Books for National Poetry Month

By Coll Rowe | April 7 2021 | English Language Arts

April is National Poetry Month, reminding us of poetry’s important role in our culture and in our classrooms. We are celebrating by appreciating a few titles that highlight the lives and work of inspiring poets.

 

The Hill We Climb

On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Here is her powerful and historic poem “The Hill We Climb.”

 

Home Is Not a Country

This is a powerful novel-in-verse from Safia Elhillo, that gives the mesmerizing journey of family and identity, filled with lyrical beauty and stunning strength.

 

Poems of Healing

Poems of Healing is a selection of poems from around the world and across the centuries about illness and healing, both physical and spiritual.

 

The Complete Poetry

Here is an updated collection of Maya Angelou’s works of poetry, including a never-before-published work titled, Amazement Awaits.

 

Jabberwocky and Other Nonsense

This collection celebrates the full range of Lewis Carroll’s verse—his nonsense, parodies, burlesques, and more—and includes such enduringly wonderful pieces as “The Walrus and the Carpenter,” “The Mock Turtle’s Song,” and “Father William” alongside the brilliantly playful “Jabberwocky.”

 

Ink Knows No Borders

This collection of sixty-four poems by poets who come from all over the world shares the experience of first- and second-generation young adult immigrants and refugees.

 

African American Poetry

This anthology of Black poetry gathers poetry from 250 poets from the colonial period to the present.

 

Find a full list of poetry titles here.

 

Discover more titles

Poetry titles for High School

Poetry titles for Middle School

An Inaugural Poem for the Country
9780593465271
The instant #1 New York Times bestseller and #1 USA Today bestseller Amanda Gorman’s electrifying and historic poem “The Hill We Climb,” read at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, is now available as a collectible gift edition. “Stunning.” —CNN“Dynamic.” —NPR“Deeply rousing and uplifting.” —Vogue
$15.99 US
Mar 30, 2021
Hardcover
32 Pages
Viking Books

9780593177051
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD “Nothing short of magic.” —Elizabeth Acevedo, New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X From the  acclaimed poet featured on Forbes Africa’s “30 Under 30” list, this powerful novel-in-verse captures one girl, caught between cultures, on an unexpected journey to face the ephemeral girl she might have been. Woven through with moments of lyrical beauty, this is a tender meditation on family, belonging, and home. 
$17.99 US
Mar 02, 2021
Hardcover
224 Pages
Make Me a World

9781101908259
A beautiful Pocket Poets selection of poems from around the world and across the centuries about illness and healing, both physical and spiritual.
$15.95 US
Mar 30, 2021
Hardcover
240 Pages
Everyman's Library

9780812997873
As the world celebrates and reflects on the beautiful life of Maya Angelou, Random House presents an updated collection of her works of poetry, including a never-before-published work titled, Amazement Awaits.
$30.00 US
Mar 31, 2015
Hardcover
336 Pages
Random House

Collected Poems
9780141192789
The collected poems of the author of Alice’s Adventures in WonderlandOne of the best-known lines in literature—“Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe”—comes from Lewis Carroll’s poetry, which he wrote throughout his life to amuse himself and to give pleasure to his friends and family. This marvelous collection celebrates the full range of his verse—his nonsense, parodies, burlesques, and more—and includes such enduringly wonderful pieces as “The Walrus and the Carpenter,” “The Mock Turtle’s Song,” and “Father William” alongside the brilliantly playful “Jabberwocky.”For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
$19.00 US
Jul 29, 2014
Paperback
464 Pages
Penguin Classics


A Library of America Anthology
9781598536669
A literary landmark: the biggest, most ambitious anthology of black poetry ever published, gathering 250 poets from the colonial period to the present
$45.00 US
Oct 20, 2020
Hardcover
1170 Pages
Library of America