National Poetry Month (A Booklist)

Dearest Bookworms,

I know what you are thinking, Another Booklist!? I was thinking this to when I was deciding what to post this month, but April is a month of many observances and as a librarian it is our sworn duty to bring books to the public. Below you'll find a list of Poetry books for National Poetry Month, and if you are a Poet please submit your Poem to be shared on the BKLYNFuture Instagram or Blog.

1. Black girl you are Atlas Poet Renée Watson looks back at her childhood and urges readers to look forward at their futures with love, understanding, and celebration in this fully illustrated poetry collection
2. These are the words These Are the Words: an empowering, feminist and beautifully illustrated poetry collection exploring all the things Nikita wished someone had told her when she was younger. Reclaim your agency. Discover your power. Find the words. Taking you on a journey through the seasons of the soul, in this collection Nikita gives you the words to help heal from your first breakup, to celebrate finding your family, to understand first love, to express your anger and your joy, to fight for what you believe in and to help you break some rules to be your truest self. Gorgeously illustrated throughout by Nikita herself and featuring seasonal astrological poetry, this collection is an achingly beautiful, stunningly warm and fearless expression of truth from one of the most influential and well-known voices in modern poetry
3. Ain't burned all the bright A smash up of art and text that viscerally captures what it is to be Black. In America. Right Now
4. Hope ablaze Nida has always been known as Mamou Abdul-Hafeedh's niece--the poet who will fill her uncle's shoes after he was wrongfully incarcerated during the war on terror. But for Nida, her poetry letters are her heart and sharing so much of herself with a world that stereotypes her faith and her hijab is not an option. When Nida is illegally frisked at a Democratic Senatorial candidate's political rally, she writes a scathing poem about the politician, never expecting the letter to go viral weeks before Election Day. Nida discovers her poem has won first place in a national contest, a contest she never entered, and her quiet life is toppled. But worst of all, Nida loses her ability to write poetry. In the aftermath of her win, Nida struggles to balance the expectations of her mother, her uncle, and her vibrant Muslim community with the person she truly wants to be
5. Respect the mic : celebrating 20 years of poetry from a Chicagoland high school Curated by award-winning and best-selling poets, this wide-ranging poetry anthology represents twenty years of poetry from the students and alumni of Chicago's Oak Park River Forest High School Spoken Word Club.

Sincerly Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarian, 

Katrina