Task 17: A Collection of Poetry

[Kath]

Just finished Frank O'Hara's Lunch Poems. I'd highly recommend this collection for the poetry task - I loved reading it. It would also fit for tasks 4 (indie press) or 5 (LGBTQ).

[Heidi]

Finished Not Much Fun: The Lost Poems of Dorothy Parker. Love her wit.

[Rainey]

I read Morning in the Burned House by Margaret Atwood.

[Lisa]

I've got this one on the Overdrive wish listAppalachian Elegy: Poetry and Place, When my book shelve clears off a little I will get to it.

[Elizabeth]

I read a lot of poetry, so I could probably fulfill this task at least once a month! However, as my "official" book for this task, I read Richard Brautigan's "The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster." I had read very little Richard Brautigan before. He was one of those writers I always meant to read and hadn't. However, the novel Fridays at Enrico's by Don Carpenter got me interested in the San Francisco writing scene in the 60s, so Brautigan became a must read. I will say it isn't my favorite poetry, but I'm glad to have read it.

[Mark]

I have 2 books of poetry in my TBR; going to read them both.

Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt

Spit

[Grace]

Or would Cane by Jean Toomer count? It is poetry, vignettes, and is considered a novel as well. Having trouble placing this one.

[Samantha]

I have no words to describe how much I loved Brown Girl Dreaming.

[Doug]

Having never been a big fan of poetry, I figured an anthology of some sort would be best for me for this task. I finally settled on Poems to Read. I highly recommend it for anyone who may be a reluctant poetry reader, like me!

[My Book Strings]

I have read She Walks in Beauty for this task, a collection of poems that accompany a woman's journey through life. I liked most of them; it was a good mix of fun, thoughtful, playful, sad, and happy poems.

[Nancy]

Samantha wrote: "I have no words to describe how much I loved Brown Girl Dreaming."

I'm listening to this on my iPod right now. I agree with you 100%!

[Loreen ☕️]

A friend gave this to me years ago as a going away gift. I have read different poems from it over the years, but never the entire collection.

[Srividya]

I just finished 'Brown Girl Dreaming' for this task. The only word to describe this book is WOW.

[Danielle]

I went with someone's recommendation on here with "Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty". I really enjoyed it. I teach middle school, so these poems really connected to the struggle that teenage girls deal with. Really quick read too.

[Adrianna]

I will be reading Maya Angelou's the complete collection of poems. She is lovely and talented and I am saddened by her passing. I look forward to starting it.

[Krista]

I read a Kindle freebie for this one: Selected Poems of Oscar Wilde.

Not my favorite challenge.

[Heikemarie]

Trying to decide if I'll count Brown Girl Dreaming as a YA book or poetry. So far I like it okay but I'm not blown away. Then again, I don't usually like YA stuff.

[Sophie]

I read the 2004 edition of Ariel, which restores Sylvia Plath's original selection and arrangement of poems.

[Sophia]

At my sister's recommendation I read Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann, and I see that a few other people here chose it as well. I enjoyed it and would have been all about it in middle and high school. Some of the poems stood out far beyond the rest, a few of them very clever.

[Miss Jones]

I've just finished The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson for this task. It was ok. I didn't hate it but I wasn't exactly thrilled about this task. But for .99 cents on my Nook, it was worth my time.

[Katie]

I read "Poetry for Young People: William Butler Yeats" for this task :) Here is my review:
https://bookmouseblog.wordpress.com/2...

[Kathy]

Finished Let Evening Come and really liked it. Jane Kenyon writes so that I see every word as a picture.

[Jen]

Like others, I read Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann. It wasn't for me, though. In all honesty, I struggle with poetry written in this style. I did like the four haiku pieces, though:

Art History Lesson

Rubenesque: the word
for masterpiece curves. Screw you,
unsalted rice cakes.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rachel]

I just finished Loose Woman by Sandra Cisneros and loved it!

[Wellington]

I chose Dog Songs by Mary Oliver.

Dog Songs was a very enjoyable collection of poetry. There were a couple of essays thrown in as well. I have not been a big fan of poetry in general because I find it hard to get more from the words than what is there at face value. So I thought I would try this collection since I really like animals and it might be easier to get. I was right. I didn’t have much difficulty getting the author’s meaning on many of the works. Many of the poems have a lot to teach us about just living in the moment and enjoying life.

[Elizabeth]

I have read a few poetry anthologies this year so far, it's an area I've wanted to delve more into. The most recent anthology that was exclusively poetry was Helen Humphreys' Anthem. I loved the lyricism but wasn't a fan of the poetry itself (not that it was bad, just not my cup).

[Leslie (updates on SG)]

PSmith wrote: "The Golden Gate has been in my TBR pile for a long time."

I will go for Seth's much shorter collection, Three Chinese Poets.

[Emily]

Brown Girl Dreaming

A memoir of childhood written in free verse, this collection follows the author's early experiences with people, places, and the politics and culture of the 1970s. I highly recommend it!

[Jayne]

I have read The Last Time I Saw Amelia Earhart, a book of poetry by Gabrielle Calvocoressi. The lyricism is impressive, and some of the stories told in poetry form (Amelia Earhart's final flight, for example) are compelling, but I had difficulty making an emotional connection with most of the poem/stories.

[Mary Sue]

I chose by Sandra Cisneros for this task. I do not read a lot of poetry and what I do read tends to be very traditional, so I went for something completely different. I know this collection has received high praise and great reviews, but I did not enjoy it. Perhaps I would have viewed it differently if I had read it in my 20's.

[Sam]

Given that long poems were allowed I went for 'The Wild Party' by Joseph Moncure March with illustrations by Art Spiegelman and enjoyed both of their work immensely.

[Zach]

I read Dawn of the Algorithm for this. I thought it would be difficult, given that I don't read much poetry, but I really liked it so I think I'll be reading more from now on.

[Britany]

Finished by Jacqueline Woodson-- 4 Stars!

Beautifully crafted book of poetry that is autobiographical. Highly recommend, even if poetry is out of your comfort zone, like it was mine. :)

My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Amy]

Brittany said "Finished Brown Girl Dreaming.. highly recommended, even if poetry is out of your comfort zone, like it was mine."

Everyone in my book club said "I wasn't excited to read this because it is in verse... But then it was SO good!

[Britany]

Agreed!

[Beachesnbooks]

I read Ani DiFranco: Verses for this task. I liked it, but didn't love it overall. Some of the poems were really great and moving, and others didn't wow me.

[Kathleen]

I read Dark Sparkler by Amber Tamblyn. It is a collection of poems inspired by the untimely deaths of certain Hollywood women, ranging from recognizable names like Marilyn Monroe and Brittany Murphy to more obscure and even including a Jane Doe. It was haunting and I loved it.

[Denise]

I read "Evangeline and Other Selected Poems" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Good to reread some favorites and read new ones.

[Denise]

I read "Evangeline and Other Selected Poems" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Good to reread some favorites and read new ones.

[Jennifer]

I seldom read poetry and was not looking forward to this particular challenge. I chose Revolting Rhymes & Dirty Beasts by Roald Dahl, and I'm glad I did. It was short and humorous. I must say, though, that it is marked as a children's book on many websites, and the first poem says something about a dirty slut. So, yeah...... I gave it four stars.

If you want to invest more into your poetry challenge, may I recommend A Rose Grows in the Mist: A Book of Poetry by Dana C. Neal? I personally know the author. She is a deep thinker, and her poems will stir you. :)

[Catherine]

I think I studied Edgar Allan Poe in high school, so finding a collection of his poetry will seem like reading it for the first time. The Raven and other poems) I'm looking forward to it. Anyone else interested in him?

I might also try W. H. Auden.

[Paulette]

A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children is a beautiful collection of children's poetry compiled by Caroline Kennedy, with gorgeous paintings by one of my favorite illustrators - Jon J. Muth. Great for reading with any little ones in your family!

[Grace]

I read Zong! for this challenge. It's a collection of poems about the Zong massacre in which 140 slaves were thrown overboard for insurance money. Really powerful. Reading them out loud really helped with understanding.

[Jeannette]

I read Selected Poems II: 1976 - 1986 by Margaret Atwood and greatly enjoyed it! It was recommended to me by a friend, and I would definitely pass that recommendation on, as I'm not much for poetry and really liked this one.

[Rachel]

I'm not really a poetry fan, so I decided go with something relatively easy and that would also finish off a series that I've started. I'm reading The World of Christopher Robin: The Complete When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six