8 Poets You Should Know

By Phoebe Pineda
LinkedIn

Want to get into poetry but don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered.

We’ve picked out eight poets from different backgrounds, with a special emphasis on marginalized communities. Some of their work is urgent, a rallying cry amid an ongoing fight for survival in a hostile world, a demand to be heard, a refusal to be silenced. Some of their work is quieter, lingering in more intimate, private moments, which can themselves be a form of rebellion. We hope you find one who resonates with you—and remember, these are only a handful of the amazing poetic voices out there to discover!

(Please note that many of these writers deal with subjects that can be triggering or difficult, including abuse, bigotry, mental illness, sexual violence, and trauma. We recommend consulting StoryGraph for content warnings before diving in.)

Elizabeth Bishop

While its queerness is subtle and not immediately apparent, Elizabeth Bishop’s work nonetheless reflects her relationships with women, from the tenderness of waking up beside a lover in “Breakfast Song” to the inevitability of losing one’s love in “One Art.” Bishop’s richly detailed scenes are a great starting point for readers just beginning to dip their toes into poetry, particularly anyone seeking sapphic representation in a literary canon where those voices traditionally go unheard.

Pat Parker

A close friend of fellow poet Audre Lorde, Pat Parker’s work is an extension of her civil rights activism. Drawing inspiration from traumas both societal and personal, Parker’s poems radiate power and passion, whether they’re rallying cries against racism and homophobia or quiet tributes to the women she loves.

Ada Limón

Ada Limón is the sitting Poet Laureate of the United States, the first Latina to hold the position. Her signature project, You Are Here, uses poetry to strengthen our connection to the natural world, featuring special installations in seven national parks, an anthology edited by Limón herself, and invitations for other budding poets to participate.

Terrance Hayes

Most people probably associate sonnets with Shakespeare, but Terrance Hayes gives them a modern twist. His American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin, written in the wake of the 2016 US presidential election, uses the constraints of the sonnet to explore Hayes’s conflicted feelings toward the United States as a Black man and the contradictory nature of US democracy.

Franny Choi

One of my absolute personal favorites, Franny Choi is an incredibly versatile poet whose work can be as visceral as it is vulnerable, often bordering on surreal. Whether they’re reflecting on the exhausted aftermath of an election, using cyborgs to unpack the Othering that comes with being an immigrant or enacting imagined revenge on a catcaller, Choi’s words will leave you spellbound.

Danez Smith

Danez Smith’s poetry rings defiant and proud, an unapologetic celebration of Blackness and queerness even as both communities are under constant attack. Their writing embraces community, joy, and humor even in the face of violence and despair, and every line of theirs contains a story unto itself.

No’u Revilla

Like a phoenix from the ashes, No’u Revilla’s work rises triumphant from the ravages of colonialism, reclaiming sovereignty over both language and her native Hawaiʻi through experiments in form and conversation with other writers. A queer feminist, Revilla also pays tribute to the strength and resilience of the women in her life and her community: mothers, sisters, and lovers alike.

Safia Elhillo

Safia Elhillo’s poetry captures her experience growing up as a girl in the Sudanese diaspora. Elhillo’s writing is delicate and wonderfully immersive even in its somber moments, vivid family vignettes, and portraits of girlhood, each lush with sensory detail that draws you in and captivates even as moments of darkness loom at the poem’s edge.

We hope this list helps you get to know some amazing poets—and we encourage you to purchase their work from your local independent bookstores! 

Special thanks to Hem Huang, Mikaela Stone, and Carolyn Carothers for help with this article.