Triton College Library Website: Library Blog

Reading Poetry

Hi friends!

We're celebrating World Poetry Day in the Library with a display of our poetry. Check out our Collection Highlights display to see part of our collection!

How to Read Poetry 

There's so much poetry out there! But because poetry is formatted differently from other types of creative writing, it can be difficult for new readers to get into. There's quite a few guides to reading poetry out there, but here are few that we recommend as starting points!

• "How to Read a Poem" from poets.org.
• "We Need Art Right Now. Here's How to Get Into Poetry" by Andrew Limbong for NPR.
• "How to Read Poetry" by Rebecca Renner for Book Riot.
• "The Beginner's Guide to Reading (And Loving) Poetry" by Emily Torres for The Good Trade.

A good starting point for reading poetry comes from the "How to Read a Poem" article from poets.com. If you can get past these three false assumptions when reading poetry, you'll be enjoying poetry before you know it!

1. Don't assume that you should understand the poem the first time you read it!
2. Don't feel that the poem is a code you need to crack!
3. Don't assume that "the poem can mean anything readers want it to mean."

Poetry Recommendations

A good way to get into poetry is reading about a topic that interests you. Book Riot has put together some lists of different poetry topics that would be good starting places.

• Mya Nunally's list of "10 Must Read Modern Poets of Color" for Book Riot
• Dana Lee's article on "Button Poetry: One-Stop Shop to Get Woke" for Book Riot
• Danika Ellis's article on "Lesbian Poetry: Because it Didn't End With Sappho" for Book Riot
• Emma Nichols's newsletter on "A Beginner's Guide to Confessional Poetry" for Book Riot

Book Riot also has a list of easier poetry books that may help you get started.

• There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce by Morgan Parker
• The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace
• Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
• The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes
• Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie by Maya Angelou
• Love & Misadventure by Lang Leav

We hope this gets you started on your poetry journey! 

Thanks for reading! We hope to see you in the Library again soon!