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You could hardly hear a pin drop last year when on 20 January, 22-year-old Amanda Gorman became the youngest-ever poet to perform at a presidential inauguration.
Her poem, The Hill We Climb, called for “unity and togetherness” and reminded us all of the power poetry has to touch the soul and inspire change. It was published in book form last March (£7.67, Amazon.co.uk), while The Hill We Climb and Other Poems (£8.35, Amazon.co.uk) was published in December.
Penguin Random House has also published two other books by the young Harvard graduate. The first, Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem (£10.99, Waterstones.com) was released in September. The second is a poetry collection called Call Us What We Carry (£14.99, Waterstones.com), which was published in December.
Gorman has undoubtedly raised the profile of poetry and on 21 March, people around the world are once again celebrating World Poetry Day that aims to demonstrate the “power of poetry.. as an intimate form of expression that opens doors to others…and is more necessary than ever in turbulent times.”
The event, founded in 1999 by UNESCO during its 30th General Conference in Paris, aims to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression. And to mark World Poetry Day, we’ve chosen some of the best collections of poetry, many of them published in the last couple of years.
Read more:
How we tested
Our round-up includes books to suit all tastes, judging them on their beauty, originality and, in a year like no other, their ability to remind us of better times to come.
The best poetry books for World Poetry Day for 2022 are:
- Best overall – ‘Set Me on Fire: A Poem for Every Feeling’ by Ella Risbridger: £12.05, Hive.co.uk
- Best timely anthology – ‘These are the Hands: Poems from the Heart of the NHS’ edited by Deborah Alma and Dr Katie Amiel: £9.99, Waterstones.com
- Best historical poetry – ‘The Historians’ by Eavan Boland, published by Carcanet: £10.22,
- Best debut collection – ‘Poor’ by Caleb Femi: £9.99, Waterstones.com
- Best thought-provoking anthology – ‘How to Wash a Heart’ by Bhanu Kapil: £9.99, Liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk
- Best prize-winning collection – ‘The Forward Book of Poetry 2021: The Best Poems from the Forward Prizes’: £9.99, Waterstones.com
- Best wide-ranging selection – ‘A Poem for Every Day of the Year’ edited by Allie Esiri: £19.99, Foyles.co.uk
- Best powerful anthology – ‘On the Move: Poems About Migration’ by Michael Rosen: £9.37, Blackwells.co.uk
- Best anthology about womanhood – ‘Teeth in the Back of My Neck’ by Monika Radojevic: £7.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best collection about animals – ‘Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright! – An Animal Poem for Every Day of the Year’ by Fiona Waters and Britta Teckentrup: £20, Waterstones.com
- Best comforting anthology – ‘The Poetry Pharmacy Returns: More Prescriptions for Courage, Healing and Hope’ by William Sieghart: £12.08,
