Top 5 Poetry Books for World Poetry Day

In every culture in every continent in every language, poetry is a powerful way to communicate with each other — and ourselves. Held annually on March 21, World Poetry Day promotes the reading, writing, and teaching of poetry, and celebrates the poets who have inspired us.

The rise of Instagram poets has given one of our favorite forms of literature a boom in popularity, especially with millennial’s. Whether you’ve already read the poems in print or on the social media platforms that gave some of these poets their start, listening to these works read by the poets themselves is an exhilarating experience that will leave you feeling inspired long after hitting “stop.”

 

1. Love Her Wild by Atticus, narrated by Atticus

Love Her Wild.

Atticus was dubbed the “#1 poet to follow” by Teen Vogue and “the world’s most tattoo-able” poet by Galore magazine. Atticus captures what is both raw and relatable about the smallest and the grandest moments in life: the first glimpse of a new love in Paris; skinny dipping on a summer’s night; the irrepressible exuberance of the female spirit; or drinking whiskey in the desert watching the rising sun.
Read more and sample the audio.

 

 

2. Adultolescene by Gabbie Hanna, narrated by Gabbie Hanna 

Adolescence.

Comedian Gabbie Hanna brings levity to the twists and turns of modern adulthood in this exhilarating debut collection of illustrated poetry.
In poems ranging from the singsong rhythms of children’s verses to a sophisticated confessional style, Gabbie explores what it means to feel like a kid and an adult all at once, revealing her own longings, obsessions, and insecurities along the way.
Read more and sample the audio.

 

 

3. milk and honey by Rupi Kaur, narrated by Rupi Kaur

Milk and Honey.

Rupi Kaur reads milk and honey, her New York Times bestselling collection of poetry and prose about survival, violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity. The book deals with a different pain. Heals a different heartache. milk and honey takes listeners through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them—because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.
Read more and sample the audio.

 

 

4. Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life by Cleo Wade, narrated by Cleo Wade

Heart Talk.

A beautifully illustrated book from Cleo Wade – the artist, poet, and speaker who has been called “the Millennial Oprah” by New York magazine-that offers creative inspiration and life lessons through poetry, mantras, and affirmations. True to her hugely popular Instagram account, Cleo Wade brings her moving life lessons to Heart Talk, an inspiring, accessible, and spiritual book of wisdom for the new generation.
Read more and sample the audio.

 

 

5. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, narrated by Robin Field

Leaves of Grass.

One of the great innovative figures in American letters, Walt Whitman created a daring new kind of poetry that became a major force in world literature. His poems have been woven into the very fabric of the American character and have continued to provide inspiration to people and poets for generations. Leaves of Grass is Whitman‘s masterpiece, written in a pure, uninhibited style and combining sensual and mystical sensibilities.
Read more and sample the audio.

Banned Books Week

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Banned Books Week

We love stories. That’s why we are in the business of storytelling. But what happens when certain stories are withheld from the public, access is denied in schools and libraries? This is no new concept, certain books still get banned. Censorship is still alive and well and continues to be implemented in school boards all over the world today.

This week, Sept 24th-Oct 1st has been declared Banned Books Week, a time when libraries, schools, and bookstores celebrate our First Amendment freedom to read. Whether it’s print or in the form of an audio book, stories are a precious resource that provide us not only with entertainment, but information, ideas, opinions that may otherwise not be heard.

Recently, there have been various books banned, books I recall reading way back in my high school English classes. Below are some commonly challenged books that you might be interested in. But as you review the list, ask yourself, where do you stand with the content questioned? Sure, there are various reasons why these books are banned, some due to sexual perversity or overall obscenity like Lolita, or because of political, religious, or racial grounds, but does that make it right to remove it from bookshelves?

Commonly Challenged Books:

To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee –A classic work of literature that was banned two years ago from a high school in Brampton, Ontario due to the prejudice in the novel. A parent objected to the language used, like the vulgar “N” word used in reference to African-Americans.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut – Although this book came out 42 years ago, this summer a high school in Missouri banned Kurt Vonnegut’s counter-culture classic from its library and curriculum alleging the book promoted “values contrary to those found in the bible”.

Others include:
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
1984 by George Orwell