Looking for a young people’s poet?
This alphabetical list of children’s and young people’s poets and verse novelists will get you started. The poets listed here are either published or emerging contemporary poets who are currently writing for children and young adults.
The list also includes important deceased poets who made significant contributions to poetry for young people, and who are mentioned in the NCTE Spotlight and History of Poetry series. These poets are marked with an asterisk.
To search this list, hit Ctrl+F (on PC) or Cmd+F (on Mac) on your keyboard and type the name in the search box that will appear. Each name links to the poet’s website or to another informative site.
Is your favorite poet missing? Are you missing? Let me know!
Search by Letter
A – B – C – D – E – F – G – H – I – J – K – L – M –
N – O – P – Q – R – S – T – U – V – W – X – Y – Z
A
Acevedo, Elizabeth | On NWR: “When I Am Old”
Acey, Joy | On NWR: “How Tall Is the Boy?”
Ada, Alma Flor | On NWR: “Bilingual/Bilingüe”
Adoff, Arnold | On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
Adoff, Jaime
Agee, Jon
Alexander, Kwame
Appelt, Kathi
Argueta, Jorge
Artell, Mike
Ashman, Linda
Atkins, Jeannine | On NWR: “Circles”
B
Babalolo, Watchen Johnson
Bagert, Brod
Balassone, Damian | On NWR: “The Sportsman or the Scientist?”
Barakat, Ibtisam | On NWR: “The Story of My People”
Barnes, Michelle Heidenrich | On NWR: “Love Song” and “Lady Lindy”
Bernier-Grand, Carmen
Biela, Patricia
Black, Robyn Hood | On NWR: “Jade Dragon Snow Mountain”
Susan Blackaby | On NWR: “Recycling”
Brown, Calef
Brownlee, Liz
Brown-Wood, JaNay | On NWR: “To You, Dear Feeder Fish”
Bruchac, Joseph
Bryant, Jen
Bulion, Leslie | On NWR: “Turkey Vulture”
Burdekin, Conrad
C
Calmenson, Stephanie | On NWR: “They Call It Science” and other poems
Campoy, F. Isabel | On NWR: “My Burning Heart”
Carter, James
Carter, Terry Ann
Chaltas, Thalia
Chandra, Deborah
*Ciardi, John | On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
Clark, Sherryl
Coombs, Kate | On NWR: “Gulper Eel”
Cotten, Cynthia
Cronin, Cathy
D
Dakos, Kalli
Degman, Lori | On NWR: “A Snake Ate My Homework”
del Rosario, Juleah | On NWR: “Hope sat”
Dempsey, Kristy | On NWR: “Dinos in the Laboratory”
Diesen, Deborah | See Deborah on “The Daffodil Dance”
Dotlich, Rebecca Kai
Duncan, Alice Faye | On NWR: “Mountaintop”
E
Engle, Margarita | Young People’s Poet Laureate 2017-2019; On NWR: When You Wander and The Lightning Dreamer and “Let’s Build”
*Esbensen, Barbara Juster | On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
Esenwine, Matt Forest
F
Fehler, Gene
Finison, Carrie | On NWR: “Idunno”
*https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/aileen-lucia-fisherFisher, Aileen | On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
Fleischman, Paul
Fletcher, Ralph
Flood, Nancy Bo | On NWR: “The Eagle Lets Us Borrow His Feathers”
Florian, Douglas | On NWR: How to Draw a Dragon
Forrest, Matt
Franco, Betsy
Frost, Helen
G
George, Kristine O’Connell | On NWR: “Math”
Gerber, Carole
Ghigna, Charles
Giovanni, Nikki
Gittins, Chrissie
Goodfellow, Matt | On NWR: Carry Me Away
Goulding, Peter | On NWR: “Put Notcher in Goal”
Grady, Cynthia | On NWR: “These Woods”
Graham, Joan Bransfield | On NWR: The Poem that Will Not End
Grandits, John
Grannick, Carol Coven
Greenfield, Eloise | On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
Grimes, Nikki | On NWR: Words with Wings and NCTE Spotlight and “Threads”
Grover, Lorie Ann
Gunning, Monica
H
Hahn, Mary Lee | On NWR: “After I Made a Huge Mess with my Chemistry Set”
Hancock, Kimberly Douglas
Harley, Avis
Harrison, David L. | On NWR: “Cookie” and “In the School Band” and “Midnight Meeting” and “Yellow Garden Spider”
Harshman, Terry Webb
Havill, Juanita
Heard, Georgia | On NWR: “Find a Poem”
Hemphill, Stephanie
Hern, Frances | On NWR: “Six Times a Charm”
Herrer, Juan Felipe
Herrick, Steven
Hill, Jim | On NWR: “Monstrous”
Hines, Anna Grossnickle
Hoberman, Mary Ann – Children’s Poet Laureate 2008-2011; On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
Holbrook, Sara
Hood, Susan | On NWR: “Buried Treasure”
Hopkins, Ellen
*Hopkins, Lee Bennett | On NWR: “Good Books Good Times” + interview and NCTE Spotlight and NCTE Spotlight Series and History of Poetry Series and “Librarian” and Remembering Lee
Hubbell, Patricia
No entries
J
*Janeczko, Paul B.
Jules, Jacqueline
Judge, Lita | On NWR: “Do You Hear Me?”
K
Katz, Alan
Katz, Bobbi | On NWR: “Considering Copernicus”
Kennedy, X. J. and Dorothy | On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
Klostermann, Penny | On NWR: “Max Mostly Moves On”
Kuderick, Madeleine
Kulp, Linda
*Kuskin, Karla | On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
L
Lansky, Bruce
Larios, Julie | On NWR: “No Strings Attached” and “Names”
Latham, Irene | On NWR: “Dolphin Learns to Spin”
LaTulippe, Renée M. | See Renée’s poems
Lea, Synne | on NWR: poems from Night Guard
Lee, B.J. | “A Garden Prayer” on NWR
Levine, Gail Carson
Levy, Debbie
Lewis, J. Patrick – Children’s Poet Laureate 2011-2012 | On NWR: “Mosquito” + Interview and NCTE Spotlight and “Polar Bear” and “Everything Is a Poem” and “Frog and Toad” and “The Moon”
*Livingston, Myra Cohn | On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
Lyon, George Ella | On NWR: “How Romantic Can You Get?”
M
Macken, JoAnn Early
Maddox, Marjorie
Magliaro, Elaine
Mahoney, Liana
Martino, Carmela A.
McCall, Guadalupe Garcia | On NWR: “The Girl Who Would Be Pope”
*McCord, David | On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
McCormick, Patricia
McDougall, Jill
Mecum, Ryan
*Merriam, Eve | On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
Meyer, Eileen R.
*Moore, Lilian | On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
Mora, Pat | On NWR: “One Blue Door”
Mordhorst, Heidi | On NWR: “Meet the Saurus”
Murphy, Patricia J.
Murray, Diana
*Myers, Walter Dean
N
Nakamura, Raymond K.
Nelson, Marilyn | On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
Nesbitt, Kenn – Children’s Poet Laureate 2013-2015 | On NWR: “My Hamster Has a Skateboard” + interview
Newman, Lesléa | On NWR: “Wedding/Funeral March”
Nye, Naomi Shihab | Young People’s Poet Laureate 2019-2021
O
O’Connell, Greg
Ode, Eric | On NWR: “The Beaver”
Orozco, Jose Luis
Osei-Yaw, DK | On NWR: “Plenty People Chasing One Ball”
P
Park, Linda Sue | On NWR: “The Real Thing”
Paul, Ann Whitford
Peters, Andrew Fusek
Pincus, Greg | On NWR: “I Went to the Farm Where Spaghetti Is Grown”
Prelutsky, Jack – Children’s Poet Laureate 2006-2008
Q
R
Ramsey, Ellen L.
Reid, Heather F.
Rex, Adam
Rice, John
Richards, James
Roemer, Heidi Bee | On NWR: “Food Fest”
Rosen, Michael
Rosen, Michael J. | On NWR: “Funny Bone (Humerus)” and other poems
Ruddell, Deborah | On NWR: “Nobody’s Pet”
S
Salas, Laura Purdie | On NWR: “Hydrophobiac”
Salinger, Michael | On NWR: “Gear”
Sassi, Laura | On NWR: “Sir Ned”
Schaub, Michelle
Schertle, Alice
Scheu, Ted | On NWR: “I Know I’m Going Somewhere”
Shahan, Sherry
Shipley, Jocelyn
Shovan, Laura | On NWR: “Lucky Hat”
Sidman, Joyce | On NWR: “The Ants” and NCTE Spotlight
Silverman, Buffy | On NWR: “Think of an Atom”
Singer, Marilyn | On NWR: “In the Hood” + NCTE Spotlight
Slesarik, Ken | On NWR: “The Woodland Vole”
Smith, Charles R. Jr.
Smith, Hope Anita
Sones, Sonya
Soto, Gary
Spinelli, Eileen
Elizabeth Steinglass | On NWR: “Uniform Day”
Stone, Tiffany | On NWR: “Let’s Grow”
T
Testa, Maria
Thomas, Joyce Carol
Thompson, Holly
Toht, Patricia
U
V
VanDerwater, Amy Ludwig | On NWR: “Spring Sheep” and “Puff” and “Soap Carving”
van Stelten, Rosalee
Venkatraman, Padma | On NWR: “Stepping Up”
W
Wardlaw, Lee | On NWR: Wonton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku
Waters, Charles | On NWR: “A Dog Manifesto”
Wayland, April Halprin | On NWR: “I Like that Night Follows Day”
Weatherford, Carole Boston | On NWR: “Earth Speaks…”
Weinstock, Robert
Weston, Robert Paul
Whitehead, Jenny
Williams, Kate
Withrow, Steven
Wolf, Allan | On NWR: “The Dactyl Poem”
Wolff, Virginia Euwer
Wong, Janet S. | On NWR: “Gonggong and Susie” and “Joyce’s Beauty Salon” and Poetry Friday Anthologies and Poetry Friday Power Books
Wong, Joyce Lee
Woodson, Jacqueline – Young People’s Poet Laureate 2015-2017
*Worth, Valerie | On NWR: NCTE Spotlight
X
No entries
Y
Yolen, Jane | On NWR: “First Take” and other poems and “Performance”
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