Poetry Month Picks

This Is the Honey

An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets

By: Kwame Alexander
Narrated by: Mahogany L. Brown & Joel Damany Steingold
Length: 4 hours 11 minutes

A breathtaking poetry collection on hope, heart, and heritage from the most prominent and promising Black poets and writers of our time, edited by Why Fathers Cry at Night author and #1 New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander. In this comprehensive and vibrant poetry anthology, bestselling author and poet Kwame Alexander curates a... Read more

The Hill We Climb

An Inaugural Poem for the Country

By: Amanda Gorman
Narrated by: Amanda Gorman & Oprah Winfrey
Length: 9 minutes

Amanda Gorman’s powerful and historic poem “The Hill We Climb,” read at President Joe Biden’s inauguration

“Stunning.” —CNN 
“Dynamic.” —NPR
“Deeply rousing and uplifting.” —Vogue


On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Taking the stage after the 46th... Read more

Time Is a Mother

By: Ocean Vuong
Narrated by: Ocean Vuong
Length: 1 hour 43 minutes

“Ocean Vuong comes home in his second full-length collection, exploring grief, violence, masculinity and queer life in America. Whether shoveling snow, reversing time, or losing his mother, Vuong will crack you open and heal you. Read more

Falling Back in Love with Being Human

Letters to Lost Souls

By: Kai Cheng Thom
Narrated by: Kai Cheng Thom
Length: 1 hour 34 minutes

“A perfect, poetic work of art by an imperfect, beautiful person. Do the audiobook version if you can. Her performance and words make you feel all the things. Read more

The How

Notes on the Great Work of Meeting Yourself

By: Yrsa Daley-Ward
Narrated by: Yrsa Daley-Ward
Length: 2 hours 56 minutes

“A brilliant and beautiful work. The author invites a reader to join an internal dialogue. True, Daley-Ward targets a specific age group and gender, but I want to say, she got the attention of this male approaching seventy and held it. Many fine quips and quotes, but the chapters “Why We Write It Down” and “Not the End of the Day” stood out for... Read more

Home: Where Everyone Is Welcome

Poems & Songs Inspired by American Immigrants

By: Deepak Chopra, Kabir Sehgal & Paul Avgerinos
Narrated by: Deepak Chopra
Length: 2 hours 7 minutes

“A beautiful mix of poetry and song inspired and written by immigrants. This is something I will come back to again and again whenever I need to recenter myself. Read more

Ten Bridges I've Burnt

A Memoir in Verse

By: Brontez Purnell
Narrated by: Brontez Purnell
Length: 1 hour 28 minutes

“At several points while listening to Brontez Purnell read, I felt my chest go concave at the impact of his words. The way he spins phrases, chains metaphors, and links seemingly unrelated stories is genuinely breathtaking. Read more

Space Struck

By: Paige Lewis
Narrated by: Xe Sands
Length: 50 minutes

“This is a book of poetry that desperately wanted to be an audiobook read by Xe Sands. I've listened to several poems over and over, trying to parse the brilliance of Paige Lewis' layered images, fitting characters and places that ought to not coalesce, but somehow, caustically and profoundly, they do. Perfect for readers of Tracy K. Smith. Read more

May You Love and Be Loved

Wishes for Your Life

By: Cleo Wade
Narrated by: Cleo Wade
Length: 6 minutes

“I listened to this book with Libro.fm right before bed and it made me tear up. A letter to anyone and everyone about life, how to live, how to be loved, undefined by our fears. It touched that childhood part of me that needed the reminder. I cannot recommend it more. Read more

The Terrible

A Storyteller's Memoir

By: Yrsa Daley-Ward
Narrated by: Yrsa Daley-Ward & Howard Daley-Ward
Length: 3 hours 59 minutes

“Enjoyed Daley-Ward's The How, but The Terrible was tough. It wasn't terrible - it was just, oh man, glad they got through it. How do people get through it and make a life. I'm so happy that Yrsa did. She is truly a great storyteller and has many yet to write. Now to read her poems in Bone! Read more

Enemies in the Orchard

A World War 2 Novel in Verse

By: Dana VanderLugt
Narrated by: Andy Ingalls, Elizabeth Klett & Rachel Leblang
Length: 3 hours 53 minutes

“A humanist and heartbreaking look at the atrocities of war based on that author's family history in the 1940s mid-Western US. This dual perspective verse novel shares the emotional lives and awakening independence of a 15-year old Michigan girl and a young German POW sent to her father's apple farm to work. The two forge a friendship past their... Read more

Forest of Noise

Poems

By: Mosab Abu Toha
Narrated by: Mosab Abu Toha
Length: 1 hour 9 minutes

““What can you see when your eyes are closed?” A Gazan mother tells her children just that with the hope of quelling their fears, despite being surrounded by bombs and their eradicating light. Reader, open your heart if your eyes are unwilling. Everyone’s humanity is at stake if the suffering in Palestine doesn’t wake you up to witness the truth.... Read more

The Universe in Verse

15 Portals to Wonder through Science & Poetry

By: Maria Popova
Narrated by: Maria Popova & Lili Taylor
Length: 1 hour 28 minutes

“Fifteen short essays on science and nature, intended to inspire a sense of awe and wonder, are each paired with the work of a brilliant poet and a beautiful illustration. Popova's extraordinary collection is a poignant, beautiful little gift book perfect for reminding us of how strange and wild it is that we get to exist and perceive this most... Read more

I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times

Poems

By: Taylor Byas
Narrated by: Taylor Byas
Length: 1 hour 51 minutes

“Ease on down the road with this stellar poetry collection that takes you on a journey full of love and a search for a greater truth as it relates to the speaker’s identity and womanhood. Chicago’s south side is well represented as a home that will always welcome you with open arms no matter how far or how lost you may be. Read more

Sing a Black Girl's Song

The Unpublished Work of Ntozake Shange

By: Ntozake Shange
Narrated by: Alfre Woodard, D. Woods, Regina Taylor, Lynn Whitfield, Okwui Okpokwasili, Ifa Bayeza, Imani Perry, Robin Miles, Tarana Burke & Savannah Shange
Length: 9 hours 8 minutes

“Ntozake Shange, author of the seminal for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, was one of our greatest writers, and this collection, curated by editor Imani Perry, is a feast for those who have loved her work and love the literary word. Sing a Black Girl’s Song collects essays, poetry, and plays taken from... Read more

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head

Poems

By: Warsan Shire
Narrated by: Warsan Shire
Length: 1 hour 7 minutes

Poems of migration, womanhood, trauma, and resilience from the celebrated collaborator on Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Black Is King, award-winning Somali British poet Warsan Shire

“The beautifully crafted poems in this collection are fiercely tender gifts.”—Roxane Gay, author of Bad Feminist

“Warsan Shire is our ultimate modern poet. . . . This is our... Read more

Dear Girl

By: Aija Mayrock
Narrated by: Aija Mayrock
Length: 44 minutes

“A book worth both listening to and buying in print. Loved being able to hear the poet read her own work as she speaks to girls of all ages about who they are and who they have the power to be. Read more

Pillow Thoughts III

Mending the Mind

By: Courtney Peppernell
Narrated by: Courtney Peppernell
Length: 1 hour 3 minutes

A beautifully raw and poignant collection of poetry and prose, Pillow Thoughts III continues the series from poet Courtney Peppernell. Fix yourself a warm drink and settle into Peppernell's words as she pens a tribute to her readers who are bravely continuing their journey from hurt to healing.  Read more

Pillow Thoughts

By: Courtney Peppernell
Narrated by: Courtney Peppernell
Length: 1 hour 32 minutes

“This book has poems for every emotion you can think of. Whether you're heart broken, in love, and just floating by, this poetry book can help ease those emotions, and make you feel less alone. Read more

We Want Our Bodies Back

Poems

By: jessica Care moore
Narrated by: jessica Care moore
Length: 2 hours 1 minute

“Lyrical poems that will spark a lot of emotion, and maybe even a call to action. This little book is incredibly powerful! Makes for a great listen on Libro.fm as well. Read more