Poetry is Not a Luxury

So, I like poetry, but I don’t gravitate to it. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t really exposed to a lot of it growing up, not even in High School. The closest I came to appreciating poetry was through song lyrics, which, of course, are poems in and of themselves. Actually, it was my High School students who helped make me appreciate contemporary poems. Most of my students LOVED poetry, and then I felt like I was short-changing them because I didn’t have a lot of “go-to” poetry books for them to read. I wish I had this anthology. Poetry is Not a Luxury possesses a plethora of poetry from poets, both alive and dead, of various cultures. Handily enough, the anthology is organised around seasons, starting with Summer, Autumn, Winter and then Spring.

I thought I’d share my favourite from each season: Summer: Summer Idea by Kate Baer

Autumn: Passage by Victoria Chang

Winter: (I have 2) Watching My Friend Pretend Her Heart Is Not Breaking by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and Perfect Song by Heather Christie

Spring: (2 here as well) I need a Poem by Kyla Jameison and Miracles by Brenda Shaugnessy

This anthology is a perfect addition to any junior or senior high classroom. Naturally, some poems will be more suitable for specific grades. 

A beautiful anthology with thematically relevant themes that make poetry accessible to those of us who aren’t inclined to read verse. 

If you are interested in the anthology, you can find some of the poems @PoetryIsNotaLuxury on Instagram.

Thank you to Atria Press and Netgalley for the Copy.