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Whether you're a poetry fiend or new to the literature, this spring is the perfect time to start exploring different types of poetry and to support contemporary writers. We've compiled a list of five female poets who deserve more hype this spring. Our challenge for you? To check out one (or all!) of these amaze women and show our female poets some love. 

@bookishmelanie

You might know Sarah Kay from her TED talk "If I Should Have a Daughter," which has over 10 million views on YouTube. Her spoken word poetry has taken the internet by storm since the early 2000s, and she has four best-selling books of poetry published. Currently, Sarah Kay travels around the world teaching spoken-word poetry through her organization Project VOICE. Sarah Kay uses her spoken word poetry as an inspirational and educational tool, addressing her path as a poet and performer and expressing how being a woman has impacted that path. 

Emi Mahmoud

@readpoetry_

Emi Mahmoud is truly a poet unlike any other. From South Sudan refugee to the World's Poetry Slam Champion in 2015, Emi Mahmoud is an overwhelmingly inspirational young woman, and her poetry reads just the same. Mahmoud has given multiple peace talks to end violence against children, has worked alongside numerous international leaders and has contributed to multiple roundtable discussions under the Obama Administration.  Emi Mahmoud advocates for refugees and disadvantaged communities around the world through her poetry. You can read her debut poetry collection Sisters' Entrance here. 

Sabrina Benaim 

@tonishadows

Sabrina Benaim is a mental health activist and one of the most viewed performance poets of all time. She is well-known for her slam poem "Explaining My Depression to My Mother," which you can check out here. Benaim's debut poetry book Depression & Other Magic Tricks discusses family, love and mental health through her use of hard-hitting rhetoric and imagery. Sabrina currently advocates and teaches creative writing as a tool for dealing with difficult emotions.

Savannah Brown

@savbrown 

A girl boss in every sense of the world, Savannah Brown is poet, novelist, London-based model and YouTuber. If you are a lover of all things philosophical and existential, Savannah Brown is just the gal for you. You can read some of her poetry online here and follow her Instagram @savbrown for updates on her publications *and* pictures of her cat. 

Blythe Baird

@tinas_library

Blythe Baird is an intersectional feminist-slash-spoken word poet who speaks out about women's issues such as sexual assault, mental illness, eating disorder awareness, sexuality and healing. Blythe Baird's published poetry collection If My Body Could Speak is a must-read for all girls. She discusses female identity, expectations, the need to be accepted and so many other issues that all women have faced throughout girlhood. You can learn more about Blythe Baird on her website here.  

Check out these related articles!
💖 4 *amazing* poets you can find on Instagram 
💖 Why you *need* to start writing poetry this fall
💖 The ultimate Rory Gilmore-inspired TBR list

Tag us in your posts for a chance to be featured on our Instagram @girlslifemag!

Top image via @oliviagatwood. Slider image via @savbrown.  | All GIFs via GIPHY

by Cara Lamina | 6/16/2022