Poetry
Experiencing Poetry
It's so much easier to find great poetry online than it was when we had to track down published books (but you can do that too!) A big bonus is that you can also often hear poems being read, or see videos of performances. Poems are meant to be heard -- try reading out loud to yourself. There are also some fantastic books in verse for young adults!
Author Jason Reynolds shares his humble opinion on how poetry can entice young readers: "Literature can be daunting for some young people, so how can we create a culture of avid readers? Poetry can be a non-threatening alternative introduction for fledgling bibliophiles, giving them more 'white space' on a page without losing narrative elements."
Poetry For Our Times
The New York Times Book Review asked two prominent American poets to write original poems responding to this historic moment in our country. You can read and hear the poems here, printed originally on June 21, 2020.
"Say Thank You Say I'm Sorry" - Jericho Brown
"Weather" - Claudia Rankine
Community Poetry with Kwame Alexander on NPR:
'If The Trees Can Keep Dancing, So Can I' : A Community Poem To Cope In Crisis
'Social Distance': A Community-Style Poem To Help You Feel Less Isolated
Hoops, High Jumps, Movement Of Muscles: A Crowdsourced Poem Inspired By Sports
Poetry on Video
Favorite Poem Project - A collection of 50 short video documentaries showing individual Americans reading and speaking about poems they love.
Poetry Foundation YouTube Channel
Read/Hear Poetry
Favorite Poem Project - Americans Saying Poems They Love
Poetry 180 - A Poem a Day for American High Schools
The Slowdown - Daily 5 minute poetry podcast
Poetry Playlist for Kids from The Slowdown
From the Academy of American Poets:
What’s Your Favorite Poem? - New York Times , Dec 2015
Books in Verse
Middle School
The Crossover - Kwame Alexander
Brown Girl Dreaming - Jaqueline Woodson
House Arrest - K.A. Holt
Lifeboat 12 - Susan Hood
Love that Dog - Sharon Creech
Forget Me Not - Ellie Terry
Full Cicada Moon - Marilyn Hilton
Inside Out and Back Again - Thanhhà Lai
Shark Girl - Kelly Bingham
Other Words for Home - Jasmine Warga
Ordinary Hazards - Nikki Grimes
High School
Long Way Down - Jason Reynolds
October Mourning. A Song for Matthew Shepard - Leslea Newman
A Time to Dance - Padma Venkatraman
Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs - Ron Koertge
The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo
Solo - Kwame Alexander
Bull - David Elliott
Girls Like Me - Lola St. Vil