Gabe’s Recommended
[Mostly Modern]  Poets

An alphabetical list of poets who are worth your time and money.*  As time permits, more authors will be added.
  

Hayden Carruth (Connecticut, USA, 1921-)

John Clare (North Hamptonshire, England, 1793-1864).  Despite terrible grammar and being in and out of institutions, Clare produced an amazing amount of quality work – or is because of his grammar and psychological problems that he was such a great poet.  I Am, edited by Jonathan Bate, gives an excellent overview of his work (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
 

Billy Collins (New York, USA,
1941-).  Disliked by some for his easily accessible and clear poetry, and loved by others for exactly the same reasons, Collins’ work has attracted many new adherents to poetry and reinvigorated many old fans as well.  While Collins has some “top 10 hits,” they are merely a first step along a spiral of wonderful work he has produced.  If you like him you’ll want all his books, but if you are wondering where to start try Sailing Alone Around the Room (Random House) which collects some of his earlier work along side some new poetry and gives a clear view of his style.
 

Emily Dickinson (Massachusetts, USA, 1830-1886).  No need for explanations here! A great book to own is The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, edited by Thomas H. Johnson (Little, Brown and Company).
 

Lawrence Ferlinghetti (New York, USA, 1919-).  Called the father of the Beat movement, Ferlinghetti was the co-founder of San Francisco’s famed City Lights Books and the embattled publisher of Ginsberg’s Howl.  He’s written over thirty volumes of poetry, as well as a few plays, but the classic remains A Coney Island of the Mind.
 

Robert Frost (San Francisco, USA, 1847-1963).  Easily one of the greatest poets to have ever graced the printed page – especially for those of use who love to explore the empty countryside.  There are a lot of Frost collections out there, but all you need is The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems, edited by Edward Connery Lathem (Henry Holt and Company).
 

Robert Hayden (Michigan, USA, 1913-1980)
 

Philip Larkin (Coventry, England, 1922-1985).  At times wry, at times blunt, but always engaging.  Try Collected Poems: Philip Larkin, edited and with an introduction by Anthony Thwaite (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).  Also, check out The Philip Larkin Society. 
 

Robert Morgan (North Carolina, USA, 1944-)

Kay Ryan (California, USA, 1945-)

Taking Kay Ryan at face value is like watching the ducks without thinking of the impressive and dangerous creatures that live deep below.  There’s a lot to contend with.  Skinny poems, skinny books – rich with life.  Try Say Uncle (2000, Grove Press, New York).

Richard Wilbur (New York, USA, 1921-)

Collections:  

Twentieth-Century American Poetry.  Edited by Dana Gioia, Dave Mason & Meg Schoerke.

McGraw Hill (2004)

~ An expensive title, but if you only have enough room for one book of poetry this one would keep you busy for a lifetime.  Several of the poets on this list are included in this volume.
 

Good Poems.  Selected and Introduced by Gerrison Keillor

Viking (2002)

~ Less fluffy than Keillor’s 2006 Good Poems for Hard Times, Good Poems, with few exceptions, is the perfect bedside collection.  Both books are worth the money for Keillor’s introductions alone.  Several of the poets on this list are included in this volume.
 

 

* Not to say that you should avoid poets that are not on this list – this is just a small collection of writer’s whom Gabe really enjoys and feels everyone else will as well!  That being said, poetry is such a subjective form or writing that any suggestions must be taken with a grain of salt.  One person may LOVE a certain poet, while someone else will HATE that same poet (just take a look at the Billy Collins reviews on Amazon!).  And there are poets that write one stunning poem that is relished (a great accomplishment in itself), while their remaining work is lackluster – like a buoy, a great poem can keep an entire collection afloat.  That’s where anthologies are so handy – assuming you find one that matches your own tastes.