The Library of Congress has named 23 U.S. Poet Laureates since the position was renamed in 1985, and they have named their 24th: Ada Limón, author of six poetry collections, five of which have either won or been nominated for a multitude of awards. Limón is only one of eight female poets laureate, and the seventh poet of color to hold the position. She is preceded by Joy Harjo, who served three terms.
Limón began her term in late 2022, and has not yet declared what project she will work on while she holds the position (part of what a Poet Laureate does). In the meantime, she has an impressive and gorgeous body of work to pour over, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. If you’ve never ready any of Adam Limón’s poems, this is the primer to start with.
Who is Ada Limón?
Before we dive in, a little background on one of the greatest contemporary poets of our time.
Ada Limón grew up in Sonoma, California, and now lives in rural Kentucky with her husband, their pug Lily Bean, and their cat Olive. She holds an MFA from the creative writing program at New York University, worked at various magazines during her time in NYC, and teaches poetry remotely at Queens University of Charlotte. She also happens to write lusciously beautiful and arresting poetry.
The recurring themes that Limón infuses her work with center around nature, our relationship with it and our observation of it; relationships, especially with her parents; identity; and chronic illness. She grounds her poetry in places: in the California of her childhood, the years she spent in New York, her life now in rural horse country. Her knowledge of growing things is so vast that she, at times, feels like a patient teacher showing us what flourishes in her garden and what flora and fauna live and thrive around her. She reminds us that we are part of a greater world that existed before us and will exist after us. Her work is heavily autobiographical, and she excels at plucking out a mundane aspect of life and polishing it to a shine, calling attention to that moment’s beauty.
The best Ada Limón poems + collections
Let’s explore all of Limón’s available poetry collections, from newest to oldest: what awards they’ve won, what themes they explore, and provide a sampling of some of the loveliest poems in each collection. Note: Limón’s very first book, This Big Fake World, is a story in verse that is out of print. She hit the ground running with this one — it won the 2005 Pearl Poetry Prize.
The Hurting KindLonglisted for the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize The Hurting Kind is Limón’s newest poetry collection, published in May of this year. Right from the start, her vivid and lush descriptions of the natural world and all that live in it drip from each line. This collection is divided into the seasons, starting with spring and ending with winter. It also lightly touches on the pandemic, the enduring we have all collectively done, and the longing to “sneak into the cities of the world.” |
Excerpt From SanctuarySuppose it’s easy to slip |
Excerpt From It Begins with TreesTwo full cypress trees in the clearing them seem like one. Until at a certain angle this summer to save my life, I see it kissing. They are kissing so tenderly on the other’s shoulder, another When did kissing become so |
Excerpt From InstrumentationIf I could ever play an instrument for real I like the idea of playing the jawbone, that rattle of something dead in your hands, that thing that beats back at the sky and says, I’m still here, even though clearly the donkey isn’t here or the horse isn’t here, just the teeth and the jaw making music like resurrection or haunting or just plain need… |
The CarryingWinner of the National Book Critics Circle Award The Carrying came out in 2018, and it is a collection that lovingly, painstakingly documents the natural world and our relationship with it, for better or worse. It is also about the relationship between mothers and daughters; the lengths her own mother went through to shield and protect her. This morphs into exploring her feelings regarding infertility and coming to terms with it after trying for a child. Limón stated in an interview that The Carrying terrified her, because it was the first time she really explored the “frailty of [her] own body.” She also examines what it means to upend expectations, and as a Mexican-American poet, refusing to let the world dictate what she should write poetry about. |
Excerpt From Instructions on Not Giving UpMore than the fuchsia funnels breaking out |
Excerpt From The CarryingThe sky’s white with November’s teeth, |
Excerpt From The RaincoatWhen the doctor suggested surgery |
Excerpt From The Contract Says: We’d Like the Conversation to be Bilingual When you come, bring your brown- the funders. Will you check this Do you have any poems that speak Would you like to come to dinner Will you tell us the stories that make Don’t read the one where you garden, don’t tell us how you picked watching vultures pick apart another about your father stealing hubcap kind did… |
Bright Dead ThingsFinalist for the National Book Award for Poetry and the National Book Critics Circle Award Bright Dead Things is Limón’s 2015 collection, and if I’m being perfectly honest, my favorite. This collection deals heavily with loss, grief, and identity. It explores the jarring shift from living in an urban city center like NYC to living in rural Kentucky and grapples with mortality as Limón cared for her dying stepmother and then grieved her when she passed. These poems invoke empowerment, self-exploration, vulnerability, and raw grief. |
Excerpt From How to Triumph Like a GirlI like the lady horses best, |
Excerpt from CowerI’m cold in my heart, coal-hard |
Excerpt From How Far Away We AreSo we might understand each other better: |
Excerpt From DownheartedSix horses died in a tractor-trailer fire. |
Sharks in the RiversSharks in the Rivers is Limón’s 2010 collection, and although the intense, close observation of the natural world is still present, these poems peel back the surface to reveal what threatens underneath. At the same time, she also fervently revels in the total experiences of being alive; of our bodies, our passion, and our drive. This collection also touches on and celebrates Limón’s Latina heritage. |
Excerpt from Sharks in the RiversWe’ll say unbelievable things our blue coming up from our roots, All night I dreamt of bonfires and burn piles I cannot tell anymore when a door opens or closes, I can only hear the frame saying, Walk through. It is a short walkway— Consider the handle. Consider the key. I say to a friend, how scared I am of sharks. How I thought I saw them in the creek |
Lucky WreckWinner of the 2005 Autumn House Poetry Prize Lucky Wreck is Limón’s first poetry collection, and unique in that it is the only collection that features a handful of haiku-like poems, as well as poems that are vast and segmented into separate sections, reminiscent of Walt Whitman. Whitman is an apt parallel, as both of them closely bear witness and write of our relationship with nature. This first collection is the first prime example of Limón’s stunning depictions of the natural world with clever wordplay and dreamy observation, along with a few quietly beautiful moments of introspection. |
Excerpt From Little KindnessMy kindness is wrapped around my ankles |
Excerpt From Little CommitmentIs it bad to want to commit |
It will be exciting to see what project Ada Limón creates during her time as Poet Laureate, although she has already given the world so much in these poetry collections. For further reading, explore the works of past U.S. Poet Laureates:
- An Overview of Poet Laureates in the U.S.
- Joy Harjo Named U.S. Poet Laureate
- A Love Note to Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith
