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- Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979) The Complete Poems
- Bishop won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1956. Her work is known for its descriptive style, often exploring themes of loneliness, travel and the search for home.
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- Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000). In Montgomery and others
- Chicagoan Brooks wrote poems portraying lives of the urban poor, and was known for her involvement in the Black Arts movement.
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- Rita Dove (1952- ) Mother Love and others
- Appointed as the first African American Poet Laureate in 1993, Rita Dove has won numerous literary prizes.
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- Louise Gluck (1943-) The Wild Iris and others
- Gluck won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1993, and was appointed as U.S. Poet Laureate in 2003. Rather dark, yet accessible, her poems are lauded for their dignity and clarity.
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- Denise Levertov (1923-1997) A Door in the Hive and others
- Author of more than twenty volumes of poetry, Levertov was a feminist and pacifist. Born in England, she served as a nurse in World War II, then married an American and became a naturalized citizen.
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- Amy Lowell (1874-1925) Complete Poetical Works and others
- Lowell's imagist poetry has been compared to Impressionistic painting. She was a socialite-turned-poet, and free verse became her cause celebre.
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- Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) Selected Poems and others
- Jazz Age poet Millay is most remembered for her lyrical sonnets.
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- Marianne Moore (1887-1972) Complete Poems and others
- Considered one of the most important poets of the twentieth century, Moore's objectivist poetry was characterized by wit, irony and precise detail. She believed that poetry should present "imaginary gardens with real toads in them".
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- Sharon Olds (1942- ) The Unswept Room and others
- Known for her stark, frank themes, Sharon Olds published her first book of poems at age 37, and has been winning awards for her poetry ever since.
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- Mary Oliver (1935- ) White Pine and others
- Oliver writes of the natural world, and has won both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award.
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- Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) Complete Poems and others
- A member of the 1920s era Algonquin Hotel Round Table group of writers, Parker's verse was characterized by her malicious wit
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- Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) Ariel and others
- Her book of collected poems won a posthumous Pulitzer Prize. Plath is also widely known for her autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar.
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- Adrienne Rich (1929- ) The Fact of a Doorframe and others
- Feminist poet Rich writes about women's lives and experiences, challenging traditional views.
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- Anne Sexton (1928-1974) The Complete Poems and others
- Sexton began writing poetry at the suggestion of her psychotherapist, and became famous for her confessional style.
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