Favorite Poets

[ysabetwordsmith]

I have always enjoyed poetry. Over the years, I've built up a long list of favorite poets. This is one of the few areas where I lean towards the classics. I'm not impressed by a lot of modern poetry, although there are some that meet my standards. Most of what I like isn't considered fashionable these days. I like both rhyme and meter, though I don't require either, and I love different forms. I also prefer for poetry to make sense, especially if it tells a story, although it can be subtle or wacky rather than obvious.

I like poets who have something in common with me. I also like poets who are very different. So my reading spans quite a variety of time periods, languages, ethnic groups, religions, and other categories.


Black Poets
Robert Hayden
Langston Hughes
Alice Walker
Phillis Wheatley

Hispanic Poets
Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa
Lorna Dee Cervantes
Sandra Cisneros
Luis A. López
William Carlos Williams

Native American Poets
Paula Gunn Allen
Gloria Bird
Joy Harjo
Leslie Marmon Silko
Luci Tapahonso

Pagan Poets
Doreen Valiente
Enheduanna
Starhawk

Queer Poets
John Ashbery
Allen Ginsberg
Adrienne Rich
Sappho

Speculative Poets
Bruce Boston
Suzette Haden Elgin
David Kopaska-Merkel
Anne McCaffrey
Marge Simon
J.R.R. Tolkien

Women Poets
Margaret Atwood
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Emily Dickenson

Miscellaneous Poets
Matsuo Basho
Lewis Carroll
e e cummings
T.S. Eliot
Robert Frost
John Keats
Rudyard Kipling
Vachel Lindsey
Edgar Allen Poe
Jelaluddin Rumi
Dylan Thomas
Henry David Thoreau
Walt Whitman
William Butler Yeats


Who are some of your favorite poets?

Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I feel very under-read now! <<

You may simply have read different poets in some of those categories than the poets I have read. Most of the lists had a handful or two of names I recognized, until I hit the classics where I'd read something by most of the poets.

>>Welllll....suddenly, my winter's reading (usually non-fiction) opens into a forgotten field. Thank you for the mental shaking of cobwebs.<<

Yay! That's my goal with the meta posts.

Re: Thoughts

[herlander_refugee]

"That's my goal with the meta posts."

Well, mission accomplished.

Which brings me to another topic....I am subscribed here, but not "joined". I am honestly a bit confused still on DW as to the difference.

Should I not post as a mere subscriber? I don't want to step on toes and I don't know how long it would take me to gain the courage to post a poem here...

Re: Thoughts

[jjhunter]

I can answer that. What Dreamwidth has done is separate whether you want to read community posts on your Reading Page from whether you identify as a member of a particular community. (Note, however, that often ability to post to a comm is restricted to members of that community.) This allows people to choose, e.g., to be a member of a high volume community without having their Reading Page flooded with posts, or to subscribe to a community they're interested in maybe one day joining but not right now.

In the case of poetree, you can post directly to the comm if you're a Dreamwidth user, or indirectly through me if you're not. You're welcome to post others' poetry at any time as long as you abide by comm guidelines on licenses and permissions (see the comm profile); if you're interested in eventually posting some of your own poetry, introducing topics for discussion, or sharing some of your thoughts/experiences re: poetry at greater length, I encourage you to sign up to be a Poetry Host. Worse comes to worse, if your week comes and you don't feel ready, I can always skip over you and come back latter.

Re: Thoughts

[herlander_refugee]

Let me follow and settle for a bit; my year has been beyond hectic and I am rather exhausted and very unambitious just now! Give me a bit of rest, and perhaps I will get the courage to join and be a host!

Re: Thoughts

[jjhunter]

:o)

Just to be clear, you don't have to sign up to be a host in order to join: membership is open to all.

Re: Thoughts

[herlander_refugee]

Oh, I know! I'm just trying to get a grip on all commitments just now....before I GET commited!

Re: Thoughts

[jjhunter]

Very understandable, and I wish you luck with meeting your current commitments.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Fair enough. You could also post favorite poems by other writers, though -- that's open to members anytime.