Adding poetry into your classroom is always a good plan. Here are 23 contemporary poets to teach in your classroom this year!
A few may already be on your list but for those that aren’t check them out today!
1. Hanif Abdurraqib http://www.abdurraqib.com/
2. Sana Abuleil https://www.readpoetry.com/sana-abuleil/
3. Elizabeth Acevedo http://www.acevedopoetry.com/
4. Margaret Atwood Margaret Atwood | Poetry Foundation
5. Richard Blanco http://richard-blanco.com/
6. Victoria Chang https://victoriachangpoet.com/
7. Eve L. Ewing https://eveewing.com/
8. Rudy Francisco https://www.iamrudyfrancisco.com/
9. Nikki Giovanni https://nikki-giovanni.com/
10. Amanda Gorman https://www.theamandagorman.com/
11. Joy Harjo https://www.joyharjo.com/
12. rupi kaur https://rupikaur.com/
13. Ada Limón https://www.adalimon.net/
14. Amanda Lovelace https://amandalovelace.com
15. Tariq Luthun http://www.tariqpoetry.com/
16. Jasmine Mans https://www.jasminemans.com/
17. Aimee Nezhukumatathil https://aimeenez.net/
18. Naomi Shihab Nye https://poets.org/poet/naomi-shihab-nye
19. Tolu Oloruntoba https://www.tolu.ca/
20. Xandria Phillips About Xan Phillips | Academy of American Poets
21. Warsan Shire Warsan Shire | Poetry Foundation
22. Danez Smith http://www.danezsmithpoet.com
23. Kevin Young https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/kevin-young
How To Teach These Poets
1. Present a poet. Students can give a brief biography of the poet and share one or two of their poems. This could be a one-pager or a short presentation. Have students print copies of the poems and you have yourself a ready-made collection to share in class!
2. Incorporate it into your novel study. Read this post with 6 ways to add poetry to your next novel study!
3. Feature a poet. Choose 1-2 poets for each month of the year to create a mini-showcase on a classroom bulletin board. This could be a student-led activity!
4. Write like a poet. Focus on one poet’s work and have students write in a similar style. Two options that would be most accessible to students would be rupi kaur and Rudy Francisco. Check out rupi kaur on Instagram for lots of images and poems to use in class. And here’s a lesson for a new type of Where I’m From poem featuring work by Rudy Francisco.
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