I read relatively little poetry normally – maybe 5 or 6 collections per year – but I'm trying to read more, and in particular, more contemporary poetry. I do love a lot of classics, I'm a big fan Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, W. B. Yeats, but it just happens that I read 3 collections of contemporary poetry recently that were absolutely excellent, and now I'm interested to find more. (The 3 collections were Rangikura by Tayi Tibble, Promises of Gold by José Olivarez, and Moonlight rests on my left palm by Yu Xiuhua. Ocean Vuong is also amazing, but I read him a few years ago) The thing is, I've also seen a lot of contemporary poetry that gives me absolutely nothing. For example there's a pretty common type of "tiktok poetry" that to me reads as basically just rambling thoughts full of cultural references and vernacular that should have been tweets instead of poems. I'm sure everybody can identify a type or style that just completely doesn't connect for them.
How do you go about finding poetry that speaks to you? Do you read anthologies? Are there social media accounts or blogs that you can recommend? Is the best method to just go to a bookstore and read samples from two dozen different collections? Are there any prizes / awards that you think are consistently on point? Or if you completely dislike contemporary poetry, why? What styles / trends do or don't work for you?
by ksarlathotep