5 Books for National Poetry Month
By Hannah Dendas of naptime book review
Recently I have found myself gravitating towards poetry more than ever before.
I’m not sure if it’s a shifting mindset from two years of pandemic life or if it’s that I’m just now finding poetry that I understand and relate to, or maybe it’s that sometimes all I can handle are a couple of short paragraphs.
Whatever the reason, I’m finding it enjoyable and wanted to share a couple of my favorites.
1. I Hope This Finds You Well
by Kate Baer
I have previously recommended Baer’s first book of poetry, What Kind of Woman as something that so many women and mothers can relate to. The follow-up I Hope This Finds You Well, takes a different approach with a style she calls “erasure poems.” She takes actual emails, DMs, and posts from her online trolls and erases certain words to turn the negative messages into beautiful, meaningful poems. This is a great collection for a quick dose of inspiration.
Price: $11
2. Call us What We Carry
by Amanda Gorman
Like so many others, I was completely blown away by Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman at Biden’s inauguration. Her recently released book of poetry, which includes The Hill We Climb, is as impressive as she was that day. Her poetry is lyrical and having seen her perform at the inauguration gives you the benefit of having her style in mind as you read. She addresses systemic issues in the US and the pandemic, which can feel heavy, but her words are uplifting. And she does some interesting experimental formatting, such as a poem shaped like a mask and a screenplay.
Price: $22
3. Devotions
by Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver is one of America’s most famous poets and wrote prolifically. Devotions is a good place to start as it curates over 200 poems from throughout her career. Even if you don’t think you know her, you’ve probably seen her poems in passing; she was the one who wrote “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”. Many of her poems are inspired by nature and she addressed everything from life, joy, rebirth, to sorrow and death. I keep this one on my nightstand and refer to it often.
Price: $18
4. Leaves of Grass
by Walt Whitman
This suggestion might give you flashbacks to high school but hear me out - despite being published in 1855 his work actually reads quite modernly. The book is huge and dense, so I don’t recommend reading it cover to cover, but having it around to occasionally crack open is surprisingly delightful. Like Oliver, he is another one that you have probably read in passing (perhaps Song of the Open Road) and addresses nature and a full range of emotions. Fun fact: Leaves of Grass was quite controversial when it was first published but Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote Whitman a letter to say he enjoyed it; without his permission Whitman quoted from the letter on the cover of his next edition, essentially inventing the “book blurb” that we see on covers today.
Price: $23
5. @poetryisnotaluxury
Ok this is not a book recommendation but rather an account to follow. This instagram account posts poems from all kinds of different writers - old, new, obscure, popular, everything. It’s a great way to expose yourself to small, digestible doses of poetry and discover new writers to add to your reading list.
Hannah Dendas is a Postpartum Doula and Certified Lactation Counselor but since the pandemic, mostly a stay-at-home mom to her three young kids.
Always an avid reader, Hannah recently started sharing book reviews on her Instagram page @naptimebookreview. She has a book stashed in nearly every room of her house, is a frequent visitor to her local library, and loves historical fiction.