Must-read Poetry Books of All Time

Have you ever wondered why poetry is gaining more readers as time goes by? Based on the data published in Statista in 2019 by Amy Watson, the number of individuals reading poetry extremely doubled in five years with a growth of 9.3% in 2017, totaling 17.5% from the 8.2 percentage last 2012. Indeed, poetry has come a long way. The way it became the shelter of intense emotions and personal experiences, as well as an avenue to express, communicate, and speak, are some of the handful of reasons why readers tend to find comfort and fun in reading poetry.

So, if you are looking for the best poetry books of all time, then here are the must-read titles to look out for.

Poetry in Motion by Raymond Quattlebaum

Poetry in Motion is a brilliant book that centers on the landscape of life by Quattlebaum. It is the first book of the author that was published in October 2019 by ReadersMagnet. This book is intended for the readers to be informed and reminded of life in the passage as everyone knows it and of the great miracle of living genuinely as they are with the presence of the Lord. While reading through each chapter of this heartwarming book, you can slowly see the world from another angle and find the ways and confidence of self-expression through life.

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

Amanda Gorman’s bestselling collection of poems titled Call Us What We Carry was formerly known as The Hill We Climb. In this book, the presidential inaugural poet utilizes a significant time in history and transforms it into a lyric promoting hope and mending. This brilliant poetry anthology looks into a wide array of significant aspects in life, such as history, identity, and others. As the Gorman tackles the shared grief of a worldwide health crisis, each literary piece turns to a ray of hope in these tough times and shows that she has turned into a great messenger of the past and a voice for the days yet to come.

Don’t Call Us Dead: Poems by Danez Smith

This Goodreads Choice Award nominee, National Book Award for Poetry finalist, and Forward Prize for Best Collection winner that Danez Smith wrote was published in 2017 by Graywolf Press.  Don’t Call Us Dead shows with a touching series that pictures an afterlife for black men who experienced police brutality. It also opens a place without cruelty, skepticism, and grief; instead, security, love, and lastingness are present — which are the things that they should’ve deserved. Moreover, the author begins to tackle desire, death, and being diagnosed as positive for HIV.

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine was published in 2014 and has gained multiple nominations in different book award categories. This book also gained many awards, such as the Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry, Winner of the PEN Open Book Award, Winner of the L.A. Time Book Prize, and Winner of the NAACP Image Award. Furthermore, this book talks about the increasing racial aggressions in this current century that are evident in media and real life. Most of the issues encountered are either intentional or unintentional comments or acts that can happen anywhere. Thus, this poetry book serves as a strong testament to the personal and societal impact of racial discrimination in the 21^st century.

All Along You Were Blooming: Thoughts for Boundless Living by Morgan Harper Nichols

The illustrated edition of All Along You Were Blooming: Thoughts for Boundless Living by Morgan Harper Nichols was published in 2020 by Zondervan. This book aims to encourage the readers to develop a more positive mindset and enjoy the infinite blessings that were granted to them. Hence, it reminds everyone of the purpose in each season, lives in the moment, hope is present, and growth is within you. All Along You Were Blooming: Thoughts for Boundless Living is a brilliant book perfect for all ages, professions, holidays, and celebrations. It will surely make you appreciate every little thing in life and help you develop a more fulfilling life filled with growth, blessings, positivity, and everything in between.