Poetry book for teen aged 14

[OpenDoorMuriel]

Please can you recommend me a book of poetry for my 14 year old niece? She is quiet and thoughtful and loves creative writing. She would like to read some poetry but doesn’t know where to start. Not the stuff they do at school like war etc, more about people’s lives, love, heartbreak etc. she’s quite mature but also quite new to poetry for enjoyment so nothing very complex.

This is a lovely anthology https://www.amazon.co.uk/365-Poems-Life-Uplifting-Collection/dp/1529088399/ref=asc_df_1529088399?mcid=691a4d7fd9ba3dc48ef0957ae8e56052&th=1&psc=1&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697279887092&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5848361986387399613&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046111&hvtargid=pla-2194205611846&psc=1&gad_source=1

Dd (13) loves Mary Oliver, Sylvia Plath and Carol Ann Duffy

Thank you @BarbaraVineFan I will take a look

Thank you @dontyousayI will do some googling, it’s hard to know where to start so this little list sounds great.

The Rattle Bag is brilliant

Rachel Rooney published a book of poetry specifically aimed at teenage girls called Hey, girl! I keep meaning to get it for DD but haven't yet so don't know how it is but I've liked her other work.

Mary Oliver is a good suggestion. Uplifting poems of hope.
Carol Ann Duffy's Rapture is a good book of love poetry.

DD adores Hollie McNish.

At the same age, I read a lot of Emily Dickinson.

John Hegley for some wry funny-but-serious poetry.

I have an older one called 100 poems to learn by heart. Selected by Ted Huges and with a good mix of modern and older ones.

poem for everyday book has some religious ones which aren’t my thing.

Why not encourage her to sign up for the mailing lists of, say,

Faber
Bloodaxe
Carcanet

then she’ll have regular information on new and old work and can make her own choices from a limitless supply. She’d also be informed of poetry readings and events - and most websites have an area where they discuss the writing of their featured poets.

It’s a great ‘hobby’ all round to have as a teen - but will be most satisfying once she moves beyond a tiny handful of familiar names. Poetry in English (from all over the world) is in really fine fettle right now.

Any of these might be a good place to start:

https://poetrysociety.org.uk/news/t-s-eliot-shortlist-2024-announced/

https://www.carcanet.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?product=2356

https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571394265-the-forward-book-of-poetry-2025/

Ah wonderful! Thank you all x

Staying Alive by Neil Astley (anthology). Approachable but worthwhile. There are two others in the series Being Human and Staying Human but Staying Alive is the best IMHO.

Also, anything by Billy Collins. There is a "best of" type anthology called... Taking off Emily Dickinson's Clothes.

Edited to add title as above.

https://buttonpoetry.com

if you put button poetry into YouTube you may find something you think is up her street. Some may be most adult than you want though