First things first, lets clear something up about poetry. It’s not all dead white men. If thats not your thing, or you just want a something less intimidating to get you started then heres a couple of poets that you might want to check out.

To start things off I’d like to introduce you to Lang Leav. One of my current favourite poets, the poetry and prose of Lang Leav seems to make the step into poetry less daunting and accessible. The majority of her work focuses around love and loss, and talks about moments we have all experienced or can at least emphasise with.

Books include: Love and Misadventure, Lullabies, and Sea of Strangers

Next on the list is Alexandra Elle. The first book I read of Alexandra’s was Neon Soul. The format of the book was very much similar to that of Rupi Kaur’s, milk and honey. The writing explores self love, loosing passion for the things you love, and life. It’s not only a great book for getting into reading poetry, but also writing it. A little bonus, the book includes writing prompts and exercises in the back to help get you started.

Books include: Neon Soul, Words from a Wanderer, and Love in my Language

Last up is Florence Welch, one of my all time favorite wordsmiths (who I luckily got to see live last week). Her music and lyrics communicate themes of love and death relatable to many, but also uses renaissance and religious themes of heaven and hell, adding a mystical touch to her writing.   In her recent book, Useless Magic, Florence shares along with her lyrics some of her poetry.

Books include: Useless Magic

Share some of your favorite modern poets in the comments below. And if you’d like to share your poetry with us, or submit a piece for a zine tag us @grapefruitsoup or alternatively email us at grapefruitsoupclothing@gmail.com