20 of the Best Poetry Books to Read in 2022

You might say that we are living in a new golden age of poetry: When a 22-year-old artist becomes the first poet ever to perform for the Super Bowl following the recitation of an inaugural poem that lit up social media and the national imagination… well, that tells you something about where we are. It’s a time when we are flooded with complex emotions and seeking meaning and understanding — and poetry is an ideal medium to explore and inspire all of it. All recent releases with resonant, contemporary themes, these are the 20 of the best poetry books to read in 2021.