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Poets

Famous Poets

portrait of maya angelou

Maya Angelou

author langston hughes

Langston Hughes

Poet'S Tenderness Walt Whitman; George Washington Whitman, the poet's younger brother, was wounded in the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. Walt Whitman rushed to his brother's side, thus beginning three years of tending the wounded. (Photo by Matthew Brady/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

Walt Whitman

homer

Homer

shel silverstein

Shel Silverstein

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Influential Poets

a man in a fur trimmed long coat and suit looks at the camera while standing for a photo

Oscar Wilde

colored portrait of william shakespeare staring at the viewer, he wears a black jacket over a white collared shirt

William Shakespeare

a book opened to its title page that includes a drawn portrait of william shakespeare on the left side and additional details about the book, including its name, on the right side

20 Shakespeare Quotes

a man riding a galloping horse waves to two people staring out from a doorway, other buildings and people are in the background

The True Story of Paul Revere’s Ride

aretha franklin at the 2009 presidential inauguration, january 20, 2009

The 13 Most Memorable Inauguration Performances

nikki giovanni smiles at the camera, she wears a black and grey patterned collared shirt

Nikki Giovanni

painting showing william shakespeare sitting at a desk with his head resting on his left hand and holding a quill pen

How Did Shakespeare Die?

christine de pisan

Christine de Pisan

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

frida kahlo sits on a table while wearing a floral head piece, large earrings, a plaid blouse and striped pants, she looks off to the right

14 Hispanic Women Who Have Made History

black and white photo of langston hughes smiling past the foreground

10 Famous Langston Hughes Poems

maya angelou gestures while speaking in a chair during an interview at her home in 1978

5 Crowning Achievements of Maya Angelou

amanda gorman at instyle awards red carpet

Amanda Gorman

langston hughes smiles and looks right while leaning against a desk and holding a statue sitting on it, he wears a plaid shirt and pants

7 Facts About Literary Icon Langston Hughes

portrait of edgar allan poe

How Did Edgar Allan Poe Die?

a large headstone engraved with edgar allan poe and busts of the man

Why Edgar Allan Poe’s Death Remains a Mystery

edgar allan poe

Edgar Allan Poe

louis armstrong smling while holding his trumpet

11 Notable Artists from the Harlem Renaissance

maya angelou wearing a red dress and gesturing with her hands as she reads poetry at a podium

10 Famous Poets Whose Enduring Works We Still Read

James Baldwin

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edna st vincent millay

Edna St. Vincent Millay

federico garcía lorca

Federico García Lorca

w h auden

W.H. Auden

countee cullen

Countee Cullen

aa milne

A.A. Milne

portrait of dante alighieri, italian poet

Dante

euripides

Euripides

ralph waldo emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson

petrarch

Petrarch

pablo neruda looks to the top right corner of the photo frame, in the black and white photo he wears a dark suit jacket, white collared shirt and tie, he has a white pocket square in the jacket breast pocket, behind him is a framed drawing of a woman in a dress and on the left of the frame is a stack of books

Pablo Neruda

Joy Harjo, writer during 2005 Sundance Film Festival - "A Thousand Roads" Portraits at HP Portrait Studio in Park City, Utah, United States. (Photo by J. Vespa/WireImage)

Joy Harjo

Ocean Vuong

Ocean Vuong

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audre lorde lectures students at the atlantic center for the arts in new smyrna beach, florida next to a chalkboard that says women are powerful and dangerous

15 Inspiring Audre Lorde Quotes

Robert Frost

Robert Frost

John Keats

John Keats

John Donne

John Donne

James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson

William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth

Claude McKay

Claude McKay

Rita Dove

Rita Dove