If you read Rupi Kaur’s the sun and her flowers and instantly felt the urge to explore other poetic works of art, you’re not alone. I have graciously prepared a list of other poetry collections with similar themes that will likely leave you with comparable feelings of awe. If you haven’t read the sun and her flowers, seriously WYD?! This article lists 7 reasons why you should! We’re all together on this #letpoetryunwindyoursoul mission, so without further ado, here are 5 poetry collections that are sure to unwind your soul.
1. Questions for Ada by Ijeoma Umebinyuo
Questions for Ada explores similar themes of love, pain, healing and family. The collection also narrates the author’s immigrant experience, with a sprinkle of race issues. Her poems will grip your heart and leave you wanting more.
2. Odes by Sharon Olds
Rupi Kaur described Sharon Olds as “one of the greatest feminist poets of our time”. Odes is a fun collection of odes to the female body, the female experience, and everything that comes with it. It explores similar themes of love and body positivity as explored in the sun and her flowers.
3. Where the Words End and My Body Begins by Amber Dawn
The poems are written in glosa form which is quite different from Kaur’s free verse style. The result is a refreshingly beautiful homage to queer poets, exploring themes of trauma, feminism and sexuality.
4. Born to Love, Cursed to Feel by Samantha King This collection captures feelings of love, pain, and growth, which mirror the emotions captured in the sun and her flowers’ ‘wilting’ , ‘falling’ and ‘blooming’ sections/chapters.
5. A History of the Cetacean American Diaspora by Jenna Le A History of the Cetacean American Diaspora uses nature to capture the immigrant narrative, while detailing common themes of womanhood through her personal experiences. It’s not a light read, and it’s written in a slightly different style from the sun and her flowers but it’s definitely worthwhile (as seen in the glowing Goodreads reviews).