Poetry
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me. Thus begins "Phenomenal Woman," just one of the beloved poems collected here in Maya Angelou's third book of verse. These poems are powerful, distinctive, and fresh--and, as always, full of the lifting rhythms of love and remembering. And Still I Rise is written from the heart, a celebration of life as only Maya Angelou has discovered it. "It is true poetry she is writing," M.F.K. Fisher has observed, "not just rhythm, the beat, rhymes. I find it very moving and at times beautiful. It has an innate purity about it, unquenchable dignity. . . . It is astounding, flabbergasting, to recognize it, in all the words I read every day and night . . . it gives me heart, to hear so clearly the caged bird singing and to understand her notes."
The second full length poetry collection from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Kind of Woman.
Kate Baer shot into the literary stratosphere with the publication of her debut poetry collection, What Kind of Woman, which became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller.
Kate's second full-length book of traditional poetry, And Yet, dives deeper into the themes that are the hallmarks of her writing: motherhood, friendship, love, and loss. Taken together, these poems demonstrate the remarkable evolution of a writer and an artist working at the height of her craft, pushing herself and her poetry in a beautiful and impressive way.
Intimate, evocative, and bold, Kate's beguiling poetry firmly positions her in the company of Dorianne Laux, Mary Oliver, Maggie Nelson, and other great female poets of our time.
Are Women People? (1915) is a collection of poems by Alice Duer Miller. Inspired by her work as an activist for women's suffrage, Miller published many of these poems individually in the New York Tribune before compiling them into this larger work. Focusing on the opposition of politicians and citizens alike, Miller makes a compelling case for the extension of voting rights to women across the nation. With her keen eye for hypocrisy and even keener ear for the rhythms of the English language, Alice Miller Duer crafts a poetry both personal and political. In "Representation," she lampoons the notion that men's votes and voices are capable of representing the viewpoints of the women in their lives: "My present wife's a suffragist, and counts on my support, / [...] / One grandmother is on the fence, the other much opposed, / And my sister lives in Oregon, and thinks the question's closed; / Each one is counting on my vote to represent her view. / Now what should you think proper for a gentleman to do?" In these lighthearted lines, Miller satirizes the exclusion of women from American democracy, which inherently supposes that womanhood is monolithic, containing no opposing points of view. In "To President Wilson," Miller excoriates the President for his focus on militarism and foreign policy, asking "How can you plead so earnestly for men / Who fight their own fight with a bloody hand; / [...] and then / Forget the women of your native land?" Succinctly and convincingly, Miller makes her case for women's suffrage. This edition of Alice Duer Miller's Are Women People? is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.
Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.
With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.
SONG OF BATTLE AND KINGS
Beowulf is one of the earliest extant poems in a modern European language, composed in England before the Norman Conquest. As a social document this great epic poem is invaluable--reflecting a feudal world of heroes and monsters, blood and victory, life and death. As a work of art, it is unique. Beowulf rings with beauty, power, and artistry that have kept it alive for a thousand years. The noble simplicity of Beowulf's anonymous Anglo-Saxon singer is recaptured in this vivid translation by Burton Raffel.
Translated and with an Introduction by Burton Raffel
and an Afterword by Roberta Frank
The Bird of Time (1912) is a poetry collection by Sarojini Naidu. Naidu's second book of English verse is steeped in the Romantic tradition while entirely conscious of the present political strife of her native India. From songs of love to portraits of urban life, Naidu's poems reflect her commitment to feeling, both for herself and for others. Traditional and modern, The Bird of Time is a powerful collection from a young poet on the brink of an impassioned life in politics. "O Bird of Time on your fruitful bough / What are the songs you sing? . . . / Songs of the glory and gladness of life, / Of poignant sorrow and passionate strife, / And the lilting joy of the spring..." In this mysterious ode, Naidu addresses the themes of her own multitudinous poems--life, love, grief, and nature, among countless others. Is the Bird of Time her muse, or a symbol for poetry itself? How can a poem express "the pride of a soul that has conquered fate?" As in much of Naidu's poetry, the symbolic maintains its distance in order to reflect a deeper, perhaps even personal truth. To describe the poem, to assign it meaning, would ultimately negate the need for poetry itself, whose powers must remain at least partially veiled. Elsewhere in the collection, "In the Bazaars of Hyderabad" reflects her commitment to the struggle for Indian independence as it celebrates the homegrown produce and handmade wares of a proud and lively people. Moving along the street, she sings to vendors, goldsmiths, and musicians alike, concluding before a group of flower-girls, whose work serves weddings and funerals. Beneath this vibrant imagery is a call to action for the Swadeshi movement, a boycott of foreign goods designed to strike a blow against British commerce. This edition of Sarojini Naidu's The Bird of Time is a classic work of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.
Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.
With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.
"Nothing short of sublime, and the territory [Mans'] explores...couldn't be more necessary."--Vogue
From spoken word poet Jasmine Mans comes an unforgettable poetry collection about race, feminism, and queer identity. With echoes of Gwendolyn Brooks and Sonia Sanchez, Mans writes to call herself--and us--home. Each poem explores what it means to be a daughter of Newark, and America--and the painful, joyous path to adulthood as a young, queer Black woman. Black Girl, Call Home is a love letter to the wandering Black girl and a vital companion to any woman on a journey to find truth, belonging, and healing.
A Boy's Will (1913) is a collection of poems by American poet Robert Frost. Published in London and dedicated to the poet's wife, Elinor, A Boy's Will, which received enthusiastic early reviews from both Ezra Pound and W.B. Yeats, launched Frost's career as America's leading poet of the early-twentieth century. Invoking such figures as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Emily Dickinson, and Thomas Hardy, Frost ties himself to tradition while establishing his own poetic legacy, grounded in an intuitive sense of rural New England life and the subtleties of the soul.
"Into My Own," the collection's opening poem, reveals the poet's strange wish to "steal away" into "those dark trees, / So old and firm they scarcely show the breeze." Without fear, he welcomes uncertainty, ventures into it willingly, knowing it is the only way to live. In "Ghost House," the poet enters a realm of shades and spirits, an underworld of memory where "a lonely house" has left "no trace but the cellar walls." As he moves through this twilight landscape, encountering the "mute folk...Who share the unlit place" with him, the poet meditates on life and death, their proximity and distance, and his own sense of self within both. "Mowing" envisions the poet's work through the prism of rural labor. "There was never a sound beside the wood but one / And that was my long scythe whispering to the ground. / What was it it whispered?" The speaker does not know, but continues his task, hypnotized by its rhythm and music.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Robert Frost's A Boy's Will is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.
The breakout poetry collection by #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman Formerly titled The Hill We Climb and Other Poems, the luminous poetry collection by #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman captures a shipwrecked moment in time and transforms it into a lyric of hope and healing. In Call Us What We Carry, Gorman explores history, language, identity, and erasure through an imaginative and intimate collage. Harnessing the collective grief of a global pandemic, this beautifully designed volume features poems in many inventive styles and structures and shines a light on a moment of reckoning. Call Us What We Carry reveals that Gorman has become our messenger from the past, our voice for the future.
A knight, a monk, a merchant, a summoner, and a wife all walk into an inn, and realize they are in the company of many others who intend to make the same pilgrimage to Canterbury. As a group of English people all gather at the Tabard inn, they learn that they will be travelling together. Usually divided by their differing social classes, professions, and beliefs, the group are united by their pilgrimage to Canterbury, where they'll receive blessings from a Christian martyr. Upon this realization, the host of the inn proposes a competition: whoever can tell the best story on the journey to Canterbury wins a lavish dinner. All enamored by the promise of a good meal, each member takes a turn telling a story. With tales of true love, chivalry, crime, infidelity, piety, dishonesty, and adventure, the stories of the group humor, inspire, offend, and entertain. As the stories continue, members of the pilgrimage party interrupt, praise, scold, and even fight other members, enlightening them with lessons and new perspectives as they journey to complete their pilgrimage. With feuds, jokes, love affairs, and moral allegories, The Canterbury Tales treat audiences to a dynamic journey crafted with exquisite prose and elegant poetry. Originally published around 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales have since inspired many adaptations of both its plot and narrative form. Using satire, allegory, and wit, The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories that explores various genres and literary purposes, creating an incredibly inclusive narrative. This edition of The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, features a new striking cover design and is printed in a modern font, crafting an approachable experience of one of the most influential works in English literature.
Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.
With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.
The Celtic Twilight (1893) is a collection of stories written and edited by W.B. Yeats. Compiled at the height of the Celtic Twilight, a movement to revive the myths and traditions of Ancient Ireland, The Celtic Twilight captures a wide range of stories, songs, poems, and firsthand accounts from artists and storytellers dedicated to the preservation of Irish culture.
In "Belief and Unbelief," a story is shared about a village at the foot of Ben Bulben. One day, a young girl disappears while walking through a local field. Fearful that the faeries have gotten her, the townspeople conduct a search of the village, checking every home while burning ragweed and reciting spells to ward off the mischievous spirits. "Mortal Help" discusses the interdependence of humans and faeries, who require the presence of the living in order to play games in the physical world. As evidence, an old ditch digger tells a story from his youth, when he witnessed a group of faeries playing the game of hurling not far from the field where he was working. In "A Knight of the Sheep," an old farmer faces off with the local tax collector, and both struggle to maintain respect for one another while trading shrewdly concealed insults. "The Devil" discusses several demonic sightings among Irish peasants, who claim to have met Lucifer by the side of the road by day and under the bed at night. The Celtic Twilight captures the collision of ancient and modern Ireland, preserving its legends while ensuring their mystery remains.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of W.B. Yeats's The Celtic Twilight is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.