the 'Staying Alive' anthology from Bloodaxe."
"It's a mixed bag but it's really good value for money & you will find stuff in there you like."
#28
T.S. Eliot
4.5
(2)
"And I seem to always go back to T.S. Eliot."
"Personally, I'm a TS Eliot fangirl."
#29
Philip Larkin
4.5
(2)
"Philip Larkin was the poet who really made me love poetry."
"Good and easy."
#30
William Blake
4.5
(2)
"_Songs of Innocence and Experience_ by William Blake."
"Very accessible."
#31
W.B. Yeats
5.0
(1)
"Try Yeats's romantic poems"
#32
Wallace Stevens
5.0
(1)
"Harmonium or Ideas of Order by Wallace Stevens"
#33
Emily Brontë
5.0
(1)
"I love her poetry."
#34
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
5.0
(1)
"Mandatory ones that everyone should read."
#35
Omar El Akkad
5.0
(1)
"It's a great entry book."
#36
Christopher Reid
5.0
(1)
"*The Song of Lunch*, by Christopher Reid. It's one long poem, but it's truly beautiful."
#37
Audre Lorde
5.0
(1)
"The black unicorn by Audre lorde is really my favourite."
#38
Andrea Gibson
5.0
(1)
"Madness Vase - Andrea Gibson"
#39
Zachary Schomburg
5.0
(1)
"PLEASE read Fjords: Vol I by Zachary Schomburg as well, my personal favorite of the year."
#40
Andrew McMillan and Mary Jean Chan
5.0
(1)
"I really loved 100 Queer Poems curated by Andrew McMillan and Mary Jean Chan."
#41
Paul Keegan
5.0
(1)
"The New Penguin Book of English Verse by Paul Keegan."
#42
Goda V. Bendoraitiene
5.0
(1)
"Check out Dew from the willow: HAIKU by Goda V. Bendoraitiene."
#43
Khalil Gibran
5.0
(1)
"The Prophet by Khalil Gibran is a beautiful piece of poetry and prose even"
#44
John Lithgow
5.0
(1)
"Is a good one."
#45
Lewis Carroll
5.0
(1)
"*The Hunting of the Snark* by Lewis Carroll."
#46
Arthur Rimbaud
5.0
(1)
"Is all you’d ever need."
#47
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
5.0
(1)
"Someone gave me this collection when I was young and it had a huge impact on me."
#48
Nathan Alterman
5.0
(1)
"One of the more classic/iconic Hebrew poetry books"
#49
Ocean Vuong
5.0
(1)
"I would suggest Night Sky with Exit Wounds."
#50
Noor Unnahar
5.0
(1)
"I would suggest New Names for Lost Things."
#51
Sharon Creech
5.0
(1)
"I can not rave enough about "Love that Dog" by Sharon Creech."
#52
Paul Kelly
5.0
(1)
"This book collects basically all of his favourite poems together in one place."
#53
Oscar Williams
5.0
(1)
"A top-notch anthology, popular for decades now, that will expose you to a wide range of poetry."
#54
Nick Lantz
5.0
(1)
"Nick Lantz' *How to Dance as the Roof Caves In*."
#55
Kevin Prufer
5.0
(1)
"My favorites for 2014: Kevin Prufer's *Churches*."
#56
Hilaire Belloc
5.0
(1)
"*Cautionary Tales for Children* by Hilaire Belloc."
#57
Ada Limón
5.0
(1)
"Limón has one poem called 'what it looks like to us and the words we use' that i think about all the time."
#58
Ifeanyi Ogbo
5.0
(1)
"I can’t recommend this gem enough."
#59
A. E. Housman
5.0
(1)
"I’m a big fan of A Shropshire Lad by A. E. Housman."
#60
Spike Milligan
5.0
(1)
"Spike Milligan writes great children's poems."
#61
Robert Louis Stevenson
5.0
(1)
"*A Child's Garden of Verses* by Robert Louis Stevenson would be a beautiful place to start."
#62
E. E. Cummings
5.0
(1)
#63
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
5.0
(1)
#64
John Cooper Clarke
5.0
(1)
"He is of the opinion all poetry should be read out loud."
#65
Seamus Heaney
5.0
(1)
"His poems are moving, and have huge depth and complexity."
#66
WH Auden
5.0
(1)
"My favorites are WH Auden, Christina Rossetti."
#67
Whimsical Poetry
5.0
(1)
"The most intriguing and best thing about this book are the poems and quotes that are original."
#68
Sandra Cisneros
5.0
(1)
"Sandra Cisneros. Her poetry is simple, clear, sensual, and beautiful."
#69
Joy Harjo
5.0
(1)
"See Joy Harjo. Her work speaks to me like nothing else has."
#70
Maya Angelou
5.0
(1)
"Maya Angelou’s poems are really nice."
#71
Dorothea Lasky
5.0
(1)
"I really like Dorothea Lasky, saw her read in NYC once, really cool."
#72
Chen Chen
5.0
(1)
"I'd highly recommend Chen Chen's debut poetry collection."
#73
Kate Baer
5.0
(1)
"...highly recommend Kate Baer’s What Kind of Woman."
#74
Courtney Peppernell
5.0
(1)
"{{Watering The Soul by Courtney Peppernell}}"
#75
Morgan Parker
5.0
(1)
"There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé by Morgan Parker."
#76
Robert Pinsky
5.0
(1)
"The Sounds of Poetry: A Brief Guide, by Robert Pinsky."
#77
Kahlil Gibran
5.0
(1)
"His most iconic book “The Prophet” is a great introduction to his work."
#78
BBC Books
5.0
(1)
"I like recommending *The Nation's Favourite Poems* by BBC books."
#79
David Whyte
5.0
(1)
"The House of Belonging would be my top choice."
#80
Francis Mayes
5.0
(1)
"I really liked *The Discovery of Poetry* by Francis Mayes."
#81
Kay Ryan
5.0
(1)
"A few books that really hooked me into poetry when I first started are: _The Best of It_ by Kay Ryan."
#82
Jerome Rothenberg
5.0
(1)
"Technicians of the Sacred: A Range of Poetries from Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania by Jerome Rothenberg (Editor)"
#83
Clive James
5.0
(1)
"I loved Sentenced to Life by Clive James."
#84
Sasta Kuppan
5.0
(1)
"I think that Red Roman by Sasta Kuppan is a beautiful meeting of worlds."
#85
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
5.0
(1)
"I gifted someone his books some years ago and they loved it, I don't remember the title of the books, but rest assured you can't go wrong with Faiz."
#86
Nayyirah Waheed
5.0
(1)
"Nayyirah Waheed is super dope."
#87
Juan Jose Ramon
5.0
(1)
"Platero and I by Juan Jose Ramon."
#88
A. E. Stalling
5.0
(1)
"My favourite modern book of poetry is [Olives] by A. E Stalling."
#89
Louis Untermeyer
5.0
(1)
"Start out with a good anthology. Try the poetry compiler Louis Untermeyer."
#90
Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth
5.0
(1)
"_Lyrical Ballads_ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth."
#91
Natasha Rao
5.0
(1)
"Latitude by Natasha Rao revolves around relationships and family."
#92
Button Poetry
5.0
(1)
"I'm ready Helium by Rudy Francisco right now and am absolutely loving it."
#93
Maggie Smith
5.0
(1)
"Goldenrod by Maggie Smith."
#94
Ted Kooser
5.0
(1)
"Flying at Night by Ted Kooser."
#95
Dover
5.0
(1)
"For the price, you can't beat the Dover anthologies."
#96
Jr. Poulin
5.0
(1)
"We used this book in my senior seminar class."
#97
Robert Gray
5.0
(1)
"Coast road by Robert gray"
#98
Jenny Noble Anderson
5.0
(1)
"Can Buddhists Wear Mascara? (and Other Things I've Googled) by Jenny Noble Anderson."
#99
Camille Paglia
5.0
(1)
"BREAK, BLOW, BURN is a collection edited by Camille Paglia that is designed for beginners."
#100
Best American
5.0
(1)
"The ‘Best American’ series is a good anthology that offers a wide cross-section of writers annually."
#101
Norton
5.0
(1)
"Your best investment would be to purchase Norton’s anthology of poetry."
#102
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
5.0
(1)
"The best selling poetry book of the 20th century, a must read for anyone interested in contemporary poetry."
#103
Mannik Singh
5.0
(1)
"26: A Collection of Poems & other Writings by Mannik Singh is a good one."
#104
Sharon Olds
5.0
(1)
"Sharon Olds and Ada Limón proved to be good 'entry-level' poets for me."
#105
Frank O’Hara
5.0
(1)
"Try Frank O’Hara! I love him so much."
#106
Tiana Clark
5.0
(1)
"Tiana Clark."
#107
Akwaeke Emezi
5.0
(1)
"Akwaeke Emezi."
#108
Vievee Francis
5.0
(1)
"Vievee Francis."
#109
Cynthia Huntington
5.0
(1)
"Cynthia Huntington."
#110
William Harmon
4.0
(1)
"Good poetry books to start out with."
#111
Kate Fussner
4.0
(1)
"I really enjoyed it."
#112
Eric Reese
4.0
(1)
"Room for Eighty by me, Eric Reese is a good starter."
#113
Tess Gallagher
4.0
(1)
"*Moon Crossing Bridge* by Tess Gallagher was really popular when I first got into poetry."
#114
Frances Mayes
4.0
(1)
"Check out The Discovery of Poetry by Frances Mayes."
#115
Alice Notley
4.0
(1)
"Anything by Alice Notley, but especially the Descent of Alette."
#116
Noelle Cannon
4.0
(1)
"Sunspot by Noelle Cannon."
#117
Perrine
4.0
(1)
"This book teaches you all the basic elements of a good poem."
#118
Henry Beard
4.0
(1)
"For fun light one."
#119
Milo Miserlian
4.0
(1)
"I have a book of sampled poetry based on my state of mind."
#120
Matthew Dickman
4.0
(1)
"My more modern recommendations."
#121
Tim Seibles
4.0
(1)
"Tim Seibles “First Kiss” is good."
#122
Best American Poetry
4.0
(1)
"Best American Poetry 2020, or something - get a bunch of authors in one place."
#123
Brendan Bigney
4.0
(1)
"You won't go wrong with Brendan Bigney's 'Atomic Kiss'."
#124
David Silverberg
4.0
(1)
"If you're into science fiction, David Silverberg came out with As Close to the Edge Without Going Over."
#125
Hovhanes Shiraz
4.0
(1)
"His poems were popular in Iran too."
#126
Judith Viorst
4.0
(1)
"Her poetry was fun too."
#127
Charles Simic
4.0
(1)
"His stuff is easy to digest but has some really interesting, surreal imagery."
#128
Robert Service
4.0
(1)
"Poems that make Grown Women cry."
#129
Garrison Keller
4.0
(1)
"Garrison Keller has some great poetry collections."
#130
Ramón López Velarde
4.0
(1)
"Read Ramón López Velarde, he is according to Octavio Paz, the greatest mexican poet of all time."
#131
Jon Elias
4.0
(1)
"Jon elias books are good."
#132
Sarah Kaye
4.0
(1)
"May I suggest Sarah Kaye."
#133
Marge Piercy
4.0
(1)
"Check out Marge piercy's poems."
#134
Atticus
4.0
(1)
"Have heard good things about Atticus."
#135
Louise Glück
4.0
(1)
"Louise Glück (her newest is *Winter Recipes from the Collective.*)."
#136
Alan Bennett
4.0
(1)
"I really like *Six Poets: Hardy to Larkin: An Anthology* by Alan Bennett."
#137
Julie Bruck
4.0
(1)
"*Monkey Ranch* by Julie Bruck."
#138
Clementine von Radics
4.0
(1)
"Also maybe some more modern poets like Clementine von Radics."
#139
Derek Walcott
4.0
(1)
"Derek Walcott and Dylan Thomas are also great beginner poets."
#140
R M Drake
4.0
(1)
"R M Drake maybe? Similar feel to Rupi's books."
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