Reading Recs

U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith put this anthology together to try to show the breadth of the American experience through poetry. This is a great collection and accessible to people like me who don't read that much poetry. If you want to read more American poets, you'll find a lot of new names here. – Carl Hess, Kent Library

CW for sexual assault. I absolutely loved this book. It's an incredible story written about a famous Italian artist named Artemisia Gentileschi who created feminist Biblical paintings back in the 1600's. The writing style of this book packs a punch with every verse and stanza. Blood Water Paint explores the importance of expressing your truth in multiple ways, and it is an all-time favorite of mine – Kendall Trace, Class of '22

I was first introduced to this set of poems during my undergrad work as part of the university's choir. The choral director had us singing a few settings of Neruda's poems. These poems were written for Neruda's wife and illuminate the various stages of love and marriage from lust to old age. They are beautiful and even more so, if you understand Spanish, in the native language. – Randyn Heisserer-Miller, Kent Library

This 1989 Newbery Medal winner poetry book is written for two readers. The poems will make you laugh and cry as you see the world through the compound eyes of insects. For example, learn how walking on water lessons by water striders goes horribly wrong for the beetle student. Reading it with a friend makes this collection of poetry one of the most lively books on the shelf. – Stephanie Hallam, Kent Library

This short collection of poems by the great Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian writer Sherman Alexie pays homage to the great salmon of the northwest Native American tribes through modern Native eyes. Beautifully written and physically crafted, the copy housed at Kent Library is a first edition and in the Rare Book Room. – Randyn Heisserer-Miller, Kent Library

#1 New York Times bestseller Milk and Honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival and the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity. – Eric Sentell, English

I happened upon an edition of this book as a child illustrated by Edward Gorey and was enchanted by the menagerie of cats dancing and wearing bits of clothes. Later, I discovered this book was the inspiration for Andrew Lloyd Weber's the musical Cats. While I cannot say I recommend the musical (I've never seen it) this book of poems by T.S. Eliot is as delightful now as it was when I was a child, and doubly so if you find an edition with the Gorey illustrations. – Liz Rudloff, Kent Library

Kwame Alexander grew up learning to love words. Along with three other poets, the authors have created poems celebrating 20 poets. The poems are accompanied by stunning illustrations that won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator award in 2018. The book concludes with brief biographies of the poets honored in the book. The poets being honored range from Gwednolyn Brooks to Basho and Pablo Neruda. – Stephanie Hallam, Kent Library

What a great poem celebrating women! This is a poem that speaks to every woman. No matter what we perceive as personal and societal flaws, Maya Angelou eloquently reminds women that we are all special, unique, and above all, phenomenal! – Marcy Ball, Academic Advising

It's really a picture, with colors and sounds that reach the soul like a warm sea washing away all doubt. – José Miño Lara, Academic Advising

Only 25 years old when she published this collection of poems, Edna St. Vincent Millay transcribes her often deep and harrowing feelings into simple--and at its core, primal--images. Millay mixes succulent imagery and plainspoken vocabulary to convey both the majesty and the realism our every day words hold. – Olivia Wheeler, Class of '23

Richard Hugo was my professor at University of Montana during my undergraduate days. He had a huge influence on me. When this book about the process of writing poems came out, it was a revelation! So much of the content came directly from his lectures. I recommend it to all writers! – John Baken, Kent Library