The New York Public Library (NYPL) recently released a list of 25 of the best new poetry books out this year. To come up with the list, the NYPL’s librarians and staff read more than 250 poetry books and narrowed them down to the current list, which covers everything from identity (AAPI, Black, LGBTQ+, Middle Eastern, and Jewish experiences) to mental health, family, and nature. There are even selections for poetry readers interested in speculative stories and sports.
Below is a sampling of the list. As you read the poetry books on it, don’t forget to download the check-off list the NYPL made to accompany it.
The Animal Is Chemical by Hadara Bar-Nadav


At the End of the World There Is a Pond by Steven Duong
Black Bell by Alison C. Rollins
Bluff by Danez Smith
Book of Kin by Darius Atefat-Peckham
Exit Opera by Kim Addonizio
Far District by Ishion Hutchinson
Forest of Noise by Mosab Abu Toha
Geometry of the Restless Herd by Sophie Cabot Black
Glass Jaw by Raisa Tolchinsky
I Don’t Want to Be Understood by Joshua Jennifer Espinoza
I Was Working by Ariel Yelen
For the full list, visit the NYPL’s landing page.
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