April is National Poetry Month, which was established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. Poetry is one of the main genres of literature and has been foundational in recording oral histories, maintaining cultural traditions, and creating change in society. Poetry has been a form of writing used to express emotions, challenge societal issues, and bring about awareness and change. As National Poetry Month comes to an end, here are some female poets who should be at the top of your reading list!
Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman is a 28-year-old poet from Los Angeles who has been globally recognized for her poetry, activism, and modeling. Her poems center on feminism, race, oppression, and the African diaspora. Gorman is the United States’ first National Youth Poet Laureate. She delivered her poem “The Hill We Climb” at Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration, generating international acclaim. Soon after, she reached best-seller status for two of her books. Other well-known works of hers include “An Ode We Owe,” which she read at the 2022 UN General Assembly; “Chorus of the Captains,” which she read for the Super Bowl in 2021; and Call Us What We Carry, a collection of poems she wrote about the pandemic era. Gorman’s commitment to advocating for the environment, racial equality, and gender justice has reached national and international platforms, being featured on the Today Show, PBS Kids, CBS This Morning, in the New York Times, Vogue, Essence, and O Magazine.Â
Rupi Kaur
Rupi Kaur is a Canadian poet and a New York Times No. 1 bestselling author for her self-published poetry book, Milk and Honey (2014). Her next two books, The Sun and Her Flowers (2017) and Home Body (2020), both debuted at No. 1 on bestseller lists around the world. Kaur has made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and “Writer of the Decade” by The New Republic. Kaur is also famous for her performances, producing Rupi Kaur Live, which is a poetry special on Amazon Prime Video. Kaur’s “Instapoetry” style, which consists of very accessible writing and hand-drawn illustrations, has made her such a memorable writer among contemporary writers. While poetry is typically seen as a very specialized and exclusive form of literature that isn’t easily understandable, Kaur invites readers of all types to enjoy her work.Â
Sally Wen Mao
Sally Wen Mao is the author of The Kingdom of Surfaces (2023), Oculus (2019), and Mad Honey Symposium (2014). Mao has been the recipient of several awards, such as the Kinereth Gensler Award in 2012, the Pushcart Prize, and was a finalist for the Maya Angelou Book Prize in 2023. Mao’s work has appeared in The Best American Poetry (2013 and 2021), The Paris Review, Granta, Poetry, A Public Space, Harper’s Bazaar, The Washington Post, and more. She has also taught writing at New York University, Cornell University, Sarah Lawrence College, and Baruch College. Most recently, in 2024, she took a stab at fiction, publishing her first novel, Ninetails. Mao has been an influential figure in describing Asian American experiences in her poetry, most famously through her persona poems about the famous Chinese American actress Anna May Wong.Â
Cecila Martinez
Cecila Martinez is a Mexican American poet best known on social media for her romantic poetry. Through TikTok and Instagram, Martinez has reached millions and has created a dedicated following to share her vulnerable poems about love, heartbreak, and the struggles of modern romance. In her debut poetry collection, Diary of a Romantica, Vol. I & II, she established her voice and made her mark on the poetry world. Her spoken word poems through social media highlight the lyrical qualities of her poetry, informed by her Hispanic heritage and self-proclaimed title of a “hopeless romantic.” Her audience is challenged and empowered to embrace love and their romantic sides. Martinez is currently writing her third novel while also working as a full-time scientist after graduating from Yale University.