6 Spirited December 2024 Poetry Releases
It’s fitting that as the year closes, we tend to reflect and look back. The poetry collections releasing this December fit this contemplative mood, with many reaching into the past. Readers can look forward to never-before-seen poems from late intellectuals, new translations that breathe life into celebrated texts, and an anthology of some of the best work published in small presses throughout 2024. On the whole, it’s a month full of spirited releases that offer a glimpse into the enduring power of our favorite genre.
The Pushcart Prize XLIX: Best of the Small Presses 2025 Edition, edited by Bill Henderson
Release date: December 3
Do you wish you had the time to read dozens of literary journals and find the most promising new voices? The Pushcart Prize’s annual anthology makes this dream more attainable, presenting incredible work in all genres from 50 small presses. You just might find a new favorite poet by combing through these pages – which 180 editors came together to curate.
Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift, edited by Kristie Frederick Daughtery
Release date: December 3
Throughout the profound cultural moment that was Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, it feels like we’ve been learning that just about everyone is a Swiftie—from Prince William to Lin-Manuel Miranda. Now, some of your favorite poets are joining the fandom, with this sweet, sonic anthology celebrating what Taylor Swift’s music has meant and how it has resonated with more than 100 award-winning writers. In this collection, read works in conversation with Swift from Joy Harjo, Diane Suess, Amanda Lovelace, and others.
Monster by Dzifa Benson
Release date: December 3
How do Black female bodies rise-up to resist in the face of constant oppression throughout history? Dzifa Benson strives to answer this heavy and vital question in Monster, her far-reaching poetic debut. Benson traces her own experiences from London to Ghana, while also alluding to Shakespeare, ancient mythology, and thorny British and South African history.
Letters to Gisèle by Paul Celan, translated by Jason Kavett
Release date: December 10
Romantics and francophiles, put this one on your list. Paul Celan is one of the most revered and widely read poets, but this new release shows the lyrical dimension of even his most personal and unstructured writing. The book shows a peek into Celan’s relationship with his wife, an extraordinary visual artist herself. Readers will understand the role that art and literature played in their relationship and how their connection provided refuge and comfort as Celan struggled with his mental health.
What Remains: The Collected Poems of Hannah Arendt, edited by Samantha Rose Hill
Release date: December 10
Hannah Arendt is known as a public intellectual who wrote prolifically about the literary works of Robert Lowell, Emily Dickinson, and others, but until now she hasn’t been seen as a poet in her own right. Nearly 50 years after her death in 1975, this collection showcases Arendt’s poetic prowess and deeply held political and philosophical views through dozens of her original works.
Dusk: Women Poets of Lebanon, edited by Nada Ghosn and Paulina Spiechowicz
Release date: December 17
Dusk: Women Poets of Lebanon shines a well-deserved spotlight on Middle Eastern poetry and delves into the diverse, multifaceted array of stories from a country and culture. With this gorgeous anthology, add the voices of more than 60 Lebanese women poets to your shelf.
The end of the year is fast approaching, making us reflect on all the writing and reading we did in 2024, and all that we hope to still squeeze in. Need more recommendations to hunker down with through the holidays? Take a look back at the poetry collections we anticipated most at the beginning of this year.
