National Network for Equitable Library Service

Winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize — Poet Laureate of the United States — A New York Times Notable Book of 2011 and New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice — A New Yorker, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. New poetry by the award-winning poet Tracy K. Smith, whose "lyric brilliance and political impulses never falter" (Publishers Weekly, starred review). You lie there kicking like a baby, waiting for God himself to lift you past the rungs of your crib. What would your life say if it could talk?

Published in 1956 to immediate acclaim, Leonard Cohen’s first published book contains poems written between the ages of fifteen and twenty. Now, new generations of readers will rediscover not only the early, though no less accomplished and passionate, work of one of our most beloved writers, but poetry that resonates loudly with relevance today.

Leaves of Grass is a collection of poems by Walt Whitman originally published in 1855 at the poet's own expense. Criticized when first released for Whitman's use of free verse and his rather racy depictions of sexual love and the senses, Leaves of Grass is a celebration of the human form, the material world and nature.

One of the most popular and profound inspirational writers of all time shares simple wisdom for living a happy and fulfilling life. This book is a collection of Gibran's words on how to live. Here are his thoughts on what it means to live in community and solitude and what gives life meaning, along with his often prescient views on government, organized religion, wealth, and commerce. Gibran's sensibility feels contemporary.

One of the most popular and profound inspirational writers of all time explores the mysteries of life, sharing bite-sized wisdom for daily living. This book is a collection of Gibran's words on life's big questions and the mysteries of the spiritual path. It is an exploration of the riddles and conundrums that are part of the fabric of existence, and it is an attempt to penetrate and explain the mysteries of life.

Kahlil Gibran's aphorisms, stories, and poetry on a theme remain among some of those best known to Western readers. His views, however, extend beyond the most-quoted "greeting card" sayings to a wide realm of human emotions and relationships—passion, desire, idealized love, justice, friendship, and the challenges of dealing with strangers, neighbors, and enemies. This little book captures love and life in all of their complexities and nuances.

For the past eighty years, the beautiful words of the Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran have graced everything from greeting cards and wedding invitations to inspirational wall hangings and corporate motivational literature. By one account, Gibran is the third bestselling poet of all time, after Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu. In this beautiful gift book, we discover the essential wisdom about what it means to be alive. For Gibran life is the energy that saturates all we see and feel—as well as what we can only imagine.

To mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne, Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy brings together a dazzling array of contemporary poets (sixty in fact) to write about each of the sixty years of Her Majesty's reign. Celebrated writers as Simon Armitage, Gillian Clarke, Wendy Cope, Geoffrey Hill, Jackie Kay, Michael Longley, Andrew Motion, Don Paterson and Jo Shapcott, alongside some of the newest young talent around—address a moment or event from their chosen year, be it of personal or political significance or both.

Connect with poetry like you have never before... The essence of life is experiencing it, and what better way is there to walk through someone else's life than through heartfelt poems? Poetry challenges our way of thinking and compels us to internalize other voices other than our own. On the other hand, autobiographies give us insight into the lives of others and help us appreciate the beauty in the diversity of life. Now, imagine if these two were to be combined — just how powerful would they become?

In Dionne Brand’s incantatory, deeply engaged, beautifully crafted long poem, the question is asked: What would an inventory of the tumultuous early years of this new century have to account for? Alert to the upheavals that mark those years, Brand bears powerful witness to the seemingly unending wars – the ascendance of fundamentalisms – the nameless casualties that bloom out from near and distant streets.