How is it March already? I feel like it’s still January and I just started the second semester, but here we are! And, March is one of my favorite months purely because it’s Women’s History Month! We get an entire 31 days to emphasize the achievements and accomplishments of women all around the world. I specifically want to highlight the creativity of female poets in this article, because poetry written by women is specifically for women. There’s nothing more inspirational than reading words that you, as a woman, can relate to and apply to your own life.
Emily Dickinson
I feel like we need to shine a spotlight on Dickinson because she was never able to publish her poems herself, or with her name, giving her credit for her works. She wrote primarily during the late 1800’s, and most of her poetry was circulated throughout her friend group. Moreover, women being published was looked down upon by society, so it was hard for women to get their creative voices into the world. It wasn’t until after she died that her short, but substantial, poems were actually published under her name. Dickinson wasn’t afraid to write about the positives and negatives of her life, and many of her poems feature concepts about mental health and death. The poems I recommend you check out are: “Because I could not stop for death,” “I’m nobody, who are you?” and “Wild nights-wild nights”!
Gwendolyn Brooks
Brooks is the first Black author to have won a Pulitzer prize and also became the first Black woman to become a Poetry Consultant for the Library of Congress (aka–she is a major girl boss!) Her poems seem simple but utilize beautiful flows as well as highlighting powerful topics. Most of her writing centers around race in America, specifically from the perspective of her neighborhood, Bronzeville. The poems that Brooks wrote that I recommend are: “We Real Cool,” “The Bean Eaters” and “A Song in the Front Yard.”
Sylvia Plath
Plath is primarily remembered for her strong, controversial poetry. She had a very autobiographical voice and wrote about her mental health, her troubled marriage and the conflictual relationship she had with both of her parents. Plath wasn’t afraid to hide her voice and her opinions in an age when women still were not given the respect and creativity that they deserved, making her a cornerstone for celebrating all female life experiences, both positive and negative. The poems written by Plath that I recommend are: “Daddy,” “Lady Lazarus” and “Poppies in October.”
Other poets that I recommend are: Maya Angelou, Rupi Kaur, Amanda Gorman, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich and Christina Rossetti. I hope the inspirational words written by these incredible women motivate you this Women’s History Month and resonate with you and your own life experiences. Thank you all for reading!