6 new-age poets you will fall in love with

6 new-age poets you will fall in love withI don't read poetry as often as I would like to claim. I have tried my hand at poetry, and I am not proud of the results. Probably the last time you read a classic poem was at school; I don't blame you. With the ever growing 'To Be Read' shelf I won't blame you for putting poetry in the back-burner.

Do not feel so guilty. If you are like me living within the clutches of the social media then you have nothing to worry, you can catch up. Presenting you the list of my favorite 'modern poets' that rule our age! The subject matters they talk about range from feminism to erotica. They call out attention to the problems of the LGBTQ to soldiers. Their words do not necessarily follow the traditional rules of poetry or deal with nuances of the writing, but they do strike the chord among the reader and they are here to stay for a long time.


1) Warson Shire

This Somalian poet hit the poetry world with a bang with her debut book Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth. Warson's poetry has been featured in Beyonce's film Lemonade, making her the talk of the town again.

Her poetry draws her poetry from her African culture and her English upbringing. Her poem Home talks about refugees and their plea for help.


No one leaves home unless 
home is the mouth of a shark

Her poems have been translated into various languages like Italian, Danish, Estonian Spanish and Portuguese and she recites poetry countries like South Africa, Kenya and Germany. She is an active advocate for feminism and gender equality.

Sofia used pigeon blood on her wedding night.
next day, over the phone, she told me
how her husband smiled when he saw the sheets.

She voices for the feminine sexuality, especially among the Muslim women. Her work against female genital mutilation and its risks is based on her ancestors who had themselves undergone it.

Some nights I hear in her room screaming
We play Surah Al-Baqarah to drown her out
Anything that comes from her mouth sounds like sex
Our mother has banned her from saying God’s name.

You can buy the books by clicking on the following links



2) Lang Leav

The millennials do not need an introduction to Lang Leav who has attracted the world of the young and young at heart alike through her social media posts. She may not follow the traditional poetry formats and uses conversational language in her poems.

We may be just two different clocks, that do not tock in unison.
Her poetry is usually filled with melancholy and poignancy that seems to resonate with young and old lovers.
Here and now – I love you, for this moment, you have my heart. But you are not entitled to my future – you have no ownership of my past.

She has just published her debut novel Sad Girls this 2017 and her poetry books continue to be top sellers worldwide. You can buy the books by clicking on the following links.

  



And it wasn’t my choice to love you but it was mine to leave. I don’t think the moon ever meant to be a satellite, kept in loving orbit, locked in hopeless inertia, destined to repeat the same pattern over and over – to meet in eclipse with the sun – only when the numbers allowed


She lives in New Zealand with her partner and fellow poet Michael Faudet.


3) Rupi Kaur

Her debut book Milk and Honey has made this Canadian poet of Indian origin into the best seller list with a whopping 1.4 million copies sold. This first-time poet self-published her book, despite having her friends warn against it.

The thing about having
an alcoholic parent
is an alcoholic parent
does not exist.
Simply
an alcoholic
who could not stay sober
long enough to raise their kids

Her book is broken into four parts: hurt, pain, breaking and healing. She talks about abuse, feminism, love, loss and everything that would resonate with a young woman.

every time you
tell your daughter
you yell at her
out of love
you teach her to confuse
anger with kindness
which seems like a good idea
till she grows up to
trust men who hurt her
cause they look so much
like you
   - to fathers with daughters

Though she published her book in 2014, her moment of spotlight arrived when she posted a picture of her menstruating in Instagram as part of her assignment, and it was removed. She pointed out the hypocrisy and she found her following soon enough.

emptying out of my mother’s belly
was my first act of disappearance
learning to shrink for a family
who likes their daughters invisible
was the second
the art of being empty
is simple
believe them when they say
you are nothing
repeat it to yourself
like a wish
i am nothing
i am nothing
i am nothing
so often
the only reason you know
you’re still alive is from the
heaving of your chest
     - the art of being empty

Her second book will be published this October 2017. Click on the links to take a look at her books.


4) Clementine Von Radics

Clementine is the founder of Where Are You Press and she still enthusiastically takes part in word slam worldwide. This 24-year-old writer and publisher is based in Portland, Oregon.

All this time 
I drank you like the cure when maybe 
you were the poison.

Her words from her debut book Mouthful of Forevers has often been quoted in wedding vows and even tattoos. She writes about love, loss, uncertainties and beauty in life.

But my heart is an old house
(the kind my mother
grew up in)
hell to heat and cool
and faulty in the wiring
and though it’s nice to look at
I have no business
inviting lovers in.

Like many of the other new age poets here, she uses a conversational language which bodes well with her audience.

He used to love me, and now he’s just a stranger who happens to know all my secrets.

You can read more from hereClick on the links to take a look at her books.


5) Andrea Gibson

Andrea Gibson is the first poet ever to win the Women of the World Poetry Slam and she leads the spoken word movement.

Before I die, I want to be somebody’s favorite hiding place, the place they can put everything they know they need to survive, every secret, every solitude, every nervous prayer, and be absolutely certain I will keep it safe. I will keep it safe.

She provides a strong voice for the rights of LGBTQ and gender equality. She does not believe in identifying herself as a male or female to perform at. She often uses her gender neuter name Andrew during her performances.

she's wondering how many women are walking around this world
feeling the tingling of their amputated wings
remembering what it was to fly to sing

She also believes in using her poetry as a medium to comment on the issues of today's world. Her works speak about varied topics like war, white privilege, Patriarchy, capitalism, etc.

How many wars will it take us to learn that only the dead return?

You can read more from here and here. Take a look at some of her books.


6) Michael Faudet

For a long time, Micheal Faudet was an Internet enigma.  He is active and has thousands of followers in all social media network, but there has been not much of a talk about personal life. Even his face has not been published yet anywhere.

When it came to love, she enjoyed the thrill of the search, but seldom stopped to check whether happiness was keeping up. 

His writing focuses on love, relationship, loss and lust. Most of his poetry has a tinge of eroticism. He and his partner Lang Leav have a similar aesthetics and language style that have made ripples all over the world.

You can buy the books by clicking on the following links



I am hopelessly in love with a memory. An echo from another time, another place.

Not quite long ago, there was a discussion that Michael was just a figment of an imagination of Leav's, considering him not being "physically" available on the internet. Fear not Faudet fans, he is real. His twitter has been officially verified with the government ID, photograph, etc.

I write because you exist.

Read Michael Faudet's  interview here to know about his writing process and more.


Did I miss any of your favorite writers? Let me know what your favorite quotes are and why. Click here if you would like to read more quotes.


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