April Staff Picks
April is National Poetry Month and its come at just the right time. While the world is being shaken to its core, we can find a lot of wisdom and solace in the world of poetry. Take a look below to see what we’re recommending!
War of the Foxes by Richard Siken
I don't know what I can say about this poetry collection except that I've read it a dozen times over--there are lines I've highlighted three times, and there are poems that I take in with fresh eyes and a fresh heart each time I read them. Normally I'd invite you to pick this book up off the shelf and flip to this page, but in lieu of that, here's a taste: "Let's admit, without apology, what we do to each other. / We know who our enemies are. We know." — Abby
Collected Poems by Edna St Vincent Millay
Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.
—Dirge Without Music
— Annina
Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
“remember, loneliness is still time spent with the world”
Read each poem slowly. Savor every word. Repeat as needed. — Anthony
Odes to Lithium by Shira Erlichman
Shira Erlichman is a force to be reckoned with. At a time when physical and mental health is at the forefront of our minds, Odes to Lithium is an entryway for readers to access the deeper aspects of ourselves, to reject shame about the ways our bodies fail us, and celebrate the ways we can continue to show up for ourselves —even if it is a fraught relationship. This collection is raw and inspiring, radiating nuance and the spiritual nourishment Shira brings to everything she touches. — Colleen
If They Come for Us by Fatimah Asghar
Fatimah Asghar's voice demands to be heard. Her poems are full of ghosts—ghosts of the past, ghosts of countries, ghosts of parents— and borders. How do you divide culture? Or blood? Ashgar is a poet who understands separation as a queer Muslim and as a woman of color. She understands the separation of parent from child and history from lived experience.
Her poems are a balm and a bandage. Her work is thought-provoking and deeply personal.
In our troubled times, I trust no voice better than this one to remind us to be in solidarity, and to hope in times of struggle. — Danni
Love Poems (for Married People)
Love Poems (for People with Children)
by John Kenney
These poems will make you laugh. When you stop laughing, you should read them out loud to your spouse and/or children.
They will probably not find them as funny as you do but hey, at least, you're not all stuck inside together or something like that. —Eddie
Refusing Heaven by Jack Gilbert
“We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,
but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have
the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless
furnace of this world."
-Jack Gilbert
— Emma
EGGHEAD: Or, You Can't Survive on Ideas Alone by Bo Burnham
If you are drawn to the "absurd" or simply desire a chuckle pick this book up now. If you don't know Bo, look up his Netflix special(s) - his comedy and poetry are filled with his quick wit and buoyant charm. — Jacque
Lima :: Limon by Natalie Scenters-Zapico
These poems are cinematic. Natalie Scenters-Zapico grounds scenes in vibrant physical detail, captures moments with intimacy, and communicates the internal efficiently, all while examining violence and gender in border towns and the pain that comes from longing for people and places that hurt you. A collection to read and re-read. —Maritza
Life on Mars by Tracy K Smith
Never is the connection between the universe and the human life so close as when reading Life on Mars. The scope of the collection is much deeper than its homage to Bowie, but for fans of the dear departed icon, go ahead and read Don’t You Wonder, Sometimes on Page 19. If you can walk out of here afterward without this collection, you are much stronger than I am. —Michael Chin
Norma Jeane Baker of Troy by Anne Carson
What is there to say? Its Anne Carson. That's the blurb. —Nick
Autobiography of Death by Kim Hyesoon
How do we confront catastrophe? What do we do when faced with death? For the renowned South Korean poet Kim Hyesoon, Autobiography of Death comprises her response to the injustices of Korea’s violent recent history. These poems read like a lucid dream turned nightmare: at once disorienting, meditative, visceral, and horrifyingly familiar. The result is a poetry that asks in return that we consider “the structure of death, that we remain living in”. Beautifully rendered into English by the poet Don Mee Choi, this collection is not an easy read–especially for this moment–but it is an urgent and compelling one. - Nika
Felon by Reginald Dwayne Betts
This collection is exceptional and soooo slept on. Betts offers a nuanced and inventive testimonial about life after incarceration, about what it means to be institutionalized and still strive to be a good father, a good partner, a good man. In Felon, Betts uses a variety of poetic forms, but most impressive are the found poems, which use erasure to expose a legal system that criminalizes poverty and treats black men as disposable. By turns confessional and indicting, formally deft and lyrically intricate, this one is for fans of: Solmaz Sharif, Terrance Hayes, Layli Long Soldier, Kaveh Akbar, and Jericho Brown. Definitely a must-read for anyone else thinking about those who are most vulnerable during times of crisis. - Serena
