The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Poetry

Goldfinches by Mary Oliver

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Goldfinches by Mary Oliver
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Goldfinches by Mary Oliver is a beautiful book with gorgeous artwork and a gentle, thoughtful tone. It’s a wonderful introduction for kids to a great contemporary poet, while still being meaningful and enjoyable for adults. The illustrations are stunning and pair perfectly with the poetry, making this a lovely book to read together or enjoy quietly. This is a great pick for families, classrooms, and anyone who appreciates nature, poetry, and beautiful art.

Goldfinches by Mary Oliver, (List Price: $18.99, Viking Books for Young Readers, 9780593692417, March 2026)

Reviewed by Erika Patoni, in St. Simons Island, Georgia

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Poetry Says It Better by Ellen Burstyn

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Poetry Says It Better by Ellen Burstyn
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A very personal and at the same time universal poetry collection tied together by insights from Burstyn’s life. Short introductions and afterthoughts provide context and glimpses into Burstyn’s life. This will be a great book for reluctant poetry readers and old hands open to finding new meanings.

Poetry Says It Better by Ellen Burstyn, (List Price: $26.99, HarperOne, 9780063387683, April 2026)

Reviewed by Jan, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Intifadas by Edward Salem

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Intifadas by Edward Salem
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An important new collection of poetry by Edward Salem, highlighting the Palestinian experience from unique angles and styles. While understandably covering loss, violence, and love of country, land, and people, the poems are at times also funny, strange, and satirical. Salem offers a strong voice (combining tenderness and rage) and authority on a place and identity outside of my lived experience, and I feel more informed and engaged having taken my time with this collection.

Intifadas by Edward Salem, (List Price: $17.95, Sarabande Books, 9781956046694, April 2026)

Reviewed by Sarah, Old Town Books in Alexandria, Virginia

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Wickerwork by Christian Lehnert

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Wickerwork by Christian Lehnert
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Marvelous nature poems, sentences that ground you in the world of growth, life, and abundance. Read these outside, with your lungs full of fresh air and your ears full of birdsong.

Wickerwork by Christian Lehnert, (List Price: $18, Archipelago, 9781962770248, April 2026)

Reviewed by Emily, Thank You Books in Birmingham, AL

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Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems by Larry Levi

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Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems by Larry Levi
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Somehow Larry Levis slipped under my reading radar all these years, but when I saw how cool he looked on the cover of this collection and its fantastic title, I pretty much knew I’d love his stuff. Turns out he studied with one of my favorites—Philip Levine—and suffuses their shared linguistic precision with the kind of probing creativity my heart just can’t get enough of.

Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems by Larry Levi, (List Price: $35, Graywolf Press, 9781644453711, February 2026)

Reviewed by Mark, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, KY

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Nadezhda in the Dark by Yelena Moskovitch

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Nadezhda in the Dark by Yelena Moskovitch
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This is truly what novels written in verse should be. Beautiful and devastating in equal measure, Moskovich reminds us that writing can be at its best when experimented with. Told over the span of one night, and arguably one sentence, this book is a blend of both styles and cultures. Following the Ukrainian Jewish narrator as she rests by her Russian lover in the dark, there are no words exchanged. Instead, what lies in the space between is history, both their own and that of their cultures. There is no clean plot, no clean anything left in their world. There is a series of vignettes: lesbian sex, folk tales, institutional antisemitism, Soviet jokes, the invasion of Ukraine. Through all of it though, is a love that, while it cannot fix their problems, shines beyond reason and uncertainty.

Nadezhda in the Dark by Yelena Moskovitch, (List Price: $17.95, Dzanc Books, 9781938603518, January 2026)

Reviewed by Oliver, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Blue Opening by Chet’la Sebree

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Blue Opening by Chet'la Sebree
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This stunning poetry collection centers around the author’s fascination with beginnings. She fearlessly delves into the mystery of bodies, particularly women’s bodies. My favorite section is the heroic sonnet crown, where each sonnet’s subject is one of the author’s female ancestors. I also love the use of footnotes here; they make these passages feel even more like verses in scripture.

Blue Opening by Chet’la Sebree, (List Price: $18, Tin House, 9781963108460, September 2025)

Reviewed by Becca, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Water by Rumi

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Water by Rumi
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A beautiful, fresh translation of Rumi that reaches back into time and renders the emotional resonance of his poetry. 10/10, amazing translation!

Water by Rumi, (List Price: $14.95, NYRB Classics, 9781681379166, April 2025)

Reviewed by Robin, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, AR

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Water by Rumi

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Water by Rumi
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Haleh Liza Fafori’s translation of 57 poems from Rumi, a poet from the 13th century. The themes are very timely, focusing on materialism versus love, spiritual, and moral growth. I think a few excepts show the depth that is available in this book…. “Criminal to let clouds hide you. Unveil your face and brighten our dim world”…. “If Love’s wine hasn’t seeped into your skull by then, go to the kitchen in Love’s house and lick the plates lovers left behind”.

Water by Rumi, (List Price: $14.95, NYRB Classics, 9781681379166, April 2025)

Reviewed by Jim, Sundog Books in Santa Rosa Beach, FL

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The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith

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The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith
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This collection is so incredibly expansive, not only in the range of the time period Smith is writing but also in her topics, ranging from her experience being a black woman, police brutality, the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, and growing up with Motown as an ever-present current in her life. These poems are fire, are urgent, are playful, and will stick with you long after reading.

The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith, (List Price: $30, Scribner, 9781668055724, September 2025)

Reviewed by Morgan, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Gilgamesh by Simon Armitage

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Gilgamesh by Simon Armitage
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British poet laureate Armitage took years to research and perfect his retelling of this millennia-old ur-poem, and it was worth the wait. Told in a driving tetrameter rhythm, his free-flowing translation may not please purists, but we are treated to both an introduction AND a translator’s note, which are as accessible and interesting as the text itself, explaining his choices and setting the work in historic context. Hypnotic heroic feats mingle with proto-bromance, featuring the earliest known account of the Great Flood, in this classic myth which is as mesmerizing today as it must have been thousands of years ago.

Gilgamesh by Simon Armitage, (List Price: $25, Liveright, 9781631496684, April 2026)

Reviewed by Doron, Octavia Books in New Orleans, LA

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Water by Rumi

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Water by Rumi
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Buy from your local indie.

Haleh Liza Fafori’s translation of 57 poems from Rumi, a poet from the 13th century. The themes are very timely, focusing on materialism versus love/spiritual/moral growth. I think a few excerpts show the depth that is available in this book…. “Criminal to let clouds hide you. Unveil your face and brighten our dim world”…. “If Love’s wine hasn’t seeped into your skull by then, go to the kitchen in Love’s house and lick the plates lovers left behind”.

Water by Rumi, (List Price: $14.95, NYRB Classics, 9781681379166, April 2025)

Reviewed by Jim Clemmons, Sundog Books in Santa Rosa Beach, FL

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Horses by Jake Skeets

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Horses by Jake Skeets
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Opening with the death of almost 200 horses, this collection doesn’t pull any punches. Skeets explores the beauty of living in the Navajo Nation without ignoring the grief. The tragedy is even made an active participant in the pleasures that are still found. He finds a way to reflect these things in the layout of the text and use of punctuation as well, demonstrating an impressive understanding of poetry both as a visual and oral tradition. Everything is purposeful and heartfelt. An important read for everyone, these poems are a striking meditation on the end of the world as we know it and the creation of a new one in the process.

Horses by Jake Skeets, (List Price: $18, Milkweed Editions, 9781639551521, March 2026)

Reviewed by Oliver, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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A Suit or a Suitcase by Maggie Smith

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A Suit or a Suitcase by Maggie Smith
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This beautiful poetry collection looks at the connection between mind and body and the ways our sense of self shifts over time. Moving through questions of memory, meaning, and connection, it asks how time shapes who we are and how we are seen. A quiet, powerful read that stays with you.

A Suit or a Suitcase by Maggie Smith, (List Price: $25, Washington Square Press, 9781668090053, March 2026)

Reviewed by Sandra, Hills and Hamlets Bookshop in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia

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Dog Show: Poems by Billy Collins

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Dog Show: Poems by Billy Collins
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The poetry of Billy Collins never disappoints! A must read this holiday season. Even though I’m a cat person, I couldn’t put this book down. Readers will savor each and every poem along with the dog illustrations by Pamela Sztybel. A joyful read about man’s best friend.

Dog Show: Poems by Billy Collins, (List Price: $20, Random House, 9780593979419, November 2025)

Reviewed by Sheri Bancroft, novel. in Memphis, Tennessee

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