Poetry book clubs
Join poetry book clubs on Fable, connecting with other readers to discuss great poems. On Everand, you’ll find poetry books: contemporary poets, classic poetry, poetry collections, spoken word poetry, and love poetry books. Then discover other readers in poetry book clubs on Fable, the place where poetry lovers gather online.Download the app to join the club!
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8 book clubs available to join
- Jay Tay moderatesWine down with a Book🥂For busy readers looking to reclaim some Me-Time💜📚🥂39Last activity 2d ago
- Samantha Ivy moderatesthe literary covengrab yourself a drink of choice and a snack and put on some background noise2.7kLast activity 2d ago
- Heather moderatesPoetry for poetsFor those of us who love poetry for its own sake417Last activity 2d ago
- shelf.seeker moderatesBinge Books, Not TVdon't limit your reading. join us in reading classics, postmodern, literary fiction, and more!164Last activity 5d ago
- Angel moderatesstarved for poetrywe take on reading one poem per day and analyse them the best we can <3319Last activity 5d ago
- Natti moderatesThe New Romantics Book ClubDear Reader, each month we pick an Era of the TS discography and read a book to match a song!80Last activity 3w ago
- randa moderatesauroras and sad prose 🥀for melancholic, mythical, and beautifully written literature.178Last activity 1w ago
- w1tchfinger moderatesBook Bacchanaliashort stories + novellas (& poetry)11Last activity 3w ago
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Awesome poetry book reviews
5.0
28 clubs
A.D🍁☕🍰2w ago
I will honestly say that this book was phenomenal; the way the author infused so much emotion into it is what kept me on the edge of my seat. The adventure that Hekate goes through is just incredible, from discovering her true identity and facing numerous challenges to becoming the independent, powerful goddess she was meant to be. This book was filled with beautiful emotions. Additionally, since it had a poetic quality, it felt very smooth and was just a wonderful read. I would definitely read this book again to relive her journey, as it never becomes tiring. It's one of those endings that leave you thinking, "But it's over? Are you serious? We just started!" That’s what I loved most about this book. I would highly recommend it to everyone.
5.0
CassTwentyTwo3w ago
An all time favorite 💛 Gorgeous illustrations and darling nature poems, this is such a special book to me. I’ve been going through a really hard time lately and picking up this beautiful book every night ended up being instrumental in helping me heal. I already loved flipping through it before, but now it’s something even more special than it already was.
Not only were the collections of books contained in this volume created by a fellow chronically ill person, but they are beyond charming and sweet. I actually read through every single poem! My favorites were the ones where you learn something about the plant, like how to boil the nuts so that they’re no longer poisonous to eat, stuff like that. But even when the poems didn’t stand out to me, the art still did. Truly, Cicely’s imagination is incredible!
4.0
Tessa5w ago
I would just like to casually mention 😁😁, in the most humble way possible 😅😅, that I have now read what is widely considered the oldest piece of literature ever written.
No big deal. Just a little light reading from ancient Mesopotamia, circa 2000 BCE. You know, the usual thing you casually pick up between breakfast and checking your phone. Very normal. Very relatable. Just me and a 4,000-year-old clay tablet story.
Anyway.
Before Achilles and Patroclus. Before Frodo and Sam. Before every “ride or die” friendship that has ever existed.
There was Gilgamesh and Enkidu. (Whoop whoop. Ancient bromance alert.)
Let’s begin with Gilgamesh: king of Uruk, two-thirds god, one-third human, and 100% menace to society at the start of the story. The man is so insufferable (so yucky! The guy r@pes women and bullies men like it’s a hobby) that his own people basically pray to the gods like: “Please… send someone to distract this guy before he ruins all our lives.” The gods respond: “Say less.”
So they create Enkidu… a wild man (basically ancient Mesopotamian Tarzan) who lives with animals, runs around naked, and has never heard of civilization, taxes, deadlines, or emotional baggage. (Yes! Living his absolute best life, if you ask me.)
But then civilization happens. After a… (WHAT THE HECK IS THIS PART OF THE STORY ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT… IT’S SO HILARIOUS I HAD TO REREAD IT LIKE THREE TIMES JUST TO MAKE SURE I WASN’T HALLUCINATING) very enthusiastic introduction to human culture, which lasts six days and seven nights (BECAUSE APPARENTLY MESOPOTAMIA DOES NOTHING HALFWAY… SIX DAYS AND SEVEN NIGHTS, SIR?? HYDRATION?? SNACKS?? A NAP PERHAPS??), Enkidu becomes civilized enough (HONESTLY IMPRESSIVE EFFICIENCY FROM ANCIENT PEOPLE… MODERN ORIENTATION PROGRAMS COULD NEVER) to hear about Gilgamesh and think: “This king sounds annoying. I should fight him.”
And so begins the most legendary meet-cute in ancient literature.
And one day, while Gilgamesh is on his way to wreak havoc on yet another poor bride, Enkidu immediately throws hands like they’re in a WWE smackdown. Furniture flies, doors splinter, and the whole city of Uruk is glued to the chaos like it’s the Super Bowl halftime show starring Bad Bunny… except the real main event is two beefed-up dudes smashing everything in sight while awkwardly working through their feelings.
Then suddenly they stop. Look at each other. And go: “Wait… are we best friends now?” Yes. Yes, they are.
From that moment on, these two are inseparable.
Gilgamesh: “Let’s go kill a giant forest monster.”
Enkidu: “Terrible idea. I’m in.”
They march off to fight Humbaba, the terrifying guardian of the Cedar Forest. Is this dangerous? Absolutely. Is it unnecessary? Also yes.
But what is friendship if not enthusiastically enabling each other’s worst heroic impulses? They defeat Humbaba in a scene that feels exactly like two friends hyping each other up during a very chaotic group project where nobody actually knows the instructions but confidence is extremely high.
Then comes the next disaster: Ishtar proposes to Gilgamesh. (Okay boy! Gwapo mo ah!)
Gilgamesh responds with what can only be described as the most brutal rejection speech in ancient history. The man literally lists her previous lovers and explains, one by one, how badly things ended for them. Imagine being rejected and the guy pulls out a PowerPoint presentation of your exes.
This does not go well. (We do not do this! No no. Of course not.)
Ishtar understandably gets furious and sends the Bull of Heaven to destroy Uruk.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu: “Ah. Another bonding activity.”
They defeat the Bull of Heaven together, but unfortunately the gods finally step in and say: “Okay… this bromance has gotten out of hand.”
And this is where the epic takes a turn. Enkidu dies.
Suddenly Gilgamesh.. the loud, arrogant king who started this story.. completely falls apart. He mourns for days, refusing to bury his friend. The same guy who used to chase glory now becomes terrified of death.
What follows is essentially the first recorded existential crisis in literature. Ancient therapy session. Bronze Age edition.
Gilgamesh wanders the world searching for immortality, meets the legendary Utnapishtim, and learns a lesson humanity has apparently been struggling with ever since: You can’t escape death.
You can only live your life, love your friends, build something meaningful, and accept that your time is limited.
But before learning that lesson, Gilgamesh actually does obtain a magical rejuvenation plant that can restore youth.
And what does our hero do after finally getting this extremely rare, mythical, once-in-a-lifetime plant? He decides to go skinny dipping. Yes. Truly.
So while he’s relaxing in the water like he’s on a Mesopotamian spa day, a snake casually slithers over, steals the plant, eats it, and becomes rejuvenated instead.
Which brings me to my very important academic takeaway: If you finally obtain the magical plant of eternal youth… for Epic’s sake, DO NOT go skinny dipping before taking it. (Gosh it’s so frustrating.)
Which is honestly a lot to process for a story that started with two guys wrestling in the street.
So yes, The Epic of Gilgamesh contains monsters, gods, quests, divine rejection drama, a stolen immortality plant, and the secret of life.
But at its heart, it’s really about this:
Two chaotic dudes meet.
Become best friends.
Fight everything they see.
And accidentally create one of the most moving stories about friendship and grief ever written.
Ancient Mesopotamia invented the bromance genre, and frankly, no one has topped it since.
2.0
369 clubs
Jacqueline 🍓22w ago
No no, it’s fine, I just didn’t think it would be so racist.
Before you come for me with the “it was a different time” YES WE GET IT but it still made me viscerally uncomfortable how racist this book was. The epitome of white feminism.
I went into the book fairly blind so I was not expecting it at all. It’s okay for me to want a feminist novel without overt racism I promise.
It’s such a let down because I genuinely enjoyed the writing STYLE. Sylvia has good prose. But I am so happy to be done with this book and not have to think about it again.
I enjoy classic literature but this one was not for me.