Earlier this year, I came out with a list of 10 Female Poets Who Will Blow Your Mind. Now, 5 months later, I give to you: 15 male poets who will make your heart flutter. These poets are incredibly talented, kind-hearted, and phenomenal at what they do. Choosing just one poem for each of these poets is extremely difficult because they are brilliant in so many of them. Also, even choosing 15 poets was difficult because there are so many who just as easily could make this list. Perhaps I will make another list in the near future for the rest. Feel free to comment your suggestions below!
15. Sage Francis
(Video Credit: Epitaph Records)
Sage Francis was introduced to me a couple years back and there is absolutely no one who can do the level of metaphors he can at his pace. His poetry is clever, brilliant, and for someone who loves words and language, he easily blows my mind.
14. Alex Dang
(Video Credit: Button Poetry)
Alex Dang is an incredibly talented poet. His poems have so much truth in them and he is a professional in the execution and delivery of his pieces. Any member of the audience can tell how passionately he feels each piece he performs.
13. Ethan Smith
(Video Credit: Button Poetry)
Ethan Smith is a wonderfully spoken poet who talks very truthfully and honestly about transitioning. With the bathroom bill being such a hot topic in today's politics, Ethan's poem is timely, beautiful, and extremely relevant. The way Ethan performs, it is enough to make anyone tear up.
12. Peter LaBerge
(Video Credit: Winter Tangerine)
Of the many poet crushes I have listed here, Peter is definitely a big one for me. He is the founder of The Adroit Journal and a phenomenal poet. It is no wonder he's made many top lists at such a young age. He is nothing short of remarkable.
11. Mckendy Fils-Aime
(Video Credit: Button Poetry)
I wish I could put into words how fantastic Mckendy is. His poems are soul-crushingly perfect and his performance alone could break hearts. Even when he is performing a poem on something as seemingly simple as breakfast, fifteen seconds in, you are crying.
10. Will Giles
(Video Credit: Button Poetry)
Will Giles won over my heart at last year's National Poetry Slam. Not only is he the FIRST Pacific Islander to win the National Underground Poetry Slam Competition, he also has been on a fair few final stages at national competitions.
9. Danez Smith
(Video Credit: Button Poetry)
Danez is one of those poets that makes you feel things without even being certain how he got you to feel them. He speaks so much truth with so much finesse. Every word out of his mouth is poetry. It's pretty easy to fall in love with this incredible poet.
8. Amir Safi
(Video Credit: Write About Now)
I first knew I loved Amir and his poetry when I heard his Ode to Whataburger aka one of the All-Texan burger restaurants. He has a way of making poetry a crowd experience, filled with humor, fun, and deep thoughts.
7. Dylan Garity
(Video Credit: Button Poetry)
Dylan Garity might just be every girl's dream after hearing his poem, "Friend Zone." He is also one of the major leaders of Button Poetry, which means he is responsible for bringing the rest of the world some incredible poetry, which means he is basically responsible for my addiction to spoken word poetry. What's not to love?
6. Patrick Roche
(Video Credit: Button Poetry)
I've had a poet crush on Patrick Roche for a while now. Getting to meet him at Nationals last year might've been one of the greatest experiences. At the time, I only knew him for his poem, "21." Now, I've heard a range of poems from him and fall in love with each and every one.
5. Jesse Parent
(Video Credit: Button Poetry)
Jesse Parent will ALWAYS make my top 10 list. ALWAYS. There are no questions. He reminds me of a cross between my father and my former debate coach. Everything about Jesse is fun, loving, poetic, and exciting. His heart is humongous and he is definitely one of the coolest people I've ever met.
4. Beau Sia
(Video Credit: Spoken Poetry TV)
There is nothing-- I mean NOTHING-- like Beau Sia in tie-dye clothing. He is confident. He is fierce. He is fun. He is serious. He is full of energy. He knows how to make a poet feel like a million dollars. We had Beau come to Mount Holyoke a couple years back and it was the neatest experience to work with him on poems, then perform in front of him, then watch him perform. He is pretty dang perfect.
3. Buddy Wakefield
(Video Credit: Speakeasy NYC)
Buddy Wakefield is more than a poet. He is transcendent. He does not perform 'poems.' He performs 'stories' that are poems spoken so naturally, so casually, so interactively, that his performance goes above and beyond any normal 3 minute poem. I was lucky enough to watch his set one Tuesday evening in Northampton and my heart ached out of love for all the incredible words he was saying.
2. Neil Hilborn
(Video Credit: Button Poetry)
A couple things about Neil. 1.) He is one heck of a poet. 2.) He is a human filled with genuine kindness and compassion. 3.) He has a sense of humor and allows crazy college girls to perform poems that poke fun at tall men with beards. 4.) He takes ridiculously good selfies. 5.) Did I mention how amazing his poetry is?? Seriously, it is AMAZING. So many heart flutters!
1. Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib
(Video Credit: Button Poetry)
Hanif is the type of poet that inspires other poets to take his profile picture and photoshop it a hundred different ways to promote his new book, The Crown Ain't Worth Much, which is in presale at Button Poetry. He also recently wrote an article about Drake and sports. Hanif wins prom king for all poetry events ever.
For the record, I could've written close to 100 more incredible poets on this list. Unfortunately, that would make the article WAY too long. So, instead, I encourage you to comment with your own favorites! Tell a poet how much they inspire you and thanks for reading!
