Emily Dickinson is one of America’s greatest and most original poets of all time. This poem praises the quiet individual ‘nobody’ who is able to live freely because they do not have to worry about or keep their names in circulation like the ‘somebodies.’ 

Mariana Llanos is a Peruvian-born writer based in Oklahoma. She has published several children’s books. “'Invisible Children' explains how some children fall through the cracks, like Alice in Wonderland, yet they do not wake up with a magical bottle or cake to escape their situations. 

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born on June 27, 1872, to two formerly enslaved people from Kentucky. He became one of the first influential Black poets in American literature and was internationally acclaimed. "We Wear the Mask" is a reaction to the experience of being Black in America in the late 19th century, following the Civil War—a period when life seemed to have improved for Black Americans yet in reality was still marked by intense racism and hardship. 

Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. Fun fact: this basket is the last shot Jordan ever took as a Chicago Bull and it successfully won his team the season championship. It’s kind of a big deal. We suggest reading the poem out loud. 

Mary Jane Oliver was an American poet who won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. She found inspiration for her work in nature and had a lifelong habit of solitary walks in the wild.