Winter is just about here, friends! ❄️♥️One of my delights this year has been dipping into a fair amount of poetry. Here are some highlights for you to consider adding to your stack for next year…cozy up, grab a hot drink , and read on ☕️. Enjoy!
Mary Oliver’s Devotions ~ I received this as a Christmas gift a few years ago and have been sipping from it here and there. Oliver has such an eye for life-giving details in nature and she asks us questions that go just a bit deeper. I love that about her. As a modern poet, she is definitely a bit more approachable and easier to ease into than some of your classic poets. Not every one of her poems hits for me, but sometimes one line or a word will meet me right where I’m at in that moment. I’m often surprised by her.
Emily Bronte ~ I was extremely surprised how much I loved this dark and brooding poetry. Just like the all the Bronte sister’s fiction, this was sooo atmospheric and because she talks of death frequently, it actually made me contemplate how I’m living life. I found the Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets collection to be a wonderful selection of her poetry and I love the small size of these editions.
William Wordsworth ( and don’t forget Dorothy) ~ I love the poems and writings of this brother and sister duo. William’s beautiful poetry centered in life around The Lake District, Cumbria, England really feeds my soul and my faith. He really grasps the touch of God in nature and it is such a testimony to me. I love his poetic storytelling, too. Dorothy’s journals are so simple, domestic, yet so compelling. They both have that artistic eye. ♥️ I loved sharing Wordsworth with our Charlotte Mason co op homeschool group last term.
Gerald Manly Hopkins ~ Wow. Mr. Hopkin’s use of language and metaphor is so gorgeously layered and rich. I will confess I struggle a bit with his writing richness, but if I have a little patience and read just to enjoy each word, I walk away blessed. His wrestling with faith and art is so relatable and real. He’s one of the hardest poets for me to read, but also one of my favorites.
Robert MacFarlane The Lost Spells ~ I would be remiss to not mention this gorgeously illustrated (Jackie Morris) collection of modern nature poetry. MacFarlane is a lover of Hopkin’s wordsmithing and the homeschool co op and I loved looking at both poets together earlier this year. MacFarlane’s wordsmithing, storytelling, and putting himself into the everyday life of animals and plants is just lovely. He is another poet whose work is perfect for those new to poetry!
Kim Piña ~ this is an online friend that I was blessed to “meet” YEARS ago, through blogging. 💗😍♥️ I love Kim’s word play, almost like a songwriter/compelling poem-rap style, and I love how she asks deeper questions tangled with the daily mundanity of life. Her Instagram account is lovely, too!
Robert Frost, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Sara Teasdale ~ I’m extremely new to these three poets and can’t wait to really sink into their work more in the new year. I was familiar with a few famous poems, but I recently got Mirror of the Heart, a Teasdale collection, Rilke’s Everyman’s Library Pocket Poet collection, and The Poetry of Robert Frost, edited by Edward Connery Latham, and am so excited for new words to drink up.
I also asked for two new poetry collections for Christmas and can’t wait to dive into these more!
Lastly, I have two poetry nonfiction books that I’d love to get too, just to keep growing and learning about this life-giving art.
How about you? Do you read poetry? Who are your favorites? ♥️❄️♥️Happiest Winter Beginnings and Christmas 🎄 to you all, friends!
A.M. Pine - Hearth Ridge Reflections 