We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

    14 Poetry Books You Should Add To Your 2020 Reading List

    Poetry makes the world go round.

    Shivani Agrawal
    by Shivani Agrawal

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. Aphrodite Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer – ₹887

    amazon.in

    In her newest collection, best-selling author Trista Mateer weaves a common thread through the past and present by retelling the story of Aphrodite in the form of modern poetry and powerful artwork. This a book about love, loss, war, and healing.

    Get it here.

    2. [Insert] Boy by Danez Smith – ₹1,266

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    In this poetry collection, Smith explores being a black queer person through words, music, and religious and non-religious experience.

    Get it here.

    3. Yesterday I Was The Moon by Noor Unnahar – ₹170

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    This book by Noor Unnahar, a young female poet from Pakistan, is a moving account of breaking down and rebuilding yourself through teenage and adulthood. Her poems revolve around love, loss, belonging, and the catharsis of finding your voice.

    Get it here.

    4. Mouthful Of Forevers by Clementine Von Radics – ₹499

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    Titled after the poem that broke Tumblr and has since inspired wedding vows, songs, and paintings, Mouthful Of Forevers is a collection of poems about the uncertainties and beauties of life that speak to an entire generation of young adults.

    Get it here.

    5. To Drink Coffee With A Ghost by Amanda Lovelace – ₹355

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    In this book, Amanda Lovelace explores the complicated memory of her relationship with her now-deceased mother – "You cannot have a funeral for your mother without also having a funeral for yourself."

    Get it here.

    6. Small Talk by Devanshi Khetarpal – ₹200

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    The book is a collection of poems written over five years in various different cities – all bound by the themes of loss, belonging, and coming to terms with change.

    Get it here.

    7. When You Ask Me Where I'm Going by Jasmin Kaur – ₹260

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    This book tells the story of a young immigrant mother escaping years of trauma and living undocumented while raising her daughter in North America. It deals with identity through the lens of culture, feminism, and stigma.

    Get it here.

    8. Peluda by Melissa Lozada-Oliva – ₹780

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    In Peluda (hairy beast), spoken word poet Melissa Lozada-Oliva untangles the relationship between body hair and femininity through the intersectional lens of family, class, and her Latina identity.

    Get it here.

    9. If My Body Could Speak by Blythe Baird – ₹863

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    This book is a celebration of girlhood through the exploration of sexuality, trauma, body image, and acceptance.

    Get it here.

    10. Depression & Other Magic Tricks by Sabrina Benaim – ₹886

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    A Button Poetry favourite, Sabrina Benaim's Explaining My Depression To My Mother has garnered 8 million views since it was posted in 2014. In her debut poetry collection, she digs deep into topics like mental health, love, and family.

    Get it here.

    11. The Future by Neil Hilborn – ₹891

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    Another Button Poetry gem, Neil Hilborn's poem OCD took the internet by storm with over 14 million views. In this book, Hilborn talks of heartbreak, nostalgia, and mental health. He reminds readers that we all eventually drift back together.

    Get it here.

    12. Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth by Warsan Shire – ₹319

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    Warsan Shire's Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth heralded the revival of modern poetry as we know it. With homage to her family's refugee experience, her work immerses readers in gut-wrenching images of war and survival.

    Get it here.

    13. Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuyong – ₹918

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    Ocean Vuyong's award-winning poetry collection digs deep into family memory to traverse the plains of war, love, and change.

    Get it here.

    14. Life Of The Party by Olivia Gatwood – ₹824

    amazon.in

    In this book, spoken word poet Olivia Gatwood questions the real and the imagined in a world that romanticises violence against women. Her work is fun and rebellious and scared and real.

    Get it here.