We’re in the last leg of summer, before young people go back to school and the weather eventually starts to drop until we’re swimming in the negatives. Of course, this sort of change is cyclical; however, for those with a creative mind, perhaps there’s a more poetic way of examining and expressing this change. Can it be a metaphor for life? Or do you think about the passing of time in a more pessimistic way? I find poetry to be enthralling because what one thing means for someone can be different for another. Even if both viewpoints are stark opposites, they can be equally valid interpretations.
Despite being a poetry newbie, I will be stringing together a range of poetry books in hopes that you can similarly find and experience poetry in your own way.
Emily Dickinson’s Poems as She Preserved Them is the holy grail for fans of poetry. This is the book if you want to experience Dickinson’s work in all its abstract, poignant, and brilliant glory. I remember first hearing about Dickinson and her fascicles, which consisted of poems that she bound together, in a programming class during my undergrad where we explored the connections between Dickinson and code. Throughout her life (described by many to be a reclusive one), she crafted nearly 1800 poems, the vast majority of which were unpublished during her lifetime.
Dickinson’s poems can be quite difficult to read, largely in the sense that the concepts can be a challenge to unravel for those who aren’t big into poetry or don’t have much experience with it. But if you’re willing to put in time to read and research, in addition to reading others’ interpretations and analyses, it’ll be rewarding and evident that Dickinson is among the greatest poets to have ever lived.
I Cut My Tongue on a Broken Country is Kyo Lee’s debut poetry collection that was published in 2025. Lee won the CBC Poetry Prize in 2023 for “lotus flower blooming into breasts” when she was just 16, becoming the youngest winner of the prize. As a queer Korean Canadian poet, Lee explores identity and girlhood in this award-winning poem as she does in her debut book, which is an intimate look at intersectionality through vivid writing and a youthful lens that evoke a mixture of emotions.
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman, who famously presented “The Hill We Climb” at then-U.S. President Joe Biden’s inauguration back in 2021, is a collection of poetry that’s delivered with a powerful, distinct voice, equally resonant as her aforementioned performance that’s been celebrated by many. Much of her poetry is stylized in unique and captivating ways, such as a poem residing within an outline of a mask and others in concrete poetry style where the words are formatted into a shape or, in the case of “Essex I,” a sperm whale. From racism to resilience, this collection explores a number of themes, some of which that’s tied to both the past and present.
Published in 1978, And Still I Rise is Maya Angelou’s collection of poems that are as inspirational as she was. Clocking in at about 50 pages, the book is short and sweet but is loaded with powerful words about spirituality (e.g. “Just Like Job”), self-love (e.g. “Phenomenal Woman”), and defiance against oppression. “Still I Rise,” for example, is a call to resilience, one of empowerment especially for women of colour in the face of oppression, that also celebrates Blackness. Angelou’s way with words has left an indelible mark; it doesn’t matter if you’re a voracious reader, a poetry connoisseur, or a creative writer, because the weight of Angelou’s profound writing should always be revisited — and starting with this book would be an outstanding pick.
The Flash of Lightning Behind the Mountain: New Poems brings previously unseen poems by Charles Bukowski to light. Bukowski’s “Bluebird,” which is one of many poems in his The Last Night of the Earth Poems, was my introduction to him earlier this year. His works, in my opinion, are either resonant or fall flat; yet it may be the introspective nature merged with realism, cynicism, and teaspoons of edginess that make a hefty number of folks gravitate towards his poetry. Take “be cool, fool” (p. 22–23) for instance, where we’re reminded to accept the bleak realities of our lives, such as the nuclear bombs that exist around the world that can loom over and poison us with dread and hopelessness. These poems could get political and gritty, but that’s to be expected with dirty realism.
Among the greatest and most absorbing poems penned by Maragret Atwood over the past six decades are packed within the 600 pages of Paper Boat, a comprehensive collection that’s a Canadian essential. Atwood is a powerhouse of a novelist who has authored some of the most memorable books (e.g. The Handmaid’s Tale) and a renowned feminist whose works consists of themes about women’s rights and patriarchy. But don’t forget about her powerful usage of words, as it goes on full display spanning between 1961–2023 in this poetry collection.
Calling all fans of The Doors: The Collected Works of Jim Morrison is a gigantic, almost 600-page book that’s a must-read for those into classic rock and poetry — because the intersection is there and very well does exist. Known for hits that include “Light My Fire,” The Doors was an influential American rock band fronted by Jim Morrison, who tragically passed away at 27 in 1971. While much of the book consists of his poetry, there’s also a chapter that’s dedicated to lyrics. And hey, good lyricism can be powerfully poetic as well; just ask Bob Dylan, who won a Nobel Prize in Literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”
The book also has an attached ribbon bookmark, in case you intend to spend lots of time going through the poems and mind of Morrison. It’s the creativity of a rockstar that’ll have you hooked!
For the younger adults who have gone through heartbreak, the folks who want to read about body positivity, or the people who want straightforward, impactful poetry that’ll have you nostalgic for the past, here’s Josie Balka. Balka is a Canadian poet whose social media posts include some poems, which have likely left a mark on her hundreds of thousands of followers. If you’re into quick reads about universal topics, I Hope You Remember: Poems on Loving, Longing, and Living will scratch that itch. This is Balka’s first poetry book, one that includes a collection of poems that touch upon love, hope, and more, that may be good for both a sunny day or a rainy, gloomier one.
Let’s travel to the east and explore Mountain Home:The Wilderness Poetry of Ancient China, a book with poems that span from the 5th to 13th centuries, translated by David Hinton. Reading poems about the wilderness, such as Li Po’s “At Golden-Ridge” on page 79, is a reminder about both the beauty and endurance of nature, and how the moon will still shine after humans are gone, for example. The poems are atmospheric and speak to the soul, as if inviting us to experience the wilderness. Despite not having much previous exposure to ancient Chinese poems, I found the book to be a great gateway towards eastern poesy.
If you’re craving more, click here to check out other poetry books!