A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about some of my favorite books. This week I decided to focus on poetry because I feel as if not many people know what to read or where to begin. It can also be difficult finding what type of poetry you like. So here are some books to get you started!
1. Down with the Ship by Tom Leveille
It’s very hard for me to commit to favorites (especially with novels and poetry books), but I have to say that Tom Leveille is my favorite poet. I originally found his work on Twitter, and then I found his spoken word poetry videos. He published Down with the Ship, a book of prose/poetry which is available on Amazon. He also self-published a small chapbook called The Year No One Said Hallelujah. I managed to get a copy, and he even signed it! He’s my favorite because his writing is so refreshing, unique, and powerful. It’s kind of vague, which leaves it open to your interpretation. His poetry is also very relatable, and after you read it, you just have to sit there and think about that poem for the next hour or so.
“It’s like you walked into this store and the only thing they sell are snow globes capturing every moment someone said they loved you and didn’t mean it.” (Leveille, 46).
2. Rest in the Mourning by R.H. Sin
R.H. Sin (as mentioned in my last article) is another of my favorite poets. This book of his is also geared towards empowering women and helping them realize their self worth. It’s only a little over 100 pages, but it’s also a good book to read after a difficult break up, and I think every college woman should read this. It will definitely help boost your self esteem.
“Be single until you find a love that resembles the type of love you’ve been fighting for” (Sin, 34).
3. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
This is one of the most well known, current poetry books in my opinion. (I also have a signed copy of this book.) Kaur’s writing is simply beautiful, as well as empowering. This book is divided into four sections: the hurting, the loving, the breaking, and the healing. I still refer back to certain sections for whatever phase of my life I’m in at the moment.
“Your body is a museum of natural disasters can you grasp how stunning that is” (Kaur, 173).
4. I wrote this for you and only you by pleasefindthis
I remember looking through the poetry section at Barnes n’ Noble and finding this book on the shelf. I felt like it was speaking to me, and when I opened it, I realized how beautiful the writing inside was. This book is also comrpised of prose/poetry, but it holds very important life lessons and ideas. There are also beautiful photographs included in this book.This book will also get you thinking, but aren’t those the best kind? If you’re interested in these kinds of books, there is another book called I Wrote this for You and How to be Happy: not a self help book.
“And if you want to know the feeling I’m talking about, run your own fingers slowly through your hair, and pretend they’re someone else’s” (pleasefindthis, 190).
5. Memories by Lang Leav
Lang Leav is also a well known poet in the poetry community. She’s not my favorite poet, mostly because there is a lot of structure and rhyming in her poetry, but she does it fantastically. For those who prefer the older, more classic, structured type of poetry; I would recommend her books. This book is actually a combination of two of her books, Lullabies and Love and Misadventure with a little added bonus content. She chose her favorite poems from both books, and put them together to make Memories. Personally, I would recommend buying all three, because each of them have poems the others don’t. Her poetry is mostly about love and heartbreak, but the way she writes about these themes is so clever and smart, and she does it in a different way that no other poet can. Lang Leav is actually married to another poet, Michael Faudet, who also publishes poetry books. So far he’s published Dirty Pretty Things and his latest book, Bitter Sweet Love. These books are a little more explicit and sexual, but the poetry is still amazing.
“Forget her tattered memories, or the pages others took; you are her ever after– the hero of her book” (Leav, 237).
HC xoxo,
Alyssa Harmon
Works Cited
Kaur, Rupi. milk and honey. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2015. Print.
Leav, Lang. Memories. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2015. Print.
Leveille, Tom. Down With the Ship. Norfolk, San Francisco Bay Press, 2016. Print.
Pleasefindthis. “I wrote this for you and only you.” Chicago: Central Avenue Publishing, 2015. Print.
Sin, h.r. Rest in the mourning. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2016. Print.
Sources:
https://www.amazon.com/Rest-Mourning-r-h-Sin/dp/1449486738
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23513349-milk-and-honey
https://www.amazon.com/Wrote-This-You-Only/dp/1771680423
http://phsprecedent.com/entertainment/2016/02/29/memories-a-memorable-read-for-poetry-lovers/