Photo: UrbanFaith.com

I'm all kinds of hype because today is #WorldPoetryDay! I have had a long, beautiful, complex relationship with poetry. It has been my outlet through tough breakups and has given me a place to speak my truths when it felt like no one in the world was listening. 

Poetry has also given me hope for change through my stories and the stories of other black women who are not afraid to share their deepest feelings or triumphs with the world. Women who take you on a journey through words, motion and song. Women who empower everyone around them by telling their stories. 

Here are a few black girl poetry books that every young woman of color should check out: 

1. BlackGirlMansion – Angel Nafis

2. Carnival – Alyesha Wise

3. BlackGirlMagic: A Poem – Mahogany L. Browne 

4. Electric Arches – Eve Ewing

5. Another Black Girl Miracle – Tonya Ingram

6. Neon Soul – Alex Elle

7. Bone – Yrsa Daley-Ward

8. Questions for Ada – Ijeoma Umebinyuo

9. The Bones, the Breaking, the Balm: A Colored Girl's Hymnal – Dominique Christina