Take A Break And Read Some Poetry

We all come to poetry for different reasons. Whether it’s an appreciation of the lyricism, the succinct style, meter, metaphor, or its sometimes radical themes, poetry can have a profound effect on our reading lives. Reading poetry is like a deep stretch for a part of the brain that’s rarely used: If reading prose is a simple hamstring stretch, reading poetry is like doing the splits!

Some of the most popular poetry encouraged many to make poetry a larger part of their reading goal. Luckily, there are some great collections that came out. Eve L. Ewing’s (Electric Arches and Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closing on Chicago’s South Side) second collection, 1919, that was released in June. Morgan Parker’s (There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce) next collection, Magical Negro, was published by Tin House Books; Ocean Vuong’s new book, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous; and Jericho Brown (The New Testament) was a new collection from Copper Canyon Press, along with my new book, “The Poetry of the Masters” from PublishDrive as an ebook at Amazon and BN's online bookstore.

Some of the most anticipated new works were tsunami vs. the fukushima 50 by Lee Ann Roripaugh, Soft Science by Franny Choi, The Octopus Museum by Brenda Shaughnessy, Exiles of Eden by Ladan Osman, and Casting Deep Shade: An Amble by C.D. Wright. These collections stood out, but there isn’t a single collection on this list that shouldn’t be explored.

These are many of the titles that have been released along with a few titles that might’ve been missed. Hopefully, this list will help you pick your upcoming reading choices. Enjoy!