7 Places to Find Poetry You’ll Love

Finding new poems to read in this massive soup we call ‘the internet’ can be a very daunting, frustrating task. Where does one even start? Simply googling ‘poetry’ doesn’t always give the best results, and always reading the same authors may be a bit unfulfilling.

Here are seven places to find some new poetry; poetry to inspire you, comfort you or broaden your mind.

1. From your favourite films, books or series

If a poem is part of something you already love, chances are that you will enjoy it too. Look up (the full version of) a poem from your favourite film, and maybe try another one by its author. I, for example, learned Shakespeare’s 116th Sonnet by heart when I was sixteen because I was so moved by the scene in Ang Lee’s Sense & Sensibility where Marianne recites it in the pouring rain. (Pretentious drama queen much?)

2. Instagram

This may sound like a bit of an obvious suggestion these days, but I notice that still many people, when they think of poetry, focus on ‘the classics’. Yes, Shakespeare and the Romantics did write nice stuff, but that’s not all there is.

One of my favourite poets who post on Instagram is Erin Hanson:

 

3. Have a look around the “quotes” section of Pinterest

Pinterest is full of beautiful words & citations, and quite a few of them have been written by a poet or are even part of a poem.

4. Has your favourite actor/actress recorded any poems?

Good delivery can really make a text come to life. And who better to listen to than someone whose voice you already love? One of my favourite places to find recordings is The Poetry Hour, a database of poems read by famous actors such as Evanna Lynch, Felicity Jones, Lily James and many more. I also recognise quite a few faces from Jane Austen adaptations.. 🙂

5. Search for poetry-inspired drawings

Blending different art forms may only increase their power. Take, for example, this adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Dark Sonnet by Chris Riddell. I found this one on Tumblr.

View the full set of drawings here.

6. Poetry in video form on YouTube

Such as this heartbreaking poem by Anna Akana:

7. Anthologies

This last one may be quite an obvious/ old-school way to find poetry, but I find it helpful to read anthologies as a way to discover new poetry. I find it too risky to buy a whole book of poems by one poet before I know for sure that I like them, but anthologies often offer poems by so many different authors that there is always someone new in there for me to discover.

These days I’m especially enamoured with my A Poem For Every Night Of The Year (see above).

Let’s chat!

Which of these seven places speaks to you the most? Where do you go to find new poems to read?

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