Where to Start if You Want to Read Poetry
Beginner-friendly anthologies, accessible poets, and favorite poems
I started writing poetry when I was about 12 or 13, but I didn't read much of it until college. Even though I liked poetry and knew names like Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath, I didn't know what to read. I would browse websites like Poetry Foundation, but I didn't pick up poetry books until I was assigned them.
I know from experience that poetry can be an intimidating art form. Most of us can relate to reading a poem and not knowing what the poet was trying to say. I remember whole classes being spent analyzing just a few lines of text. There's nothing wrong with the kind of poetry that requires more thoughtfulness and time, but it might not be the best place to begin.
I want to share some books, poets, and poems that are perfect for poetry newbies. If you've been wanting to read more poetry, I hope the suggestions in this post encourage you to dive deeper as you try to find a poet whose work speaks to you.
Anthologies are a great place to begin your poetry journey. They'll offer many different poems, perspectives, eras, and themes, making it easier to discover what you like.
I love the series of anthologies edited by James Crews. They're beautifully designed, diverse, and inspiring. I don't often sit down and read an anthology cover to cover; instead, I take my time, flipping around now and then, reading whatever calls to me. I made an exception to that rule for How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope. It's a little over 200 pages, which gives you enough material to discover new-to-you poets but not so much that you're overwhelmed.
The four anthologies pictured above are new to my collection. 100 Poems to Break Your Heart sounds ideal for a moody, rainy day when I feel sorry for myself and want to mope. (That’s totally normal, right? Right.) Editor and poet Edward Hirsch holds the reader’s hand throughout the book, offering insight into the poems’ context and form. It’s like a Poetry 101 class, but cheaper than a university.
The Poetry Remedy: Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind, and Soul is a delightful little book divided into topics like insecurity, longing for beauty, defeatism, and social overload. A book like this makes it simple to discover poems because you just open it up and turn to the page you need at that moment. This book is called The Poetry Pharmacy in the UK, and I like that title even more.
In Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World, Pádraig Ó Tuama focuses on contemporary poets, including names you’ll probably know, such as Margaret Atwood, as well as some less famous writers who you’ll get to read for the first time. Each poem is accompanied by Ó Tuama’s reflections on the work.
The newest anthology on this list is one that just released a few weeks ago. This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets is edited by Kwame Alexander, a prolific and beloved children’s and YA author who recently published an adult memoir. In addition to making it easy to find poems and poets, anthologies also offer readers a chance to explore what they’re passionate about, whether that’s Black literature, Hispanic literature, female writers, or topics like the ones below.
Everyman's Library publishes a beautiful collection of pocket-sized hardcover anthologies about a wide range of topics. This series focuses more on classic poets, but they also include some contemporary voices. There are three main reasons I love these books: they're beautiful, they're reasonably priced, and there's a volume for nearly any interest. Do you love movies? Pick up Reel Verse. Need a gift for your poetry-obsessed BFF? Try this collection of Friendship Poems. Everyman also offers collections featuring specific poetic forms, like villanelles.
Let's look at specific poets now that we've explored anthologies. The poets I'm sharing here write work that's beautiful and profound but also accessible to someone who's reading poetry for the first time.
Kate Baer is a popular poet who got her start on Instagram. Her work explores womanhood and motherhood in relatable yet poignant ways. And Yet and What Kind of Woman are traditional poetry books, but I Hope This Finds You Well is a collection of blackout poems in which Baer took rude, cruel comments and emails she's received, blacked them out, and created gorgeous new works of art.
Maggie Smith's work has much in common with Kate Baer's as she also explores womanhood and parenting. Smith is best known for her viral poem "Good Bones," which slays me each time I read it. If you read and enjoy Smith's poetry, make sure to check out her memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful. It's lovely, and her poetic voice comes through strongly in her prose.
Billy Collins is one of the most famous living poets. His work is fun and easy to read, but also touching. (I’ve linked to my favorite Collins poem below. It makes me tear up almost every time.) He's written many books, so if you like Collins, you'll have a lot of poems to explore. His books were some of the first poetry collections I read on my own, so I have a special place in my heart for the former poet laureate.
Mary Oliver is such a good poet that she makes me, the most indoorsy person alive, appreciate nature and the beautiful world around me. Oliver writes about our everyday lives and surroundings in wise yet digestible ways. You could pick up one of Oliver's single collections or start with her compiled works.
Clint Smith's Above Ground is a 2023 release that examines fatherhood and how your children change your life. It's a beautiful collection full of lighthearted observations and more serious ruminations on life and family.
Natalie Diaz is a Native poet whose work explores identity, belonging, and how Indigenous peoples have suffered. Diaz won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 2021.
Christian Wiman is the former editor of Poetry magazine. He's an accomplished poet and essayist whose work addresses religion, belief, and illness. I just love his writing so much.
The Poetry of Rilke is one of the most beloved books in my personal library. It's full of gorgeous writing about faith and love. I highly recommend the edition of Rilke pictured here because the translation by Edward Snow is fantastic.
If you want to start small with a poem instead of a whole book, here are some favorites:
“Mountain Dew Commercial Disguised as a Love Poem” by Matthew Olzmann
“Harlem” by Langston Hughes
“Small Kindnesses” by Danusha Laméris
“Small Wire” by Anne Sexton
I’d love to hear about the poems and poets you love. Leave your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for reading!
What a great poetry primer post. As I started to read about accessible poetry I immediately thought of Billy Collins and then there he was in your post. Last week I was just showing my 14 year old a video of him reading The Lanyard. Three of my favorites of Kate Baer's are here: https://cupofjo.com/2019/06/10/kate-baer-motherhood-poems/
Maggie Smith is amazing!
I’m almost done with You Could Make This Place Beautiful.
I even recommended it to my niece today.🥰
Thanks for these great poetry recommendations!