I never understood poetry when I was at school. I would only read it because I had to, and I don't think I ever allowed myself to enjoy it. And it wasn't exactly cool to like poetry either - not that I was remotely cool at all - so it was very easy for me to shun it.
It was only when I went to university that I actually started to appreciate, and almost love, poetry. In my second year, as part of my Creative Writing course, we studied a module which was dedicated to poetry. At first I didn't like the sound of it, and the first few poems that I brought to seminars were awful. But I soon began to enjoy writing a poem for each week's class. We were given a different style of poem to write every week, and I found myself becoming more and more confident as time passed by, and more willing to share my work with everyone. We would sit in groups and workshop each other's poems, saying what we liked about them and suggesting potential improvements.
All of this did wonders for my confidence as a writer.
After studying poetry, I had a new found appreciation for it and so so much respect for the poets who give us such beautiful things to read.
More recently I've found myself buying more poetry collections to enjoy. I graduated university four years ago, and I miss reading and writing poetry as much as I used to. Sometimes I'll use my lunch hour to go peruse the bookshelves of Waterstones and find hidden gems that I wouldn't ordinarily pick up. I'm not going to lie, it's one of my favourite things to do.
A Poem for Every Night of the Year, edited by Allie Esiri
Allie has collected a whopping 366 poems into one beautiful collection. I first saw this book on Instagram and it looked and sounded so lovely, so I had to have it. The wonderful thing about this collection is the huge variety of poems it encompasses; from Spike Milligan and Lewis Carroll, all the way to Shakespeare and Sylvia Plath. There's something to suit everyone's tastes.
In my opinion, it's the perfect book to pick up if you want to start reading poetry but don't really know where to begin. The sheer number of different writers mean you're certain to find one that strikes a chord, and from there you can delve in to the rest of their work.
I also think this collection is perfect to read to children. I know that my parents championed the bedtime story with myself and my brother when we were kids, and I think a bedtime poem is just the cutest idea. They're short and sweet, and each one is different every day. I can't recommend this collection any more than I already do - I love it.
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
I asked for Milk and Honey for my birthday last year. I'd seen bits of Rupi's work all over Tumblr and Instagram, and I was incredibly intrigued by her style of writing. The book itself is gorgeous from cover to cover. I love the illustrations and the simplicity of the design - it's minimalist and that really works with Rupi's poetry.
The collection is separated into four sections; the hurting, the loving, the breaking, and the healing. As you would expect, the poems in each section reflect the theme. Some of her work is simply one or two lines, other poems are longer. I've seen people argue that anyone could write what Rupi writes, and that her poetry isn't any good, but I beg to differ. My favourite poem from her collection is just two lines long;
i am a museum full of artbut you had your eyes shut
In my opinion, any and all poetry is good if it means something to someone. This particular poem struck a chord with me because of the way I was feeling when I first got the book. Personally, I identified with it, and to be honest there are a whole host of other poems in this collection that I identify with.
Now I'm just excited to read Rupi's next collection, The Sun and Her Flowers, which came out last week.
The Bees by Carol Ann Duffy
When I think of Carol Ann Duffy's work, it reminds me of my GCSE English classes where I know for a fact I didn't appreciate any of it enough at all. Now that I'm older, I'm so happy that I'm able to read her work with mature eyes instead of the eyes of a bored teenager.
I bought The Bees for several reasons. Number one, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. If you've read any of my previous book related posts then you'll know that I'm guilty of judging a book by its cover. The Bees is shimmering gold and white, and has a beautiful pattern of a hive all over the cover. Reason number two is the simple fact that this collection revolves around bees, which I love. They're so important and must be protected, so of course I had to buy this book.
So far I've only read a handful of poems in this collection, and I love how the bee is somehow woven in to each one, either in an obvious way or very subtly. Imagery of nature has always been one of my favourite things to read, so the fact that this is tied in with so many other different themes is wonderful.
The princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace
I passed by this collection in Waterstones a couple of times before I decided to buy it. It caught my eye one lunchtime as I was browsing the shelves, and then I saw a few bookstagrammers sharing it on Instagram. The title itself was enough to pique my interest, so I bought it. Being a self-confessed feminist, I champion the idea of the princess saving herself. Why shouldn't she?
Amanda's work reminds me of Rupi Kaur's in some ways. A lot of her poems are very visual, which I really enjoy, and I like the theme of fairytales that runs throughout. I can definitely feel a lot of pain in some of the poems in Amanda's collection, and as a reader it feels very therapeutic to absorb them.
Again, I've only read a few poems from this collection. One in particular has really stuck with me, especially because the book I'm reading at the moment for my Booktober challenge revolves around body positivity.
For me personally, this poem is powerful. It really means something to me, and I think that's important.
How about you? What are some of your favourite poets or poetry collections? I'm always looking for recommendations. Feel free to comment and leave your thoughts!
~ C xxx
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