7 Must-Read Poetry Books by LGBTQ+ Authors
It’s officially Pride month, the perfect time to commemorate the impact that LGBTQ+ individuals have had on a local, national, and even international level. Pride month is held in June in honor of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a pivotal event in the history of LGBTQ+ activism in the U.S. Members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies around the world will celebrate in the coming weeks with parties, fundraisers, festivals, picnics, and more. In honor of Pride month, we’ve highlighted seven of our favorite poetry collections from LGBTQ+ authors this year.
Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans
One of the most highly anticipated poetry collections of 2021, Black Girl, Call Home offers echoes of Gwendolyn Brooks and Sonia Sanchez. Unpacking themes of race, feminism, and queer identity, author Jasmine Mans explores what it means to be young, queer, and Black in America.
Girl, Isolated by Trista Mateer
Set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, this poetry collection paints a portrait of mental health struggles throughout quarantine. After documenting her feelings over the course of a year, poet Trista Mateer invites readers on a journey through grief, anxiety, depression, isolation, and self-care.
Have Some Pride by Courtney Carola
Poet Courtney Carola directly addresses the fear, oppression, and isolation she has faced throughout her life in her second collection of poetry, but with her head high and pride even higher. Have Some Pride is a collection of poetry and prose that celebrates the beauty of being queer, even in a world that tries to oppress you.
The Renunciations by Donika Kelly
Resilience and survival take center stage in this radical collection. Poet Donika Kelly charts a lifetime of love and abuse and its impact on a person’s sense of self. The poet’s most difficult years are rendered in relentlessly bold and beautiful verse. Above all, the collection faces what it means to build a home inside oneself after reckoning with a legacy of trauma.
Love and Other Poems by Alex Dimitrov
Written with a nod to Twitter DMs, text messages, and phone calls, Love and Other Poems encourages readers to fall in love with the world around them, despite the isolation of modern life. In Dimitrov’s hopeful collection, joy triumphs in the face of despair, and love is declared “our best invention.”
The Lyme Letters by C. R. Grimmer
Written as an epistle, or a letter in verse, The Lyme Letters shines an intimate spotlight on disease and recovery, chronic illness, and the paradoxical experiences of queer non-reproductivity. This raw and honest collection, which also explores disabled and queer identity, won the Walt McDonald First-Book Series award in poetry from Texas Tech University.
i am tired of being a dandelion by Zane Frederick
Zane Frederick, a 22-year-old, Phoenix-based poet, released his second collection, i am tired of being a dandelion, in March of this year. This electrifying collection offers a level of intimacy and honesty that is sure to blow readers away. The book covers themes of heartbreak, self-doubt, self-love, and acceptance.
