Family Poetry

A radiant collection of poetry about womanhood, intimacy, and the body politic that together evokes the arc of an ordinary life. Nabaneeta Dev Sen's rhythmic lines explore the joys and agonies of first love, childbirth, and decay with a restless, tactile imagination, both picking apart and celebrating the rituals that make us human.

Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to Five Poems and learn about some ways to raise your children.

Previously published as We Never Did Mornings by Sally Alter "Sally Alter’s first poetry collection is amazing. She is an accomplished and talented poet and her words will leave you breathless.” ~ Larry Thomas, Texas Poet Laureate. “This blatantly honest and compelling collection of poetry by Sally Alter will pleasantly surprise you with it's combination of both simplicity and depth. “We never did mornings: Poems for those who have Loved and Lost” loosely follows a story of unrequited love, hope and hopelessness, descent into madness, and a sublime portrayal of the soothing power ...

When I was in the fourth grade, we had a map of Vietnam on our kitchen wall. When my mother received an airmail letter, she would walk to the map and move one of the stickpins to a new location to see if one of her brothers was in harm’s way in some new hot spot or battle. I spent a lot of time worrying about that map. I had five uncles in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. This is a book about going off to war, a book about coming back home, and a book about those who are left behind. I dedicate this book to those voices, my family, and every voice calling out at times of war.

Renia White is a first-time author. Her debut collection, Casual Conversation, was chosen by Aracelis Girmay as a Blessing the Boats Selection. Named in honor of Lucille Clifton’s National Book Award-winning collection, Blessing the Boats Selections spotlight new poetry collections by women poets of color. Previous Blessing the Boats Selections include Letters to a Young Brown Girl by Barbara Jane Reyes and Year of the Dog by Deborah Paredez.

“A deeply felt collection of candid verse.” KIRKUS “Ellis Elliott’s compelling Break in the Field creates associations between humanity, nature, and time that deserve not only individual inspection and appreciation, but spirited discussions about contemporary poetry’s ability to attract and react to life’s events with bigger-picture reflections about growth, freedom, and life lessons.” MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW “This gripping, heart wrenching exploration of her inner most thoughts and feelings while caring for her extreme needs stepson, “[whose] brain vessels shattered at birth ...

Colliding with and confronting Shakespeare's The Tempest and postcolonial identity, the poems in Safiya Sinclair's Cannibal beautifully evoke the poet's Jamaican childhood and reach beyond to explore history, race relations in America, womanhood, otherness and exile. She evokes a home no longer accessible and a body at times uninhabitable, often mirrored by a hybrid Eve/Caliban figure. Blooming with intense lyricism and fertile imagery, these full-blooded poems are elegant, mythic and intricately woven.

The poems in Riddim & Riddles throb with the heartbeat and drum beat of Jamaica. From the cool, majestic Blue Mountains to the hot, bloodied streets of Kingston it paints vivid and vibrant images of contemporary Jamaica. The poems in this collection move from urgent social insights about masculinity, the environment, and how the bony fingers of history reach into the present.

Award-winning author Lee Wardlaw’s books have been honored by such prestigious groups as the American Library Association and the Children’s Book Council. Using a Japanese form of short poetry that concentrates on human-like foibles, Won Ton follows a shelter cat as he gets a new home. When the cat, who considers himself a prince of his kind, is given the name Won Ton, he’s aghast. “How can I be soup?” he asks. But soup or not, Won Ton and his new owner soon find a way to live happily together.

Us Women Ain’t No Joke: Book of Poems, by author Reneé Drummond-Brown, reveals the priceless-worth, value, and incredible achievements, of women across the globe that society ignores. It is no secret that the social order nationally deprives women of societal, economic, educational, and political statuses of equality across the globe. Some say “A woman’s place is in the home,” and while that may be true, she isn’t far removed from the “Second-class citizen,” label society still bestows on her today. Ironically, the very same societal system that labels its women “Second-...

How can we determine if what we're feeling is love? This is a question everyone wants to answer. What is it I learn about what happens? I shared answers within Ways of Love, A Poetry Collection. I delve into the various stages of love, from joyful laughter to heartfelt chortles. The happiness that accompanies discovering the perfect match. Mistakes serve as building blocks. The pain of loss can turn into a magnetic draw for passion. Inside these pages you can gain from poetry's stories. Consider including Ways of Love in your poetry collection for a fresh perspective. __________ Ways of ...

Goldilocks and her little dog are off on an adventure, looking for that house again—the one with the chairs, the porridge and beds. The sound of the sea calls to them and before they know it, they have found quite a different sort of a house...there are bowls, and chairs and sort-of beds...plus some rather unexpected and hilarious inhabitants!

Usman Hameedi’s debut collection, Staying Right Here, is a journey in finding home. Hameedi invites listeners to bear witness to vignettes of joy and hardship as he navigates finding his place in America. From an ode to Bodegas, an autobiography of his eyebrows, and elegies for lost friends, Hameedi’s thematic metaphors for family, wellness, and American biases weave a literary tapestry.

Our family adventures, and crazy stories are shared through poetry and laughter. Angels, embarrassing moments, scary details the police mistakenly told us, visitations from birds who are off their flight schedule - just for us, teeth flying in the air and landing in a cow pasture, flying automobiles landing behind the cab of an eighteen-wheeler's flatbed, and more! You will remember these events. We often recall these stories, too. We never shush each other, but rather, we share them over and over. You will find yourself telling our family secrets!

Topaz Winters’ third poetry collection spans three countries & three generations. In a far-reaching & deftly-woven series of ars poeticas, Winters questions the boundary between the things we inherit & those we owe, stands at the grave of the American dream, & unspools the enormous grace & guilt of being loved.

The women in Allison Adair’s debut collection—luminous and electric from the first line to the last—live in places that have been excavated for gold and precious ores. They understand the nature of being hollowed out, of being “the planet’s stone / core as it tries to carve out one secret place and fails.” And so, as these poems take us from the midst of the Civil War to our current era, they chart fairy tales that are at once unsettling and painfully familiar, never forgetting that cruelty compels us to search for tenderness.

After receiving the news that in vitro would be her only hope for biological children, award-winning poet Emily Adams had to learn to live in a new world of needles, embarrassing tests, long waiting periods, and expensive doctor appointments.

For the quiet moments, the lingering feelings, and everything in between… Pages & Poems: A Life in Poetry is a tender and timeless collection of poems that invites you to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what matters most. Written by Jacque Crutcher—a mother, grandmother, and lifelong writer—this collection captures decades of heartfelt reflection through verses that feel like home. With gentle wisdom and a sincere voice, these poems explore the everyday beauty of life: childhood memories, motherhood, faith, family, aging, and the strength found in love and loss. Each page is a ...

A cross between humorous poetry and memoir, Sonnets from Suburbia features Lady Penelope (aka actress Penny Peyser) serving up a funny take on modern day life in Shakespearean sonnet form.

A funny book that makes you cry. A sad book that makes you laugh. A book about two sisters and their family that makes you wish you were part of it - and grateful that you are not. In short, this book is one surprise after another. The only thing that is not a surprise is that Vera B. Williams has created a wholly unforgettable, absolutely wonderful portrait of Amber, Essie, and their world. Listen to the book. You will never be the same again.