The Penguin Modern Poets are succinct, collectible, lovingly-assembled guides to the richness and diversity of contemporary poetry, from the UK, America and beyond. Every volume brings together representative selections from the work of three poets now writing, allowing the seasoned poetry lover and the curious reader alike to encounter our most exciting new voices.
Volume 6, Die Deeper into Life, features the work of Maggie Nelson and Claudia Rankine, the two American poets who, in hybrid books bridging the divide between poetry, lyric prose, life-writing and theory such as Bluets, The Argonauts, Don't Let Me Be Lonely and Citizen, have transformed the literary landscape over the last 15 years, alongside that of Denise Riley, who for decades has been exploring closely related concerns - motherhood; identity and oppression; loss; the language and words that build, or assault, our selves - as one of the best-kept secrets of British poetry, now fittingly recognized by a string of shortlistings and awards. These are writers who combine deep thought with deep feeling to illuminate our world, how we suffer in it, how we resist it, and how we can live with and love it.
Maggie Nelson is a poet, critic and the author of five books of non-fiction. Her books include the hybrid cult classic Bluets and The Argonauts (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award), as well as four poetry collections. In 2016 she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She currently lives in Los Angeles.
Claudia Rankine is the author of five books, including the bestselling Citizen: An American Lyric. A chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, she is the winner of many prizes including a 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and a 2016 MacArthur Fellowship. She is an adjunct professor of English and African-American Studies at Yale University.
Denise Riley is a critically acclaimed writer of both philosophy and poetry. She is currently Professor of the History of Ideas and of Poetry at UEA. Her latest collection is Say Something Back (2016), for which she won the Roehampton Poetry Prize. She lives in London.
