100 Queer Poems

it’s safe to say i loved this poetry collection. i devoured it in a matter of hours (no matter how many poetry loyalists say not to do that, i simply could not stop myself). it is so beautifully collated and expressed, and is a real testament to random house/vintage, andrew mcmillan, mary jean chan, and the poets. it made me laugh, it made me cry, but most of all, it left me entirely speechless.

‘100 queer poems’ is split into seven sections, which i admit i was dubious of first (for how can one define poetry?) but they make perfect sense, and have a real balance to them. one thing in particular i loved was the inclusion of translated works, which are so often overlooked in poetry collections, but hold such beauty. this was a fantastic choice.

upon my first read, i chose to follow the collection in order (as i believe there’s always a method to the madness), although there is recognition that you can choose to read however you please. i want to read this collection in every order possible. personally, my favourite section was ‘queer relationships’, and my favourite poems (always a tough decision!) were ‘what gretel knows’, ‘valentine’, ‘the whistler’, ‘untitled/villanelle’, ‘funeral blues’, ‘wrong star’, ‘afterwards’, ‘rooms’, ‘a litany for survival’, ’2004’, and ‘reasons for staying’, but all of them certainly hold their own power.

also - please do not skip the introductions! there is a real sense of comfort provided from them, especially as you move through the collection. not all of the poems are explicitly queer, but you can rest easy knowing that they are, and they were chosen for that reason.

the only slight criticism i have is i would love the inclusion of the pronouns of the poets, as i would hate to misgender them.

thank you to random house uk/vintage and netgalley for providing me with a copy!

An absolute pleasure to read such an inspiring and beautiful queer anthology. I loved that there was such a variety of poetry and it wasn't all about relationships.