Poetry is dead...yes? NO! And that’s not because I write poems myself — fantastic poetry is still being created today, you just have to look for it.
In fact, poetry is one of the gayest forms of art in my eyes. It’s never straight. It bends the traditional rules. And the best thing, there are so many poems from queer writers. I have so much appreciation for LGBTQ+ people who put their work out because it reminds me that it’s okay to be queer and a poet at the same time.Their work tells us that our life is ours and we can be as loud or as silent as we want to be.
These poets are not “for queer individuals only” but they do feature poets from the LGBTQ+ community. So, now we’re going to talk about poets who identify as queer and wrote amazing poetry. The poems written by these people are not always about love, coming out, or exploring and/or breaking the gender binary. Trust me, these are going to hit home in one way or another.
1. "Crush" by Richard Siken
Richard Siken's poems unwind on the page effortlessly, barely pausing for breath; the speaker’s voice wracked with sexual obsession. His book "Crush" won the 2004 Yale Series of Younger Poets prize.
In her profile of Siken, Nell Casey wrote, “he effectively juxtaposes holy wishes with mundane images — making them both seem beautiful by some strange lyrical alchemy.”
2. "I Must Be Living Twice: New and Selected Poems" by Eileen Myles
Moving from Boston to New York in 1974 to be a poet, Eileen Myles has since staked her claim as one of the most prolific and compelling poets writing today. Her verse, spanning over twenty volumes of poetry, fiction and nonfiction, is electric in its immediacy and often focuses on her relationships with women.
Myles has been the recipient of countless awards and fellowships, notably the Lambda Book award (in 1995, 1998 and 2011), which honors and celebrates LGBTQ+ focused work and art.
3. "[insert] boy" by Danez Smith
You may have known him from YouTube spoken word performances, but in case you have zero idea who he is, Danez Smith is a queer, HIV-positive man. His poems are often about the things we feel ashamed or uncomfortable about. I haven’t had a chance to read this whole book yet, but this line from this piece is making me want to buy "[insert] boy" right now: “dear you, he called me your name once, Kate.”
4. "Lunch Poems" by Frank O'Hara
A prominent figure of the New York School (a group of artists in New York City inspired by abstract expressionism, jazz and surrealism), Frank O’Hara dazzled throughout the 50's and 60's with his wildly hilarious, urgent and personal poetry
O’Hara identified openly as a gay man and kept a wide circle of friends and lovers, many of whom he expressively captured in his trademark confessional style.
5. "Never Coming Home" by Tyler Vile
Never Coming Home is a novel-in-verse. That alone is already making this book interesting enough. Plus, these lines from Creation are so haunting there’s a great need for more of Tyler’s words: “She doesn’t have flesh yet/ but I’m thinking of making/ her labia out of three different foreskins.” Because Amazon says "Never Coming Home" is out of print, we should all be tweeting Tyler for more after reading this list.
6. "The Madness Vase" by Andrea Gibson
Andrea Gibson, who also goes by Andrew, is an award-winning poet and activist whose work focuses on gender norms, LGBTQ+ issues and social reform, as well as the broader topics of love and identity.
They’ve gained notoriety over the last decade for their stirring spoken word performances, which bring to life the colorful imagery and exuberance of their poetry with an emboldening fearlessness. Their work has been recognized consistently at the National Poetry Slam and in the success of the chapbooks they’ve released with Write Bloody Publishing.
7. "Directed By Desire" by June Jordan
June Jordan was a Caribbean-American bisexual poet and activist. One of the most widely published and highly acclaimed writers of her generation, poet, playwright and essayist June Jordan was also known for her fierce commitment to human rights and progressive political agenda.
Over a career that produced 27 volumes of poems, essays, and work for children, Jordan engaged the fundamental struggles of her era: over civil rights, women’s rights, and sexual freedom.
