Danez Smith is a celebrated poet known for bold and powerful explorations of identity, race, and queerness. Their poetry collection Don't Call Us Dead received critical acclaim, earning recognition for its profound honesty and vivid imagery.
If you enjoy reading books by Danez Smith then you might also like the following authors:
Ocean Vuong writes with deep emotion and beautiful imagery, exploring themes of family, memory, identity, and queer experience. His poetry often blends intimate personal stories with larger ideas about history and immigration.
His collection Night Sky with Exit Wounds reveals relationships, loss, and longing in a style that feels both gentle and powerful.
Saeed Jones's poetry examines race, sexuality, identity, and grief with candid honesty and sharp emotional insight. Jones writes poems that feel both personal and deeply aware of broader social realities.
His collection Prelude to Bruise is vivid and direct, exploring aching experiences of desire, vulnerability, violence, and resilience.
Jericho Brown creates poetry that speaks clearly and with a musical rhythm about race, identity, violence, and intimacy. His style quietly blends personal experience with reflections on larger social issues.
His award-winning collection The Tradition tackles these themes with clarity and courage, offering a thoughtful and deeply moving reading experience.
Claudia Rankine writes poetry that blends lyricism, essay, and visual art. She focuses on themes of racial injustice, identity, and the subtle, everyday ways that racism affects people.
Her book Citizen: An American Lyric explores these ideas with a powerful, direct voice, opening up meaningful conversations about race and American life.
Terrance Hayes crafts poetry that's playful, urgent, and thought-provoking. He explores identity, masculinity, race, and history with bold language and emotional honesty.
His collection American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin stands out for its intensity, creativity, and sharp exploration of race and contemporary America.
Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet and essayist who blends cultural commentary, music criticism, and personal reflections into his work. His writing feels deeply personal and thoughtful, exploring Black identity, grief, community, and the way culture shapes our lives.
In his poetry collection A Fortune for Your Disaster, Abdurraqib confronts heartbreak and rebuilding with honesty and clear-eyed vulnerability.
Fatimah Asghar writes poems that examine identity, queerness, displacement, and family with tenderness, humor, and imaginative honesty. They tell stories that bridge gaps between past and present, often reflecting on their identity as a queer Pakistani-American.
Their poetry collection, If They Come for Us, beautifully and powerfully addresses themes of loss, diaspora, and belonging.
Morgan Parker creates poetry that is bold, playful, and unapologetic. Her work engages openly with mental health, Black womanhood, pop culture, and contemporary anxieties.
Parker confronts difficult emotions and harsh realities with humor and frankness in her collection There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé, which explores and critiques society's treatment of race, gender, and identity.
Kaveh Akbar's poems feel intimate, spiritual, and deeply reflective. His poetry frequently explores struggles with addiction, recovery, faith, and the search for meaning and self-understanding.
Akbar brings vulnerability and clarity to these tough themes, particularly in his collection Calling a Wolf a Wolf, where his emotional openness resonates with readers.
Nate Marshall's work is marked by precise, rhythmic language and authentic storytelling that centers on community, race, masculinity, and hip-hop culture.
His poems often reflect his experience growing up on Chicago’s South Side, balancing complex social commentary with heartfelt reflections. Marshall's collection Wild Hundreds showcases his energetic voice and vivid poetry that warmly invites readers into his world.
Patricia Smith is a powerful poet known for her vivid storytelling and emotional depth. She explores identity, race, social justice, and personal history with great honesty.
In her poetry collection Blood Dazzler, Smith captures the devastation and humanity surrounding Hurricane Katrina. Readers who appreciate Danez Smith's frank, heartfelt writing about race and human experiences will likely find Patricia Smith equally moving.
Tyehimba Jess creates inventive poetry with a strong historical voice. He thoughtfully examines histories of race, music, and identity, often pushing the boundaries of poetic form and style.
His poetry collection Olio re-imagines the untold stories of African American musicians and performers after the Civil War. Fans of Danez Smith’s focus on marginalized histories and racial identity will connect deeply with Jess's unique storytelling approach.
Ada Limón writes accessible yet beautifully crafted poetry that explores nature, identity, and the complexities of being human. Her thoughtful voice connects everyday experiences with profound emotional truths.
In her collection The Carrying, Limón reflects on fertility, health struggles, and connection to nature. Readers who enjoy Danez Smith's direct, emotionally resonant poetry will appreciate Limón’s perceptive voice and heartfelt honesty.
Jamila Woods creates poetry and music that reflects her community-driven spirit, focusing intently on Black identity, womanhood, and artistic empowerment. Her language blends lyrical clarity with emotional sincerity.
Her album and multidisciplinary poetic work HEAVN explores Black cultural histories, personal strength, and self-love. Fans of Danez Smith who appreciate poetry that celebrates Blackness, gender identity, and personal authenticity will resonate with Woods’s captivating voice.
Aracelis Girmay writes poetry that is deeply human, tender, and compassionate. She explores themes of migration, loss, identity, and belonging through precise and lyrical imagery. Her poetry often is attentive to bodies, memory, history, and places.
In her book The Black Maria, Girmay examines African diasporic experience alongside personal and collective mourning and celebration. Like Danez Smith, she writes poems that are emotionally nuanced, beautiful, and socially resonant.