The best recent poetry – review roundup
The Wickedest by Caleb Femi; Signs, Music by Raymond Antrobus; The Keelie Hawk by Kathleen Jamie; Scattered Snows, to the North by Carl Phillips
Poem of the week: […] by Fady Joudah
The Palestinian-American poet takes us straight to the aftermath of a blast, and a little girl’s joy at being rescued from the rubble before devastating loss hits
Bluff by Danez Smith review – ‘Afropessimism’ as an artform
The American poet’s dark, politically conscious fourth collection tackles the entrenched problem of anti-blackness and the aftermath of the George Floyd protests
A poem by Ali Cobby Eckermann: ‘The entire continent is sacred land’
Each week during Australian Poetry Month, a poet walks us through one of their works. Here the Yankunytjatjara poet reflects on the complex history of country
Beyond Bilbo: JRR Tolkien’s long-lost poetry to be published
Long-lost verse from the Lord of the Rings author will reach bookshops 50 years after his death
Poem of the week: The Art of Cloying by ZR Ghani
A young Mauritian discovers her own truths in the colonial, patriarchal canon she has inherited
A poem by Lang Leav: ‘Cabramatta was dubbed Australia’s drug capital. But it was also a place of refuge’
Each week during Australian Poetry Month, a poet walks us through one of their works. Here, Lang Leav reflects on tense trips to Cronulla beach in the 90s
Survival Is a Promise by Alexis Pauline Gumbs review – a cosmic perspective on Audre Lorde
An innovative biography that recognises the continuing influence of the American poet and activist
Poem of the week: Sudanese Saying by Pierre Joris
Short, stinging lines convey the pain and injustice of the 2016 demolition of the Calais refugee ‘jungle’
A poem by Jazz Money: ‘There are times I want to run away but I know my responsibility is to the here and now’
Each week during Australian Poetry Month, a poet walks us through one of their works. Here, Jazz Money reflects on her relationship with Country
Poem of the week: Ceremony by Christopher Arksey
The remembered sounds of his mother’s living routines lead the poet’s imagination somewhere beyond loss
A poem by Paul Kelly: ‘My lyrics are often stolen from songs, poems, novels, conversations’
Each week during Australian Poetry Month, a poet walks us through one of their works. Here, singer-songwriter Kelly explains his collaboration with poet Dana Gioia
Simon Armitage: ‘You’re not going to get me to say anything bad about any bird’
As part of Australian Poetry Month, the UK’s poet laureate shares his least favourite word and his most controversial pop culture opinion
The Guardian view on reclaiming the Seine: hope for 21st century rivers
Editorial: Paris 2024 has pointed the way towards a brighter future for urban waterways in post-industrial cities