I was recommended a poetry book by a close friend, and I quickly fell in love with both the poet as well as poetry books overall. As much as I typically love novels, this was a perfect time for me to slow down and digest some thoughts and wisdom into my soul. I usually read poems individually through different online sites and social media, but there’s something I really like about going through an entire book’s full. I was able to put on some instrumental music and really get into the words written out on all the pages. In the past few months alone, I’ve actually made my way through five different books of poetry (with a few more on my list as well). I truly got so much out of reading these, so I wanted to share my recommendations:

Flowers On The Moon by Billy Chapata
This book has lowkey changed my life. The wisdom in this book written in small, digestible formats is one of my favorite things I’ve ever read. It’s relatable on so many levels, and there’s something in it for everyone. I actually bought over 10 copies of this book after finishing it, and have given it as gifts to my sister and my closest friends. I’ll likely buy more again at Christmas time for everyone I’ve missed. I couldn’t recommend this book more, and I actually suggest reading just one or two pages a day rather than the entirety at once.

She Must Be Mad by Charly Cox
The author broke this up into four parts: “she must be… in love”, “mad”, “fat” and “an adult”. I enjoyed each section for different reasons, and although all of them were relatable, I found myself going back to “she must be fat”. The content was eerily relatable and bought me through several points of the ongoing journey we have with our bodies. Her writing made me laugh, roll my eyes, and feel sorry for our younger selves. But somehow, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Healing Her by Sez Kristiansen
While this was a quick read, I found this to be very satisfying. The themes of this book focus on women and our experiences with self-healing, awakening, emotional darkness, and self-love. The writing and the imagery felt full of compassion in a very gentle way that quieted my mind. I very much found a sense of peace while reading through this.

Sour Honey And Soul Food by Billy Chapata
I was already a fan of his going into this book, and he did not disappoint. One of the reasons I like this particular book of Billy Chapata’s, is that this very much is focused on the beauty and complexities of loving a woman. He writes with such respect, admiration, and gentleness in regards to women and relationships overall. The words are dynamic and beautiful and promote self-love above anything else.

Chameleon Aura by Billy Chapata
Again, being a big fan of Billy’s poetry, this book was very on brand with his normal themes of self-love. There was also a big focus on energy and growth. A lot of Billy’s poetry focuses on relationships and his perspectives often reassure me of the healthy relationship that I’m currently in. The way that he writes about women is lyrically beautiful, and I always feel very refreshed after reading through pages of his words.

Hour Book by Stefania Heim
The poems in this collection were cleverly all related to time in some way or another. It may be a poem describing a time of day, thoughts at a particular time, periods of time, and so on. The formats of the book were varying, which kept things fresh with each page turn. It was a beautiful string of ideas related to the passing of our existence. A quick read, but I found this lyrically calming and pleasant.

The Black Unicorn by Audre Lorde
It didn’t take much for me to fall in love with Audre Lorde, and I absolutely cannot wait to read more. Maybe it’s because she’s a lesbian poet, or maybe it’s the power and emotion she evokes as a feminist. Either way, she’s rightfully known as one of the most influential and powerful contributors to black queer feminism. This collection of poems was brilliant beautiful and I’m excited for more of Audre Lorde.

Flawers by Billy Chapata
Being a big fan of Billy Chapata, this book did not disappoint. Written in prose, Chapata’s words make you think introspectively and validate individualism. This collection focuses on seeing flaws as flowers that can be nurtured and grown into something beautiful and unique.

The Moon Will Shine For Us Too by Jennae Cecelia
Even though this was apparently a sequel, I think it stands on its own. I liked the themes that circled around seeing silver linings, or finding stability in the calmness of the days. It was a nice reminder to stop and watch the moon rise each night as a symbol of the illumination that is always present. I enjoyed this gentle nudge to calm down and I would probably be interested in reading more of her work.

Velvet Dragonflies by Billy Chapata
My favorite poet, out with a new book! I love Billy’s work for being reflective and introspective and very much promoting personal growth and development. This book was no different, with a big focus on self-love, self-acceptance, self-growth and other introspective themes. I love and appreciate the way he expresses care for others as well as so much love for himself, in a way that everyone should give care to themselves. I always get a lot out of his poetry and this new book was no different.

Coal by Audre Lorde
Another favorite author of mine, and I am so excited to read more. I’ve found that sapphic poetry speaks to me on new levels, so my only critique for this is that I did want more of those themes. However, I still love to read of her themes of the black experience, family, and everchanging spirit. I have things on my to-read list by Audre that isn’t poetry, so I’m excited to get into more of her styles and expressions.

The Lavender Haze by June Bates
Like I said, yes to more sapphic poetry! I had never read anything from this author before, but I knew she has a few poetry books that are available that are all sapphic themed. I will admit that her style was a little bit predictable for my taste, but hey, lesbians are allowed to have cheesy love poems too! In fact, I think we are entitled to it. So, I still enjoyed it, and I’ll probably still read more.

Coming Home To Her by Emily Juniper
I really loved her style of poetry. I hadn’t read her before either, but I loved her cadence and the length of which she wrote. Not all of her poems were sapphic per say, but I felt a bonding from her words in a way that I really related to and appreciated. I found a lot of inspiration from the format in which she writes, for example, poems in the form of witty lists. I’d be excited to read more of her work.

Them edited by Jos
A beautiful collection of stories, essays, and poetry written by trans individuals.

The Words I Wish I Said by Caitlin Kelly
Melodramatic poetry written by a hormonal and slightly depressed 16 year old girl in 2018.

Blushing Muse by Stella Donato
Lyrical prose and poetry about the wonderful thing that is sapphic lust, sex and love.

She Is The Poem by June Bates
Overly simple poems by a lesbian discovering themself without their family’s approval.

Thanks for reading! (Last Updated: Oct 2023)