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Kate Kellaway

Kate Kellaway’s best poetry books of 2023

John Clare Sharon Olds

Ishion Hutchinson photographed in Ithaca, New York, USA on 13th November 2023 — ‘A poet of risk-taking vision’: Ishion Hutchinson. Photograph: Maranie Staab/The Observer

2023 has been a year of such rich variety for poetry that picking out five volumes feels bordering on impossible. Superb collections include those by Claudia Rankine, Majella Kelly, Mary Jean Chan, Cecilia Knapp and Carole Satyamurti – each deserving of a special mention. But the following stand out for their memorable idiosyncrasy and can be wrapped with confidence this Christmas.

Balladz by Sharon Oldz

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