Top Ten Lists

Walt Whitman is considered one of the greatest poets in the English language. His most known works are from his epic collection of poetry Leaves of Grass which was first published in 1855 and was republished several times over the next four decades. The last publication consisted of over 400 poems. Here are 10 of … Read more

Ode is a poetic form that can be generalized as a formal address to someone or something. There are three typical types of odes: Pindaric, Horatian, and Irregular. Pindaric odes follow the form and style of ancient Greek poet Pindar. They contain a three part form (strophe, antistrophe and epode). Horatian odes follow conventions of … Read more

Emily Dickinson is considered among the greatest poets in English literature. She is known for her unusual use of form and syntax; and for being “The poet of paradox”. Dickinson was a prolific writer and created nearly 1800 poems but only a handful of them were published during her lifetime. Here are 10 of the … Read more

Active in the twentieth century, Edward Estlin Cummings was an American poet who remains one of the most famous figures in English poetry. His poems on love and nature, and his erotic poetry are perhaps his most popular works, especially among youngsters. The poetry of Cummings is radical for its unconventional punctuation and phrasing. Also, … Read more

Active in the twentieth century, James Mercer Langston Hughes (1902 – 1967) was an African American writer most renowned for his poetry and for being the leading figure of the movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes was one of the early innovators of the genre of poetry known as Jazz Poetry, which demonstrates jazz … Read more

Edgar Allan Poe (1809 – 1849) was an American writer who is one of the most influential and popular figures of American literature. His poetry is famous for its dark romanticism and he often used the theme of the death of a young, beautiful woman. Poe’s poems appear throughout popular culture and lines from them … Read more

Born Marguerite Annie Johnson, Maya Angelou (1928 – 2014) was an African American writer who is most famous for her poems and seven autobiographies. She was a prolific poet who explored numerous themes in her poems including that of women, love, loss, music, struggle, discrimination and racism. Maya Angelou has been referred to as “people’s … Read more

Active in the nineteenth century, Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809 – 1892) was the leading poet of the Victorian age who remains one of the most renowned poets in the English language and among the most frequently quoted writers. He was appointed the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom in 1850 and held the position for … Read more

Sylvia Plath (1932 – 1963) was an American poet who was among the leading writers of the twentieth century. She is regarded as a pioneer in the genre of Confessional poetry, a term used to define poems which focus on the individual; her experience, her psyche, her trauma and the like. Her first poetry collection … Read more

Robert Lee Frost (1874 – 1963) was an American poet who is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed poets in history. He won four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He remains the only poet and one of only four persons to accomplish the feat. Frost is highly regarded for his deep understanding of human … Read more