13 Songs That Celebrate National Poetry Month

This playlist was originally published on April 7, 2017.

Anaïs Mitchell wanted to be a poet, so she learned guitar in order to make a living writing poems and calling them songs. Ani Difranco built a career on interspersing her music with spoken word. Shaspary Lighteard is a teenager taking Texas, and the world of youth slam poetry, by storm. Yoko Ono’s art, including her poetry, is credited/blamed with breaking up the Beatles. Kayla Q gave new life to a feminist bumper sticker.

In honor of National Poetry Month, here is a mix of artists whose work strikes me as poetry, whether or not there’s much behind it. (This means some poems will be videos, some will be written, and some, denoted by “S”, will be on our Spotify page.)

Track List:

1. Kate Tempest - “Europe is Lost” (S)

2. Shaspary Lighteard - “Love Yourself”

3. Anais Mitchell - “Tailor” (S)

4. Yoko Ono & Tune-Yards - “Warrior Woman” (S)

5. Jessica Romoff - “Untitled“ (S)

6. Angel Gardner - Performance at Seattle City Council (starts at 1:50). Read more about Angel here.

7. Ani DiFranco - “Coming Up” (S)

8. Claudia Castro Luna - “Invitation”

9. Kayla Q - “Questions I’ve Been Asked As A Midwife”

10. Warsan Shire - “For Women Who Are Difficult to Love”

11. Aja Monet - “You Make Holy War“ (S)

12. Peace and Jassmine Parks - “A Black Girl”

13. Honey Sanaa - “Truth Be Told”

For a list of 96 (!!!) female poets to worship immediately, go here.

by Katie Presley

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Katie Presley is a writer and editor currently based on the East Coast (help, how did this happen??). She's been with Bitch in one form or another since 2010, when she started as a New Media Intern, and most recently served as Bitch's first and only Music Editor, from 2016-2017. Past resume lines include Assistant Producer for All Songs Considered at NPR Music, panelist on Pop Culture Happy Hour, and bylines at NPR and Ms. Katie is also a doula and herbalist, and writes a blog on herbal medicine, "The Herbal Apprentice." She also co-founded the first full-spectrum doula organization in Texas, The Bridge Collective. She is also a late-comer to being a Dog Person, but currently lives with four cats.