12 Books of Poetry for Teens

I’m going to bet this may not be one of my more popular posts. Let’s be honest, you say the words teens and poetry in the same sentence and your mind automatically conjures up some classroom where you learned to memorize poetry from centuries ago. But, I promise, that is not what this book list includes. This list is filled with modern day poets and spoken word artists, it’s filled with collections of poetry by one author and anthologies of dozens of poets for you to read.

I think teens would be a group that would not only value poetry, but also truly understand and empathize with writers. Teens are managing so many new experiences, emotions, feelings, and opinions, why wouldn’t poetry resonate with them? The problem is they often are only exposed to poetry from the 1800s. But what if you could juxtapose Emily Dickinson with Amanda Gorman? Or see how Jason Reynolds relates to William Shakespeare? I think teens would come away with a better understanding of classic authors, but also may find contemporary authors they love as well.

Below is a list of just a few poetry titles for teens. I tried to keep most of the titles recently published, although there are some other great titles published within the last 15-20 years that shouldn’t be ignored. But, let’s face it, a book published at the turn of this century is already older than a teen reading it, so I tried to find titles published in the last five years to keep it current!

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12 Books of Poetry for Teens

Ain’t Burned All the Bright

by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin

Jason Reynolds and his best bud, Jason Griffin, had a mind-meld. And they decided to tackle it, in one fell swoop, in about ten sentences, and 300 pages of art, this piece, this contemplation-manifesto-fierce-vulnerable-gorgeous-terrifying-WhatIsWrongWithHumans-hope-filled-hopeful-searing-Eye-Poppingly-Illustrated-tender-heartbreaking-how-The-HECK-did-They-Come-UP-with-This project about oxygen. And all of the symbolism attached to that word, especially NOW.

And so for anyone who didn’t really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you’ll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is.

Cast Away: Poems of Our Time

by Naomi Shihab Nye

 “How much have you thrown away in your lifetime already? Do you ever think about it? Where does this plethora of leavings come from? How long does it take you, even one little you, to fill the can by your desk?” ?Naomi Shihab Nye

National Book Award Finalist, Young People’s Poet Laureate, and devoted trash-picker-upper Naomi Shihab Nye explores these questions and more in this original collection of poetry that features more than eighty new poems. “I couldn’t save the world, but I could pick up trash,” she says in her introduction to this stunning volume.

With poems about food wrappers, lost mittens, plastic straws, refugee children, trashy talk, the environment, connection, community, responsibility to the planet, politics, immigration, time, junk mail, trash collectors, garbage trucks, all that we carry and all that we discard, this is a rich, engaging, moving, and sometimes humorous collection for readers ages twelve to adult.

Inheritance: A Visual Poem

by Elizabeth Acevedo and Andrea Pippins

In her most famous spoken-word poem, author of the Pura Belpré-winning novel-in-verse The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo embraces all the complexities of Black hair and Afro-Latinidad—the history, pain, pride, and powerful love of that inheritance.

Paired with full-color illustrations by artist Andrea Pippins in a format that will appeal to fans of Mahogany L. Browne’s Black Girl Magic or Jason Reynolds’s For Everyone, this poem can now be read in a vibrant package, making it the ideal gift, treasure, or inspiration for readers of any age.

Ink Knows No Borders: Poems of the Immigrant and Refugee Experience

by Patrice Vecchione and Alyssa Raymond

This collection of sixty-four poems by poets who come from all over the world shares the experience of first- and second-generation young adult immigrants and refugees. Whether it’s cultural and language differences, homesickness, social exclusion, racism, stereotyping, or questions of identity, the Dreamers, immigrants, and refugee poets included here encourage readers to honor their roots as well as explore new paths, offering empathy and hope. Many of the struggles described are faced by young people everywhere: isolation, self-doubt, confusion, and emotional dislocation. But also joy, discovery, safety, and family. This is a hopeful, beautiful, and meaningful book for any reader.

Light Filters In: Poems

by Caroline Kaufman and Yelena Bryksenkova

In Light Filters In, Caroline Kaufman—known as @poeticpoison—does what she does best: reflects our own experiences back at us and makes us feel less alone, one exquisite and insightful piece at a time. She writes about giving up too much of yourself to someone else, not fitting in, endlessly Googling “how to be happy,” and ultimately figuring out who you are.

This hardcover collection features completely new material plus some fan favorites from Caroline’s account. Filled with haunting, spare pieces of original art, Light Filters In will thrill existing fans and newcomers alike.

My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice: A Guide to Writing Poetry & Speaking Your Truth

by Patrice Vecchione

Ever had an emotion or experience you wanted to express, but didn’t know how? This guide by Patrice Vecchione encourages new writers of all ages to find their voices, step up and speak their truths, and articulate what matters to them most—both personally and politically—whether it be boldly to an outside audience or just privately for themselves.

Young adults are reading and writing and performing poetry more than ever before. Written in short, easy-to-digest chapters by the editor of Ink Knows No Borders, My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice includes prompts and inspiration, writing suggestions and instruction, brief interviews with some current popular poets such as Kim Addonizio, Safia Elhillo, and others, and poem excerpts scattered throughout the book. 

My Shouting, Shattered Whispering Voice offers ways to express rage, frustration, joy, and sorrow, and to substitute apathy with creativity, usurp fear with daring, counteract anxiety with the joy of writing one word down and then another to express vital, but previously unarticulated, thoughts. Most importantly, here you can discover the value of your own voice and come to believe that what you have to say matters.

Remind Me Again: Poems and Practices for Remembering Who We Are

by Joe Davis

Poetry can offer reminders for ourselves, each other, and the world. Poet, artist, and educator Joe Davis has written Remind Me Again: Poems and Practices for Remembering Who We Are, a collection of 41 poems that will inspire, challenge, and affirm readers from all stages of life. These poems speak to our mind, body, and spirit, to our community, and to our purpose. Each poem includes a “Try This Practice” to help readers connect the themes to their everyday lives. This book has three sections:

• My Mind, Body, and Spirit: Reminders for Myself
• My Community: Reminders for Each Other
• My Purpose: Reminders for the World

Somebody Give This Heart a Pen

by Sophia Thakur

In a powerful debut, rising star Sophia Thakur brings her spoken word performance to the page.

Be with yourself for a moment.
Be yourself for a moment.
Airplane mode everything but yourself for a moment.

From acclaimed performance poet Sophia Thakur comes a stirring collection of coming-of-age poems exploring issues of identity, difference, perseverance, relationships, fear, loss, and joy. From youth to school to family life to falling in love and falling back out again—the poems draw on the author’s experience as a young mixed-race woman trying to make sense of a lonely and complicated world. With a strong narrative voice and emotional empathy, this is poetry that will resonate with all young people, whatever their background and whatever their dreams.

Time You Let Me In: 25 Poets Under 25

by Naomi Shihab Nye

They are inspiring talented stunning remarkable wise

They are also fearless depressed hilarious impatient in love out of love pissed off

And they want you to let them in.

When the Stars Wrote Back

by Trista Mateer

In the vein of poetry collections like Milk and Honey and Light Filters In, this compilation of short, powerful poems from Instagram sensation Trista Mateer shines beauty and insight into relationships, love, growing up, and learning to cope.

This hardcover collection features completely new material, plus some fan favorites from Trista’s account. Filled with colored original artwork from Jess Cruickshank, this powerful collection unpacks how to heal from trauma, explores love in many forms, and empowers you to love yourself and take up the space you deserve.

BIG BANG THEORY
what happens if we collide?
will it feel like atoms bursting?
will it burn like light?
will your hands feel the same as other people’s hands?
will the whole world change if we touch?
do you want to find out?

You Don’t Have to Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves

by Diana Whitney 

Created and compiled just for young women, You Don’t Have to Be Everything is filled with works by a wide range of poets who are honest, unafraid, and skilled at addressing the complex feelings of coming-of-age, from loneliness to joy, longing to solace, attitude to humor. These unintimidating poems offer girls a message of self-acceptance and strength, giving them permission to let go of shame and perfectionism.

The cast of 68 poets is extraordinary: Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate, who read at Joe Biden’s inauguration; bestselling authors like Maya Angelou, Elizabeth Acevedo, Sharon Olds, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Mary Oliver; Instagram-famous poets including Kate Baer, Melody Lee, and Andrea Gibson; poets who are LGBTQ, poets of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, poets who sing of human experience in ways that are free from conventional ideas of femininity. Illustrated in full color with work by three diverse artists, this book is an inspired gift for daughters and granddaughters—and anyone on the path to becoming themselves.

No matter how old you are,
it helps to be young
when you’re coming to life,
to be unfinished, a mysterious statement,
a journey from star to star.
—Joy Ladin, excerpt from “Survival Guide”