Poems to Read: A New Favorite Poem Project Anthology

by Maggie Dietz, Robert Pinsky (Editor)

A unique anthology by the editors of the bestseller Americans' Favorite Poems. Poems to Read is a welcoming avenue into poetry for readers new to poetry, including high school and college students. It is also meant to be a fresh, valuable collection for readers already devoted to the art. This anthology concentrates on the actual pleasures of reading poems: hearing the poem in your voice, bringing it to other people, musing about it, taking excitement or comfort from it, wandering with it or—as in the Keats letter quoted in the Introduction—having it as a starting post. Many of these 200 poems are accompanied by comments from readers of various ages, regions, and backgrounds who participated in the Favorite Poem Project. Included are poems by John Donne, Walt Whitman, William Butler Yeats, Langston Hughes, Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks, Seamus Heaney, Allen Ginsberg, and Louise Glück, to name a few. The editors offer their own comments on some of the poems, which are arranged in thematic chapters.

Genres: Poetry, Anthologies, Fiction, Literature

384 pages, Hardcover

First published June 17, 2002

Reviews

[Chris - Quarter Press Editor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection to introduce you to new poets.

For someone like me that, usually, simply reads the poems of those he knows and--rarely--happens to stumble upon, this was a great way to find new poets that I quite enjoyed.

Of course, like any collection, some of the poems weren't for me, but--again--with such a broad spectrum of styles and content, it's impossible not to find some that resonate deep inside.

It's always interesting, to me at least, to see why a poem resonates with others. (However, I feel like each poem should have had some sort of reader epitaph, but that's just me, perhaps.)

[MBC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my absolute favorite poetry book. The poems are accompanied by reader comments on why each reader likes the poem, which makes each selection so much more interesting. I also like the division by subject, which the other books in the series don't have. This is the only poetry book I can sit down with and read straight through.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read some poems that really moved me. I even read some poems from a few of my favorite poets like Pablo Neruda, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton and Dylan Thomas that I had somehow missed in their works. I also discovered some new poets to me that just left me in awe. One of my favorite poems was 13 ways of looking at a blackbird by Wallace Stevens.

[Crbianfool · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of a vast number of poets, both famous and less so. Wish I had bought this rather than borrowed it from the library.

[Anna Szabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great compilation of poems. I particularly enjoy how it is divided by theme and not by published date or alphabetical by author, like most anthologies are.

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Pinsky and Maggie Dietz edited this cosmopolitan collection of poems. All of the poems are in English, regardless of their original language. If the poem was originally in Spanish, the book tells you who translated it. The previous sentence applies to all languages, along with Spanish.

The book introduces the poet with a header containing their name and birth year. If they were dead as of this publication, the book includes the year of death.

Sometimes, the poem has a small introduction explaining where someone was when they first read it. These people were participants in a contest, so they included their input. The participants were all American, which makes sense due to the publication date.

I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.

[Danielle Palmer]

Robert Pinsky always chooses interesting poems for his anthologies. They are not always easy, I often have to read them several times to really “get” them. Note: Wrong image is included on good reads for this book.

[Peter Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection reminded me of some old favorites, and introduced me to writers I had not known before. It's a pretty good survey course in poetry, from many different eras. Some of the older works seem surprisingly modern, showing that human nature does not change.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

As often happens in collections of poetry, some selections were fantastic, but many were tedious.

[Thomas George Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the best poets of a generation, including Robert Frost, Thomas Hardy, James Joyce, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and many, many others.

[Carly Faison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best anthology I’ve read this year. A brief blurb by the submitter(s) accompanies each poem and it feels like I’m chatting with friends.

[Susan Dietz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful resource to get a poem or three to brighten your everyday.

[Ms. Kraut · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this collection while participating in Boston University's Poetry Institute for Educators over the summer. It was edited by former poet laureate Robert Pinsky and up-and-coming poet Maggie Dietz, who together founded the Favorite Poem Project and the Summer Institute. The book is a fantastic collection of poems that -- for their voice, their images, their sentiment, for whatever reason -- are just dying to be read aloud. Many of the poems are accompanied by letters, sent to Pinsky and Dietz during the Favorite Poem Project, in which readers from all ages and all walks of life explains what the poem means to them, how it has affected them, and why they like it. What strikes me while reading it is how many young people (middle and high school students) have written in with their favorite poems, and how poignant their responses are. It reminds me that before it is analyzed, before it is picked apart, before it is even understood -- poetry is FELT. This kind of personal, emotional connection is what makes this anthology stand out as truly exceptional.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only are some amazing, wonderful poems in this collection, there are also comments from thoughtful people about WHY these poems move them so. The Favorite Poem Project is just terrific! A great way to find voices new to you, and to think, not only about the poem itself, but the poetry reading community. Love, love, love this book!

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fine collection resulting from Robert Pinsky's Favorite Poem Project packed with both familiar and obscure gems. However, the readers' commentaries struck me as far less interesting, articulate, and pithy than the first anthology.

[Talia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I prefer collections of individual poets, particularly as a poet-reader of poetry, but I used this book to find poems to fit into specific lesson plans on the craft of poetry. I plan to use it as a resource in my classroom.

[Angélique (Angel) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars. A very nice anthology. I greatly enjoyed most of the poems and found that they along with some of the comments concerning the poems taught me something new about poetry and life in itself. This also proved a good inspirational tool.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of the Favorite Poem Project anthologies because it has the fewest "standards."

[Connie]

I picked this book up at a GoodWill store. So far, I like the variety of poems that are included in this volume.

[Jessica Furtado · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lush anthology that contains a poem for nearly every mood and experience.

[Andi]

scan scan of poems whenever i feel like reading poems (:

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasant collection of assorted poems. I really liked The poems by Langston Hughes. I also liked Ithaka by C.P. Cavafy.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good poems and some incredibly weird ones, but overall an interesting read.

[Never · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good collection of poems. Well-chosen. I've discovered my favorite poems here.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance]

Why did I wait so long to read this book? Zowie. Beautiful.