A collection of poetry anthologies. Image: Penguin/Flynn Shore
Perhaps your last brush with poetry was when you were sat bleary-eyed in an English exam, forced to analyse Shakespeare’s Sonnets against your will. Or maybe it’s the opposite: you used to hang on your favourite poet’s every word and commit entire stanzas to memory, but it’s been a while since you last cracked open an anthology, and they’re beginning to gather dust on the bookshelf.
Whether you’ve fallen out of love with poetry or never fell for it in the first place – and whatever your interests and passions, from music lovers to hopeless romantics and beyond – this varied selection of poetry collections will offer a way (back) in.
For the novel-reader
The Home Child is inspired by the true story of Liz Berry’s great-aunt Eliza Showell, one of thousands of so-called “Home Children” who, in 1908 – at the age of just 12 – was taken from her native Black Country in England’s West Midlands to work as an indentured servant in rural Canada. A lyrical story that explores themes of belonging, home, and the cruelty of historical injustice, Eliza’s journey unfolds like any great novel – only in verse form.
Equal parts explosive, engaging and enraging, Citizen – part of Claudia Rankine’s American Lyric trilogy – is a New York Times bestseller for a reason. The book-length poem is a searing, thoughtful and emotionally resonant invective on the ways anti-Black racism manifests itself in America and beyond, be it the attritional trauma of microaggressions or the physical violence of police brutality. It also mixes verse, prose, photos and experimental visuals, making it perfect for those who usually enjoy experimental novels that push the envelope.
For the social justice advocate
It takes a special kind of writer to weave references to Caravaggio, Love Island and Piers Morgan into one coherent volume the way Yomi Sode does in Manorism. An accomplished spoken-word poet and performer, Sode’s first written collection of poems tackles an array of complex topics at the intersections of masculinity, Black identity, fatherhood, music, art and more. His direct style of writing and zeitgeisty references to pop culture and momentous recent events make Manorism profound yet accessible, particularly for Generation Z.
This short yet comprehensive anthology packs a punch, bringing in a formidable collection of writers that builds on – and helps redefine – the canon of LGBTQ+ voices and perspectives in poetry. Selected poems from the likes of Carol Ann Duffy, W. H. Auden, Audre Lorde and Ocean Vuong (author of the bestselling novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
For the classics fan
A unique voice amidst the Romantic poetry movement, William Blake meshed text and lavish illustration with his deceptively simple verse about the wonders of nature and the human condition. This edition of Tyger Tyger is a great way into an iconic poet’s body of work, but be sure to check out other poets featured in the Little Black Classics series too: from Sappho to Dante , to queen of the em-dash Emily Dickinson .
For the hopeless romantic
Sensual, sultry and full of lust and longing, this series of poems by the Chilean writer Pablo Neruda is perfect for anyone looking for a little (or a lot of) spice in their poetry. Neruda, who was just 19 years old when the collection was first published, is unflinching in his intense desire with descriptions of love and intimacy that will make even the most seasoned romance reader blush.
Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets – perhaps the most famous collection of love poems in the English-speaking world – may seem like a pretty run-of-the-mill suggestion for a lovesick reader in search of poetry. But in this modern “translation”, published alongside the Bard’s original poems, author James Anthony reworks Shakespeare’s most intimate writing for the 21st Century, while keeping the rhyme and metre of the sonnet form intact. It makes for fun, accessible reading that gives new relevance to the intensity of lust and heartbreak that Shakespeare captured so well 400 years ago.
For the music lover
As any die-hard Beyoncé fan will know, the pop icon collaborates with a range of brilliant artists for her blockbuster projects. Among them, British-Somali poet Warsan Shire, who wrote spoken-word lyrics for both Lemonade and Black Is King . Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head , her first full-length poetry collection, deftly intersperses tales of girlhood, trauma and lived experience with musical references and highly quotable lines that will leave you breathless.
Dub poetry, which counts Benjamin Zephaniah, Lillian Allen and Afua Cooper among its writers, was born out of Reggae culture in 1970s Kingston in London, its direct spoken-word style capturing the experiences, marginalisation and day-to-day lives of migrant Caribbean communities in the UK and Canada. This upcoming collection celebrates dub poetry by showcasing the work of nine different poets who helped shape the cultural movement and evolved its style and content over the decades.
Reading Useless Magic is like getting a glimpse into the private diary of Florence Welch, the eponymous singer and lyricist behind Florence + The Machine. Its pages are filled with song lyrics, original poetry, and gorgeous photos, illustrations and hand-written notes (including, perhaps to the delight of Daisy Jones and The Six
For the young at heart
Poetry can also be brilliantly nonsensical, and few writers demonstrate that better than Edward Lear. Revisit your childhood with delightfully upbeat poems like The Owl and the Pussycat (which are almost impossible not to commit to memory), or revel in the ridiculousness of Lear’s whimsical made-up words. For more fantastical poems, be sure to check out the work of Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll, who similarly played with nonsense language and worldbuilding in Jabberwocky .
It’s sometimes easy to forget that poetry originally evolved from song, and was intended to be recited aloud. The Lost Spells harnesses that tradition for readers young and old, with each poem in the collection “conjuring” an aspect of the natural world such as a barn owl, a red fox, a jackdaw and even a moth. A spellbinding love letter to flora and fauna, this pocket-sized hardback edition is filled with beautiful painted illustrations, while the audiobook version makes for a magically immersive listening experience.
For the person with a lot of feelings
Prescribing poems? It’s not as ridiculous as you may think. Curated by William Sieghart, founder of National Poetry Day and The Forward Prize for Poetry, The Poetry Pharmacy has the perfect balm for every human experience, from anxiety to unrequited love, and offers solace in the realisation that you’re not alone in these often complex feelings. For a prescription refill, check outThe Poetry Pharmacy Returns and the upcoming third and final instalment, The Poetry Pharmacy Forever
Aptly subtitled A Poem For Every Feeling , this is a diverse and substantial collection of verse from poets new and old, compiled by author Ella Risbridger. Set Me On Fire runs the gamut of human experiences, from the simple ritual of eating to complicated break-ups, with poems – roughly organised along a spectrum of happy to sad – intended to be read, at random, in clusters according to your mood.
For the horror fan
Clichés often dictate that poetry is only either about love or soft, pastoral landscapes, but some of history’s most revered poets had a penchant for the gory and supernatural, too. This pocket-sized collection features the usual suspects, like mavens of the macabre Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, but some surprising names too, spanning from ancient Egypt to Mick Jagger. And for those who love reading crime and thrillers, check out the Killer Verse
For the aspiring poet
Stephen Fry, a man of seemingly endless talents, is not only a comedian, broadcaster and prolific author, but also a poet. With The Ode Less Travelled
Do you know your trochees from iambs? How about your ballads from your epics? If the answer is “no,” fear not: Measure For Measure is a comprehensive guide to all the technical elements that make a poem sing. Drawing from real examples from the likes of Sappho and William Blake, this bite-size anthology breaks down everything your old high school English teacher wishes you’d known – and more.
