Whether you’re driving, cooking, cleaning, or just relaxing, a spoken poetry playlist can be the perfect way to change up your poetry routine. Listening to a mix of poets can help you discover new favorites and hear old ones through a new lens. So, give your eyes a break and let your ears do the work with these eight powerful poetry playlists on Spotify.
Poetry: In Their Own Voices by Spotify
This carefully curated playlist brings you over 70 poems by women—read by the authors themselves. Featuring Rita Dove, Elizabeth Bishop, Sylvia Plath, and more, you’re sure to hear from some of your favorite authors and discover a few new talented voices.
poetry by Lorraine Selembu
This playlist starts off strong with the album I Love My Love by Reyna Biddy. Biddy reads her poems alongside gentle solo piano riffs and organ melodies for a delicate yet powerful tone. Poems by Neil Hilborn, Andrea Gibson, and even Langston Hughes follow in a similar fashion with music mixed in. As a bonus, this playlist offers a few musical contributions including influential artists like Solange; Tupac; Tyler, The Creator, and band BROCKHAMPTON.
Poetry & Music by Spotify
This playlist is exactly as it sounds: a selection of poetry about, accompanied by, and adapted into music. It not only includes a handful of poems beautifully narrated by Meryl Streep, but also poems by Thomas Hardy, Percey Shelley, Christina Rossetti, and other well-known poets narrated tastefully by a selection of distinguished readers.
This Is Button Poetry by Spotify
Those who enjoy Button Poetry (or performance poetry in general) will feel at home listening to this playlist. It compiles the essential tracks from Button Poetry, all in one playlist. Hear from the latest poetry sensations like Rudy Francisco, Neil Hilborn, Sabrina Benaim, Phil Kaye, Olivia Gatwood, and more.
Spoken Word and Slam Poetry by Button Poetry
If one Button Poetry playlist isn’t enough, this compilation by Button Poetry themselves is sure to satisfy. You’ll hear from the best of Button poetry in this 5.5-hour playlist, which includes an array of artists such as Nora Cooper, Isha Camara, Talia Young, Emi Mahmoud, Buddy Wakefield, and more.
Modern Poetry by Spotify
This time-honored playlist features selections of Modern and contemporary poetry. Plus, it features readings from the poets themselves. Hear the voices of renowned authors like William Carlos Williams, Elizabeth Bishop, D.H. Lawrence, Ezra Pound, E.E. Cummings, Robert Frost, Muriel Rukeyser, and more.
A Hipster’s Guide to Poetry by Spotify
If you can enjoy a self-aware playlist with a slight sense of humor, this one is for you. Created by Spotify, it offers a collection of modern, eccentric, ironic, progressive, bohemian, experimental, cheeky, and romantic poetry. With 30 poems in tow, you’ll hear from names like Anne Sexton, Jack Kerouac, Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsberg, Alain De Botton, Rudyard Kipling, and even Shakespeare.
The Sounds of Slam Poetry by The Sounds of Spotify
Under the gun of a slam competition, this playlist brings an exhilarating level of intensity to the table and is perhaps one of the most intense playlists in our lineup. This collection of slam poetry includes well-known poets like Andrea Gibson, Neil Hilborn, Levi the Poet, Buddy Wakefield, and more.
Poetry is a powerful tool for self-expression, written or spoken. You might be surprised to find new meanings through spoken versions of your familiar favorites, or you might fall in love with something new. No matter what you discover, remember to dive in with an open mind and enjoy the experience.
