Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Wilke

Published in 1929, with most of its contents written in the first decade of the 20th century, this short book is a compilation of letters from poet Rainer Maria Rilke to a student that aspires to be a poet himself. Though I am not familiar with Rilke’s poetry, nor do I aspire to or write poetry myself, I found this book to be incredibly beautiful and inspiring, while also providing me with new outlooks on life. The book itself is only 55 pages, but its contents are dense with useful advice on how to love yourself, to ignore criticism from outsiders, and to feel content with your surroundings. Rilke’s writing, even while not in verse, is still poetic and laced with metaphors and discoveries that will leave you awed by how simple complex topics may seem. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially those that often doubt themselves and their artistic expression. 

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

If the title alone doesn’t get you hooked, here’s more: this is essentially a large letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. It’s a collection of abstract vignettes, a story of immigrants narrated by Little Dog, who we see grow from a boy to a man slowly discovering and accepting his identity. I’d often forget I was reading fiction, the aura of poetic prose in the novel creating striking, raw emotions outlined within an abundance of earnest truths. Packed into 250 pages, it explores race, gender, sexuality, grief, pain, embrace, and language. It went places I did not expect, but I’m so glad it did. Vuong tackles the big and small in this book, addressing generational trauma with a rare precision, writing with an urgency to tell. To me, it was regrettably brief but undeniably gorgeous.