Poetry Chat

[Holly, That Geeky One]

I really need to read some more poetry... Does anyone have any recommendations for any poets, collections or even individual poems?

I have an anthology of Romanticists that I really need to get through, but there's just so many!!

[Brenda (aka Gramma)]

I liked some Wordsworth, but the rest of the class (many years ago) mostly thought he was wordy. So I was surprised and touched that when I showed a couple of his shorter poems to my other half (who claims not to "get" poetry) that he liked them too.

Burns seems like an "everyman" sort of poet I like who might be in your anthology, but the language totally threw him.

It's probably a rule you have to read some Blake if you're going to talk about the Romantic poets... his longer ones I couldn't read without some explanatory notes.

Thomas Hardy won't be in your Romanticists anthology, but you might be interested in him anyway. The Ruined Maid is just funny (in a social satire sort of way).

[Faye, The Dickens Junkie]

I'm really picky about poetry. I love The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, most of Sir Walter Raleigh's poems, and Lewis Carroll's nonsense verse, if that counts. I tried to get into W.H. Auden after falling in love with Funeral Blues (Stop all the clocks), but... I don't know, I'm still waiting for a poet to really GRAB me, you know?

[Sandy]

I just read a wonderful collection of poems called Ocean by Canadian (Nova Scotian, to be exact) poet Sue Goyette. I do not generally enjoy poetry but these are delightful poems which personify the ocean in all its many and various moods. A very slim volume, but so much fun.

[Clare]

fell in love with Langston Hughes after reading the weary blues years ago

[Michael]

Try Walter McDonald out of west Texas. He is a modern poet with a great command of the language and uses sharply defined images in his poetry.

[Holly, That Geeky One]

I've just discovered Andrea Gibson performing her poetry. It absolutely blew me away.

I Do and Andrew are my favourites so far.

I hands down recommend searching them on YouTube.

[Elizabeth]

Sandy wrote: "I just read a wonderful collection of poems called Ocean by Canadian (Nova Scotian, to be exact) poet Sue Goyette. I do not generally enjoy poetry but these are deli..."

Hi Sandy!

I'm new to this group. Thank you for suggesting Ocean. I'm always on the prowl for another volume of poetry and I'm particularly fond of poems that personify nature.