April is National Poetry Month, making it an excellent time to pick up a new author or try something new. One of the best things about poetry is that it really benefits from a live reading, enriching the material and giving you a chance to discuss it with others. Please join Joliet Junior College on April 22, 7 p.m. for Focus on Ferlinghetti. This dedication to the famous beat poet will include poetry from all across the country as they discuss and share their favorite works from the author. Registration is required.

We also have a great selection of new poetry you can check out, including some highlights below. And don’t forget to watch my reading from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.

Try Something New During National Poetry Month

The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman

On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet, at age 22, to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Her inaugural poem, The Hill We Climb, is now available to cherish in this special edition.

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Try Something New During National Poetry Month

Doppelgangbanger: Poems by Cortney Lamar Charleston

Dopplegangbanger, rendered as the A- and B-sides of an album of poems, re-imagines and remixes American politics of the 90s, the Obama era and today via a hip-hop blerd’s investigation of a hi/lo culture of American crime.

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Try Something New During National Poetry Month

I Am the Rage by Dr. Martina McGowan

I Am the Rage is a poetry collection that explores racial injustice from the raw, unfiltered viewpoint of a Black woman in America. Dr. Martina McGowan is a retired MD, a mother and a poet. Her poetry provides insights that no think piece on racism can; putting readers in the uncomfortable position of feeling, reflecting and facing what it means to be a Black American. This entire collection was created during 2020, many shortly after the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, to name but a few.

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Try Something New During National Poetry Month

Poems 1962–2012 by Louise Glück

The collected works of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award-winning writer explores her transfigured landscapes and offers insight into her unique form created to reflect the human drive to release the past in order to realize the yet-unimagined.

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Try Something New During National Poetry Month

Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell

Pillow Thoughts is a collection of poetry and prose about heartbreak, love and raw emotions. It is divided into sections to read when you feel you need them most. Make a cup of tea and let yourself feel.

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