Announcing the 10 Most Read Poems of 2022
Image Description: At the top, Split This Rock’s red logo is above white text in a solid black box reads "Top Poems of 2022." Collaged images in square frames of the 10 featured poets surround the text. In the top left corner is a photo of Eugenia Leigh. In the top right corner is Siaara Freeman. From left to right in the second row is Eli Clare, Liv Mammone, Aurora Levins Morales, and Michal 'MJ' Jones. From left to right in the bottom row is Arianna Monet, Liza Sparks, David James "DJ" Savarese, and Cintia Santana.
Top 10 Poems of 2022
Annually, Split This Rock takes time to spotlight and celebrate the poems visited most in The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database. Every list is a way to reflect on what has affirmed, nourished, empowered, enlightened, comforted, and encouraged us as we’ve faced the year’s challenges, losses, and delights. We're excited to announce the 10 Most Read Poems in The Quarry that were published in 2022! Check them out below.
If you read and loved, shared, or taught poems from The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database this year, please consider making an increased or first-time donation today to support this home for social justice poetry. Donate $25 or more, become a monthly donor for $10 or more, or fundraise for Split This Rock on Facebook or Instagram by 11:59 pm ET on December 31, and you could be 1 of 5 supporters to receive a book bundle from the staff and board!
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1. "One Year After My Dying Father and I Stop Speaking to Each Other Again" by Eugenia Leigh
Content Notice: grief & refers to childhood trauma
2. "The Art of Disassociation" by Eli Clare
Content Notice: refers to medicalization
3. "Alternate universe in which my professor asks if anyone in the room can define the word codeswitching, and I do not wait for someone else to answer." by Arianna Monet
Content Notice: refers to anti-Blackness
4. "On the Subway for the First Time" by Liv Mammone
Content Notice: refers to ableism
5. “PONDEROSA PINE” by Liza Sparks
6. "Patients" by Aurora Levins Morales
Content Notice: ableism & medical trauma
7. “Swoon” by David James "DJ" Savarese
8. “The Such Thing As the Ridiculous Question –” by Siaara Freeman
Content Notice: chattel slavery; anti-Black violence
9. "THE MAGIC YOUR BODY BECOMES" by Michal 'MJ' Jones
Content Notice: refers to anti-Black filicide; grief
10. “For My Cousin Manny Who Died in Prison” by Cintia Santana
Content Notice: incarceration & death
We hope all the poems we share this month blossom into an infinite resource of creative stimulation, activation, inspiration, and nourishment for you. Thank you for reading!
Heading Collage Image Credits: Eugenia Leigh by Ted Ely, Siaara Freeman by S. J. Janah, Eli Clare by Samuel Lurie, Aurora Levins Morales by Rebecca Garcia Gonzalez, Arianna Monet by Tatiana Johnson-Boria, Liza Sparks by Olli Jay, David James "DJ" Savarese by Pamela Harvey, Cintia Santana by Rewa Bush.