Search results
Feb 1, 2020 · Below, we introduce ten great twenty-first-century poems from a range of contemporary poets. 1. Michael Donaghy, ‘Black Ice and Rain’.
- Contemporary Poetry
Poetry continues to be an important force in the world in...
- Contemporary Poetry
- Text’ by Carol Ann Duffy. I tend the mobile now. like an injured bird. First published in Rapture (2005), Text eloquently explores one of the most twenty-first-century-esque activities: text messaging.
- When the Beloved Asks, “What Would You Do If You Woke Up and I Was a Shark?”‘ by Natalie Diaz. My lover doesn’t realize that I’ve contemplated this scenario,
- On a New Year’s Eve’ by June Jordan. Infinity doesn’t interest me. not altogether. anymore. Published in Directed Desire: The Collected Poems of June Jordan (2005), this piece expertly conveys how small moments and observations can lead to a sense of ‘infinity’.
- To the Woman Crying Uncontrollably in the Next Stall’ by Kim Addonizio. stayed up. to watch the moon eat the sun entire. ripped out the stitches in your heart.
21st-century poetry is marked by fragmented style, free verse, and minimal structure, with notable poets like Carol Ann Duffy, Seamus Heaney, and Sherman Alexie.
- Seamus Heaney
- Fleur Adcock
- Wendell Berry
- Joyce Carol Oates
- Margaret Atwood
- Vikram Seth
- Sherman Alexie
- Carol Ann Duffy
- Billy Collins
- Derek Walcott
Let’s start with one of the best-loved poets of any era, Seamus Heaney. Seamus Heaney was born in April of 1939 in Castledawson, Northern Ireland. If you know anything about Heaney it is likely that he wrote extensively about his Irish heritage and the historical and contemporary plight of the Irish people. His first collection, which many consider...
Fleur Adcock was born in Papakura, New Zealand in February 1934. Her verse speaks on topics such as place, identity, and the every day, sometimes using dark imagery to change one’s perspective on seemingly normal situations. She has written 10 collections of poetry. Her most recent collections are The Land Ballot published in 2014 and Hoard publish...
Wendell Berry was born in Henry Country, Kentucky in August of 1934. He is a poet, environmentalist, and farmer. While writing he tends to favor pastoral themes and elegiac forms. He is also known for his historical narratives such as ‘Bringer of Water’. His first full book of poetry was published in 1964 and was titled The Broke Ground. Within thi...
Oates was born in Lockport, New York in 1938 and has since published 58 novels as well as novellas, short stories, nonfiction works and volumes of poetry. She has won the National Book Award, the National Humanities Medal as well as two O. Henry Awards. Plus, five of her novels were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. Her works are noted for their de...
Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, in 1939. Over her lifetime she has written eighteen books of poetry, eighteen novels as well as works for children and graphic novels. She has also received more than fifty-five awards. These include the Man Booker Prize for her novels The Blind Assassin and The Testaments, the Arthur C. Clark Aw...
Vikram Seth was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India in June 1952. He is the author of novels and books of verse and has received a number of awards. Seth often writes about travel, love, loss, and Indian history. His eight books of poetry include Mappings, The Humble Administrator’s Garden, and Three Chinese Poets. Two of his most popular poems inc...
Alexie was born in October 1966 in Wellpinit, Washington. While best-known for his books, such as the short story collection The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, he is also a prolific poet. In the early years of his career, Alexie received the Washington State Arts Commission Poetry Fellowship as well as the National Endowment for the Art...
Carol Ann Duffy, who was born in Scotland in December of 1955, has become one of the best-loved poets alive today. Her poetry is concerned with themes of love—familial and romantic. These poems are generally written in the form of a monologue and deal with situations and people that poetry does not normally touch on. Her writing can be both playful...
Collins has been referred to by many as one of, if not the, most popular poets in America. It was in 1991 with the publication of Questions about Angels that Collins star began to rise. His works are considered at once relatable and thought-proving and he is known to use wit to speak on deeper, more profound topics. He has served two terms as the U...
Walcott was born in January of 1930 in Castries, Saint Lucia. His first poem appeared in a newspaper when he was only fourteen. His first collection was published five years later, titled 25 Poems. Walcott’s career was solidified with the publication ofIn a Green Night: Poems 1948-1960 in 1962. Throughout his life, he won the Novel Prize, a MacArth...
Apr 18, 2016 · I look up to Claudia Rankine as our most profound and consequential living poet. Citizen—which has now sold close to 200,000 copies, a feat unheard of for any poet let alone one as innovative and uncompromising as her—seems a radical re-centering of what is truly new about 21st century poetics.
Dec 21, 2021 · Our Most-Read Poems of 2021. Our most-read poems from 2021 comprise powerful and formally inventive work by some of our favorite poets—Solmaz Sharif, Ocean Vuong, Alex Dimitrov, and others. These poems remind us why we turn to poetry in times of crisis and upheaval; each maps a distinctive mind thinking through the joys and pains of being ...
People also ask
What are some great twenty-first-century poems?
What is 21st century poetry?
Which 21st century poems are written in free verse?
Why is poetry so important in the 21st century?
Who is a good contemporary poet?
Who is the youngest poet in the world?
Oct 5, 2023 · Poets including Michael Rosen, Kathleen Jamie, Andrew Motion and Raymond Antrobus select their favourite poems of the 21st century.
