swap_horiz WHEREAS Alternatives

1

Citizen: An American Lyric

Citizen is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry collection by Claudia Rankine. The work explores systemic racism in America t...

American Hybrid Race Award

9.2 Excellent

2

Spring and All

William Carlos Williams’ *Spring and All* (1923) is a significant modernist poetry collection exploring themes of nature...

Classic American Modernist Experimental

9.1 Excellent

3

Don't Call Us Dead

“Don’t Call Us Dead” is a poetry collection by Danez Smith exploring themes of Black queer life and survival. The work...

Black American Queer Award

9.1 Excellent

4

Incendiary Art

Incendiary Art is a collection of black American poetry exploring themes of social justice and political unrest. The wor...

Black American Political Award

9.0 Excellent

5

Averno

Louise Glück’s Averno examines themes of loss, memory, and the natural world through a reimagining of the Greek myth con...

Lyric American Mythic Award

8.9 Great

6

Night Sky with Exit Wounds

Night Sky with Exit Wounds is a debut poetry collection by American poet, Victoria Chang. The work explores themes of fa...

American Queer Debut Award

8.9 Great

7

American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin

This collection of sonnets by Terrance Hayes explores themes of race, identity, and violence within the American context...

American Political Sonnets Award

8.9 Great

8

Obit

“Obit” is a poetry collection by Viet Le. The work explores themes of loss and remembrance through the lens of Asian Ame...

American Grief Asian American Award

8.9 Great

9

Tender Buttons

Tender Buttons is a 1914 collection of prose poetry by American writer Gertrude Stein. The work is divided into three se...

American Modernist 20TH Century Experimental

8.9 Great

10

Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings

Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings is a 2015 poetry collection by Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation an...

American Indigenous 21ST Century Spiritual

8.9 Great

11

How We Became Human

How We Became Human: New and Selected Poems 1975–2001 is a poetry collection by American author Joy Harjo, published in...

American Indigenous 21ST Century Selected Poems

8.9 Great

12

My Life by Lyn Hejinian

Lyn Hejinian’s *My Life* is a substantial poetry collection exploring memory, identity, and the nature of narrative. The...

American Collection Experimental Postmodern

8.8 Great

13

Dunce

Dunce is a collection of American contemporary poems by James Harber. Noted for its experimental form and challenging su...

American Contemporary Experimental Award

8.8 Great

14

An American Sunrise

*An American Sunrise* is a 2019 poetry collection by Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the United S...

History American Indigenous 21ST Century

8.8 Great

15

Postcolonial Love Poem

“Postcolonial Love Poem” is a poetry collection by Solange Le Fur that explores themes of Indigenous identity and relati...

American Indigenous Love Pulitzer

8.7 Great

16

Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude

“Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” is a poetry collection by Ross Gay exploring themes of appreciation and connection to t...

Nature American Gratitude Award

8.7 Great

17

The Renunciations

“The Renunciations” is a poetry collection by Casey Jacobsen exploring themes of grief and identity through a distinctly...

American Grief Queer Award

8.7 Great

18

She Had Some Horses

"She Had Some Horses" is a 1983 poetry collection by Joy Harjo, a writer and musician of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation who...

American Indigenous 20TH Century Feminist

8.7 Great

19

Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah

Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah is a collection of poems by Black American poet, Shane Bauer. The work explores themes of rac...

Black Music American Award

8.6 Great

20

Chromosomory

Chromosomory is a 2010 poetry chapbook by Oglala Lakota writer Layli Long Soldier, published before her acclaimed first...

American Indigenous Experimental 2010S

7.4 Good