The Poetry of Resistance, Resilience, and Revolution
Feminist poetry is more than just a course in a women’s studies or a theme during women’s history month. It’s a mirror, a megaphone, a whispered confession, and oftentimes, a rally cry. Feminist poetry reminds us that poetry is both intensely personal and radically political for poets and readers. The world is still rife with gender inequality, poetry remains a steadfast way to give silenced voices a platform.
We’ve put together a list of incredible feminist poetry collections. Each book offers a space for grief, joy, rage, and healing between every verse. They give you the words to finally speak of your own experience or understand another’s journey. So, read on and remember that poetry is a great vessel for resistance and revolution,
Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth, by Warsan Shire
This powerful and visceral collection discusses womanhood, immigration, and identity through Shire’s raw and evocative use of language and verse. These poems are an unapologetic look at pain, displacement, survival, and the resilience of the human spirit.
Girls That Never Die: Poems, by Safia Elhillo
In this lyrical and piercing collection, Elhillo writes about girlhood, shame, and survival in the context of Sudanese-American identity. Her poems speak to the silences and stigmas surrounding women’s lives. It is a collection that showcases the lived experiences and everyday trauma of women and girls, alongside visions of rebellion, autonomy, and power.
Ariel by Sylvia Plath
This collection is one of the most iconic in feminist poetry, blazing with intensity, insight, and anguish. Plath’s searing language and imagery capture the struggle between personal agency and societal constraint. Her voice, raw and uncompromising, continues to resonate across generations.
Milk and Honey, by Rupi Kaur
Rupi Kaur’s debut collection speaks plainly yet powerfully about survival. She writes about abuse, love, femininity, and healing in a way that invites readers in rather than holding them at a distance. Even today, this collection is a gateway into feminist poetry and personal liberation for many people.
The Daugher of a Man, by L.J. Sysko
With dark humor and playfulness, Sysko’s collection takes readers on an unconventional hero’s journey. Alongside her unexpected cast – sex worker Betsey Ross and raptor Dolly Parton, to name a few – she offers up her take on femininity, power, misogyny, and womanhood with a side of nostalgia, self-critique, and biting humor.
C+nto: & Othered Poems, by Joelle Taylor
Winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize, this collection is fierce, unapologetic, and revolutionary. Taylor brings to life the hidden histories of butch lesbian counterculture, transforming oral testimonies into breathtaking poetic performance. This is feminism with teeth and tenderness.
Teeth in the Back of My Neck, by Monika Radojevic
Radojevic’s debut collection explores identity, race, and womanhood with clarity and emotion. She writes with the urgency of someone claiming space, and the grace of someone inviting others to do the same. The depth and insight into the complexities of ancestry and history showcase Radojevic’s incredible talent.
Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift, by Kristie Frederick Daughtery
This anthology brings together over a hundred accomplished poets to explore themes sparked by Taylor Swift’s music. This powerhouse group of poets each contributed an original poem responding to a song, covering themes of grief, girlhood, reinvention, heartbreak, and autonomy. With voices across gender, race, and identity lines, this collection feels like a celebration of community, vulnerability, and feminism.
Feminist poetry gives voice to the silenced, language to the overlooked, and strength to the weary. Want more poetry that speaks to your soul? Browse through the rest of our articles. You never know where your next favorite poem might be waiting.
