April is Poetry Appreciation Month. National Poetry Month was first introduced in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets to raise awareness and appreciation in the United States. Learn more about poets and their artistic ability through their poems with these pieces from our collection.

Milk and Honey is a collection of poetry about the author’s, Rupi Kaur, take on the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity. The #1 New York Times bestseller is split up into four chapters of beautifully written poems and elegant sketches, published on November 4, 2014.

“The Raven” is one of history’s most classic poems by Edgar Allan Poe, commonly known for the iconic line “Nevermore.” Published in January 1845, the dark poem tells a story of a conversation between a concerned lover and a mysterious raven.

Shakespeare’s Sonnets is a variety of 154 poems written by the iconic William Shakespeare. Published in 1609 in the Kingdom of England, the poems are all in Early Modern English. You may recognize Shakespeare’s Sonnets through the beautiful quote “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”

“I Sing the Body Electric” is a poem by Walt Whitman. The title of this poem may be familiar because of the reference in Lana Del Rey’s song “Body Electric.” Additionally, this piece was part of Whitman’s 1855 collection, Leaves of Grass.

Sylvia Plath’s Selected Poems, Sylvia Plath was a 1960s American poet from Boston Massachusetts. This Smith College alumna has won multiple awards for her poems such as the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Along with the occupation of a poet, she was also a novelist and a short story writer. Plath, unfortunately passed away on February 11, 1963 and is buried in England. Additionally, people have collected a few of her poems and put them into a book, like the link attached.

Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda Contrary to belief, Pablo Neruda was not this poet’s birth name. Given the birth name of Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto, Neruda was a Chilean poet born on July 12, 1904. Neruda was also known for his political positions of diplomat and senator. Additionally, Neruda has earned multiple poetry and peace awards such as the International Peace Prize in 1950 and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971.

“A Brave and Startling Truth” is a poem by Maya Angelou and was delivered in June 1995 at the 50^th anniversary commemoration of the United Nations. Angelou was an American poet, singer, and civil rights activist. Before her death in 2014 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Angelou earned multiple awards including the Langston Hughes Medal and the Marian Anderson Award, for her work.

“Mazeppa” is a narrative poem about the early life of Ivan Mazepa by Lord Byron. Byron is an English Romantic poet of 1819. The poem was extremely influential that it inspired a series of works in multiple forms of art after it was translated into French.

Selected Poems of Langston Hughes, Langston Hughes was an American poet born in Joplin, Missouri on February 1, 1902. Hughes was also a social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist.

E.E. Cummings was an American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright born on October 14, 1894 in Cambridge, MA. Although the poet is known as “E.E. Cummings,” his full name is Edward Estlin Cummings. Additionally, Cummings published over 2,000 poems, two autobiographical novels, four plays and several essays.