Poets picking poets

 

When I asked a group of poets about their favorite poets, I started by naming those who meant the most to me:

Mary Oliver, who keenly observed and wrote about the intricacies of nature (human and otherwise), got me back to writing poems after years away!

Wendell Berry, whom I had the privilege of meeting, inspired and challenged me with his poems about basics and community.

After struggling in high school to understand T.S. Eliot, I devoured his amazing comparisons and exquisite phrases, wrought, no doubt, by time and insightful observation.

Other favorites include the wry humor of Billy Collins, down-to-earth haiku of Richard Wright, powerful reflections and assessments of Langston Hughes, and, oh, too many poets to name, for many were my teachers-in-print.

Then, a group of poets shared their favorites, such as Emily Brontë, whose work I’d never read but wanted to after hearing the poet’s reason for choosing her: “The way she sees the world in such a unique and almost haunting way makes her writing stand out for me. I feel very inspired reading her poetry.”

Another poet didn’t give reasons for the choices, but provided specific titles: Wislawa Szymborska, “Four in the Morning,” Yusef Komunyakaa, “Ode to the Maggot,” and Elizabeth Bishop, “One Art.”

Yet another said, “Of course, the great Pablo Neruda. Soft heart for Galway Kinnell as well,” but most of the poets merely listed their favorites, each of whom is worth looking up online and reading a poem or two. To ease your research, just copy and paste each name of interest into your browser’s Search box.  

Allen Ginsberg

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Anna Akhmatova

Czeslaw Milosz

Denise Levertov

Dylan Thomas

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Emily Dickinson

Francis Thompson

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

John Keats

John Donne

John Milton

Khalil Gibran

Lord Byron

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Robert Browning

Robert Frost

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

William Blake

William Stafford

William Wordsworth

Walt Whitman

I’ve omitted some of the favorites because of space and also because I wasn’t familiar enough with their poems to recommend them here, but I hope you’ll add your favorite poet(s) in the Comments section below.

 

Posted by Mary Harwell Sayler, who would be ecstatic for you to buy numerous gift copies of A Gathering of Poems!

 

 

 

 

Excellent resources for poets ready to excel

This newly updated list of resources can help you enhance the writing, revising, and submitting of your poems to appropriate poetry journals, anthologies, and e-zines. Once you have placed a number of poems with editors of print or online publications, you'll be better prepared to approach a publisher of poetry chapbooks or books of poems.

American Academy of Poets – Searchable archives on poets and poetry

American Verse Project – A to Z listing of poets with hotlinks to classical poems to read aloud and study

Children’s Poetry – Famous poems and poets of interest to children

Christian Poet's Guide to Writing Poetry - e-book version of poet-friendly home study course on scansion, poetry forms, free verse, terminology, and techniques

Christian Poets and Writers - Group on Facebook with posts relevant to Christians who write in all genres

Christian Writer's Guide - e-book on researching, writing, revising, querying, and submitting all genres of manuscripts to editors of periodicals or book publishing companies in a professional manner

Copyright information – Directly from the U.S. Copyright Office

Duotrope’s Digest – Numerous poetry markets open to your poems

Electronic Poetry Center – Archives of international poets

EnglishVerse.com – Archives of classical English poetry and bios of poets

Guide to Grammar & Writing – Interactive articles, definitions, parts of speech, and English grammar guides

Haiku Society of America - Nonprofit membership organization dedicated to excellence in haiku

International Writing Contest – Annual competition for poetry (which I’ve chaired for many years) and all genres of writing

Library of Congress – Poetry page

Nobel Prize in Literature – Prestigious poetry prize

Poetry Daily – Featuring a poem, poet, and journal each day

Poetry Foundation - Poems, resources, and Poetry magazine

Poetry.org – Resources for poets, terminology about poetry

Poetry Society of America – Articles and awards

Poetry Society of America, Poetry for Children – Links to resources

Poets House – National poetry center and library

Poets & Writers – Archives and articles on all aspects of poetry

Poets & Writers – Classified ads from journals, e-zines, anthologies

Poets & Writers – Grants, Awards, and Contests

Poets & Writers – List of literary publications open to poetry

Poets & Writers – Small book publishers of poetry

Poetry Writing and Analysis Guide - Histories of poetry, forms, and influential poets

Publishers Weekly – Updates on all genres in the publishing industry

Pulitzer Prize – List of previous winners of this highly prestigious award in poetry, which also gives you an immediate list of poets to study

Rhyme Zone – Rhymes, synonyms, and word search

Writers-Editors Network - Professional association with helps for writers and editors of all genres
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Resources provided by Mary Harwell Sayler, poet, poetry editor, and writer in all genres.

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