National Poetry Month was first celebrated in 1996. Since then, April has been a month to absorb, share, and celebrate poets and their words. Listen to one of these lyrical collections of poetry this month:
A debut poetry collection that is a sensuous journey into who we are and how we relate to the world around us.
Listen to an excerpt all of it is you
By turns playful, ironic, and serious, Collins’s poetry captures the nuances of everyday life while leading the reader to moments of inspired wonder. Aimless Love combines new poems with selections from four previous books—Nine Horses, The Trouble with Poetry, Ballistics, and Horoscopes for the Dead.
Listen to an excerpt AIMLESS LOVE
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s.
Listen to an excerpt BROWN GIRL DREAMING
A collection of timely and timeless poems that are an integral part of the global fabric. Several works have become nearly as iconic as Maya Angelou herself: “On the Pulse of Morning,” “Amazing Peace,” “A Brave and Startling Truth,” and “Mother.”
Listen to an excerpt CELEBRATIONS
Gregson is now known as the creator of the Typewriter Series, a striking collection of poems typed onto found scraps of paper or created via blackout method. Chasers of the Light features some of his most insightful and beautifully crafted pieces of work.
Listen to an excerpt CHASERS OF THE LIGHT
Warsan Shire has an ability to give simple, beautiful eloquence to the veiled world where sensuality lives.
Listen to an excerpt TEACHING MY MOTHER HOW TO GIVE BIRTH