Family Poetry

Read by the author, Jake Hawkey. In But & Though, Jake Hawkey scrutinizes the impact of parental addiction on families, its title a nod to the language of dependency, its circles of prevarication and excuse. Hawkey’s poems chart the loss of a father and the resilient love between siblings, and...

A timely and moving collection from the renowned inaugural poet on issues facing our country and people—immigration, gun violence, racism, LGBTQ issues, and more. Through an oracular yet intimate and accessible voice, Richard Blanco addresses the complexities and contradictions of our...

Inspiring poems for families.

From one of the sharpest up-and-coming voices in contemporary poetry, a stunning collection that explores our most fundamental instincts, capacity for affection, and the ways in which we resemble the wild Find Me as the Creature I Am is a book full of tenderness and violence, longing and love...

A haunting, intimate, and beautifully-crafted collection of poems rooted in southern Appalachia that reflects on loss and remembrance—and reaches beyond the constraints of time and place Rose McLarney’s fourth collection of poems, Colorfast, reckons with fading and bleeding away, the gray of...

In this story the child is invited on a journey into the galaxy where wonders never cease. This is a galaxy where love, acceptance, and unconditional support reign supreme. “THE FAMILY STAR” offers a standing invitation to the child. The child will learn that they are always in good company as Stars are personified in a unique and brilliant way. It is a fascinating opportunity to look upon a galaxy of stars in their seemingly infinite number and feel comforted by their resilience and tenacity.

Dylan cannot sleep without his Cosydoze, but it goes missing on a visit to Granny’s house. Where has it gone? And can Mum and Dad get Dylan to sleep without it? A funny, heart-warming story for very young listeners told in rhyme.

A dear uncle takes his nieces, nephews, and dogs on an adventure in Mother Nature. But Mother Nature has a surprise in store for the group. Join in the fun as they discover that the real magic is in the journey, not the destination.

Author Avery Washington's style of poetry is compassionate and thought provoking. His childhood experiences, being raised by a single mother, have created this huge heart he has for women and children. Avery Washington's gift of words in Mother reads as a universal anthem for respecting the beautiful women in our lives. He has created a unique platform to pour out his love for not only his family, but for other families as well, setting an example that men can revere women without being regarded as weak.

The purpose for which I wrote the following poem(s) is because they assisted me in expressing the feelings, thoughts, and emotions which I was having at the time while I walked through a relatively challenging period of my life. I hope to inspire other young Black males to also express their thoughts, talk about their feelings, and to hopefully try to make the world a better place. Allow yourself as the listener to think of your own perspective regarding these topics, issues, and subject matters.

The women in Allison Adair’s debut collection—luminous and electric from the first line to the last—live in places that have been excavated for gold and precious ores. They understand the nature of being hollowed out, of being “the planet’s stone / core as it tries to carve out one secret place and fails.” And so, as these poems take us from the midst of the Civil War to our current era, they chart fairy tales that are at once unsettling and painfully familiar, never forgetting that cruelty compels us to search for tenderness.

In a working-class family that considers sensitivity a “fatal diagnosis,” how does a child grow up to be a poet? What happens when a body “meant to bend & breed” opts not to, then finds itself performing the labor of care regardless? Why do we think our “common griefs” so singular? Bad Hobby is a hard-earned meditation on questions like these—a dreamscape speckled with swans, ghosts, and weather updates.

In these poems, Kleber-Diggs names delight in the same breath as loss. Moments suffused with love—teaching his daughter how to drive; watching his grandmother bake a cake; waking beside his beloved to ponder trumpet mechanics—couple with moments of wrenching grief—a father’s life ended by a gun; mourning children draped around their mother’s waist; Freddie Gray’s death in police custody. Even in the refuge-space of dreams, a man calls the police on his Black neighbor.

This book is based on the life experiences of a little girl who had to grow up fast. She was a mother at the age of 14. She had an apartment and adult bills at the age of 15. She struggled in an urban environment to do the right thing, but kept doing the wrong until she had enough experiences in life to guide her through her storm. Learning by experiences and not giving up, today she is a successful business owner, and her daughter is also a successful business owner. She has two beautiful, respectful, and smart granddaughters.

From Lincoln Center’s inaugural poet-in-residence comes this unflinching collection that intricately mines the experience of being a Black woman in America. A highly anticipated volume from critically acclaimed poet Mahogany L. Browne, Chrome Valley is at once a luminous hymn and a battle cry. Spanning the course of her own life as well as embodying centuries of virulent history, this collection pays solemn tribute to the women who came before her.

Clara Jean Beaman Walker was the third of seven children born to Cora and Clarence Beaman in Knoxville, TN, in 1910. Considered to be “Little Mother” by her siblings, she always gave her best to her birth family and to the family she created with her husband, John Albert Walker. Three sons came from this union: Johnny, Clarence, and Henry. A teacher at heart, Jean saw each child before her and helped them navigate home economics, English, and realizing their potential.

A genre-bending exploration of poetry and human migration—another revelatory expedition from the National Book Award–winning poet who changed the way we see art, the museum, and the Black female figure. Winner of the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry Twenty-five years ago, after her maternal...

Katrine Marie Guldager er tilbage som lyriker med en samling digte, som handler om at blive til i en anden verden. Flere tider og steder lægger sig ind over hinanden. En nutid med børn, kat og hortensiabed flyder sammen med erindringer om en barndom i Østafrika: Haile Selassies løver, at spise nzima med fingrene, tiden tilbragt alene under bananpalmen, at krydse en flod i en anden tid. Og indimellem bryder en stemme ind, jegets mor, som ofte erindrer tingene noget anderledes.

A must-have for any nursery! This bestselling series adds another charming picture book that imagines creatures all across the animal kingdom as kiddos showing affection to their mamas – making it the perfect purchase for Mother's Day and Valentine's Day or any time of year. What if animals...

Through entrancing narration of essay and poetry accompanied by soothing sound effects, Nora Nneka (Dr. Nora Ekeanya) details some of the traumatic events that led to her estrangement from her mother and decision to pursue a career in psychiatry.