List of female poets

This is a list of female poets with a Wikipedia page, listed by the period in which they were born.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Before CE

In chronological order:

• Enheduanna (2285–2250 BCE), Akkadian princess, priestess and Sumerian-language poet, possibly the world's earliest known named author
• Ninšatapada (c. 19th c. BCE), Babylonian scribe and priestess
• Bulluṭsa-rabi (13th c. BCE), Babylonian poet
• Deborah (1107–1067 BCE), Israelite prophetess^[1]
• Gargi Indian Vedic Hindu poet and writer
• Maitreyi Ancient Hindu lady poet and author
• Corinna (fl. 6th c. BCE), Greek poet
• Sappho (fl. 6th c. BCE), Greek poet, one of the nine lyric poets
• Erinna (fl. c. 600 BCE), Greek poet, a contemporary and friend of Sappho
• Myrtis of Anthedon (6th BCE), Greek poet
• Cleobulina (fl. c. 550 BCE), Greek poet
• Telesilla (fl. 510 BCE), Greek poet
• Praxilla (5th c. BCE), Greek poet
• Moero or Myro (3rd c. BCE), Greek poet
• Anyte of Tegea (fl. early 3rd c. BCE), Greek poet
• Aristodama of Smyrna (3rd c. BCE), Ionian poet
• Nossis (fl. c. 300 BCE), Greek epigrammist and poet
• Avvaiyar (c. 3rd c. – 1st c. BCE), Tamil poet
• Zhuo Wenjun (卓文君, 2nd c. BCE), Chinese poet
• Sulpicia (fl. 1st c. BCE), Latin poet
• Cornificia (c. 85 – c. 40 BCE), Roman poet and epigrammist
• Consort Ban (Ban Jieyu, Lady Pan, 班婕妤, c. 48 – c. 6 BCE), Chinese scholar and poet
• Elephantis (fl. late 1st c. BCE), Greek erotic poet

1–500 CE

In chronological order:

• Xie Daoyun (謝道韞, between 340 and 399), Chinese poet
• Sulpicia (fl. 1st c.), Latin poet
• Caecilia Trebulla (fl. c. 130), Latin poet
• Ponmudiyar (between 1st and 4th cc.), Tamil poet
• Julia Balbilla (72 – post–130), Latin poet
• Cai Wenji (蔡琰, died c. 249), Chinese poet and composer
• Afira bint 'Abbad (3rd c.), Arabic poet
• Zuo Fen (左芬, c. 255–300), Chinese poet
• Faltonia Betitia Proba (c. 306/315 – c. 353/366), Roman poet in Latin
• Princess Iwa (磐之媛命, died 347), Japanese poet
• Su Xiaoxiao (蘇小小, c. 479 – c. 501), Chinese poet and Gējì
• Laila bint Lukaiz (died 483), Arabic poet
• Velliveedhiyar (period unclear), Tamil poet
• al-Fāriʿah bint Shaddād (pre-Islamic), Arabic poet

500–999 CE

In chronological order:

• Radegund (c. 520–586), Frankish princess and poet in Latin
• al-Khansa (575–645), Arabic poet
• al-Ḥujayjah (Safīyah bint Tha'labah al-Shaybānīyah, 5th – 6th c.), Arabic poet
• al-Ḥurqah (5th – 6th c.), Arabic poet
• Sarah of Yemen (6th c.), Arabic poet
• Hind bint 'Utbah (6th – 7th c.), Arabic poet
• Umm Jamil bint Harb (6th or 7th c.), Arabic poet
• Fatima bint Muhammad (605–632 CE), Arabic poet
• Xu Hui (徐惠, 627–650), Chinese poet
• Nukata no Ōkimi (額田王, fl. 630–690), Japanese poet of the Asuka period
• Empress Jitō (持統天皇, 645–702), Japanese poet and empress
• Jindeok of Silla (진덕여왕, fl. 647–654), Korean poet and queen
• Princess Ōku (大来皇女, 661–702), Japanese poet
• Qutayla ukht al-Nadr (7th c.), Arabic poet
• Maisūn bint Jandal (c. 7th c.), Arabic poet
• Yamato Hime no Ōkimi (倭姫王, later 7th c.), Japanese poet and empress
• Princess Tajima (但馬皇女, died 708), Japanese poet
• Shangguan Wan'er (上官婉兒, c. 664–710), Chinese poet and prose writer
• Laila al-Akhyaliyya (died 694–709), Arabic poet
• Avvaiyar (7th or 8th c.), Tamil poet
• Cheng Changwen (程長文, between 7th and 9th cc.), Chinese poet and calligrapher
• Lady Kasa (笠郎女, early 8th c.), Japanese poet
• Ōtomo no Sakanoe no Iratsume (大伴坂上郎女, c. 700–750), Japanese poet
• Raabi'a al-Adwiyya (714–801), Arabic poet
• Xue Tao (薛濤, 768–831), Chinese poet
• 'Ulayya bint al-Mahdi (777–825), Arabic poet
• Laila bint Tarif (died 815), Arabic poet
• Arib al-Ma'muniyya (797–890), Arabic poet
• Shilabhattarika (9th c.), Sanskrit poet from India
• Kassia (810 – pre-865), Byzantine poet and composer writing in Greek
• Shāriyah (c. 815–870), Arabic poet
• Ono no Komachi (小野, c. 825 – c. 900), Japanese waka poet
• Inan (died 841), Arabic poet
• Yu Xuanji (魚玄機, 844–869 or 871), Chinese poet
• Fadl Ashsha'ira (died 871), Arabic poet
• Lady Ise (伊勢, c. 875 – c. 938), Japanese poet
• Nakatsukasa (中務, 912–991), Japanese poet
• Kishi Joō (徽子女王, 929–985), Japanese poet
• Lubāna bint 'Alī ibn al-Mahdī (c. 8th–9th c.), Arabic poet
• Vijja (8th or 9th c.), Sanskrit poet from India
• Hrotsvitha (c. 935 – c. 1002), German dramatist and poet writing in Latin
• Akazome Emon (赤染衛門, 956–1041), Japanese poet and historian
• Murasaki Shikibu (紫式部, 973–1025), Japanese novelist and poet
• Madame Huarui (花蕊夫人, fl. mid–10th c.), Chinese poet
• Izumi Shikibu (和泉式部, born c. 976), Japanese poet
• Rabia Balkhi (10th c.), Persian poet
• Shirome (白女, 10th c.), Japanese poet
• Sei Shōnagon (清少納言, c. 966 – c. 1017), Japanese memoirist and poet

11th–14th centuries

In chronological order:

• Ise no Taiu or Taifu (伊勢大輔, early 11th c.), Japanese poet
• Qasmuna bint Isma'il (11th c.), Arabic poet from Al-Andalus
• Wallada bint al-Mustakfi (1001–1080), Andalusian poet writing in Arabic
• Zhu Shuzhen (c. 1135–1180), Chinese poet
• Aa'isha bint Ahmad al-Qurtubiyya (died 1010), Arabic poet from Al-Andalus
• Mariam bint Abu Ya'qub Ashshilbi (died 1020), Arabic poet from Al-Andalus
• Eudokia Makrembolitissa (c. 1021–1096), Byzantine poet and empress writing in Greek
• I'timad Arrumaimikiyya (born 1045/1047), Arabic poet from Al-Andalus
• Umm al-Kiram bin al-Mu'tasim ibn Sumadih (died 1050), Arabic poet from Al-Andalus
• Ava (c. 1060 – 1127), first named female writer in any genre in German
• Buthaina bint al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad (born 1070), Arabic poet from Al-Andalus
• Li Qingzhao (李清照, 1084 – c. 1151), Chinese writer and poet of the Song Dynasty
• Otomae (乙前, c. 1085 – c. 1169), Japanese poet
• Mahsati Ganjavi (c. 1089 – post–1159), Persian poet
• Muhja bint Attayyani al-Qurtubiyya (died 1097), Arabic poet from Al-Andalus
• Bhavakadevi (fl. 12th c. or earlier), Sanskrit poet from Indian subcontinent
• Safiyya al-Baghdadiyya (12th c.), Arabic poet
• Marie de France (fl. 12th c.), medieval poet, probably born in France and living in England
• Akka Mahadevi (12th c.), Indian poet writing in Old Kannada
• Gangasati (between 12th and 14th cc.), Indian poet and saint
• Taqiyya Umm Ali bint Ghaith ibn Ali al-Armanazi (Sitt al-Ni'm, 1111–1183/1184), Arabic poet
• Tibors de Sarenom (c. 1130 – post–1198), French poet writing in Occitan
• Almucs de Castelnau (c. 1140 – pre–1184), French female troubadour poet
• Comtessa de Dia (fl. c. 1175 or c. 1212), a trobairitz (troubadour), song-writer and poet in Occitan language
• Hafsa bint al-Hajj Arrakuniyya (died 1190), Arabic poet from Al-Andalus
• Avvaiyar (12th c.), Tamil poet
• Marula (fl. 13th c. or earlier), Sanskrit poet from India
• Hadewijch (13th c.), Dutch mystic and poet
• Shikishi Naishinnō (式子内親王, died 1201), Japanese poet
• Hamda bint Ziyad (c. 1204), Arabic poet from Al-Andalus
• Steinvör Sighvatsdóttir (early 13th c. – 1271), Icelandic poet and politician
• Umm Assa'd bint Isam al-Himyari (died 1243), Arabic poet from Al-Andalus
• Gangadevi (c. 14th c.), Sanskrit poet of the Vijayanagara Empire of India
• Lalleshwari (1320–1392), Indian mystic and poet, earliest works in the Kashmiri language
• Princess Milica of Serbia (c. 1335–1405), Serbian poet and royal consort
• Christine de Pizan (1364 – c. 1430), Italian, Venetian-born writer and poet

15th century

In alphabetical order:

• Catherine d'Amboise (1475–1550), French writer and poet
• Vittoria Colonna (1490–1547), Italian poet and marchioness
• Guji, Princess of Joseon (died 1489), Korean writer, poet and dance
• Mihri Hatun (died 1506), female Ottoman Turkish poet
• Huang E (Huang Xiumei, 1498–1569), Chinese poet of Ming dynasty
• Monahinja Jefimija (1350 – after 1405), Serbian poet and nun
• Gwerful Mechain (fl. 1460–1500), Welsh poet
• Mirabai (Meera, Meera Bai) (c. 1498 – c. 1547), Hindu mystical poet
• Teresa of Ávila (St Teresa of Jesus, 1515–1582), Spanish mystic and Catholic saint
• Lucrezia Tornabuoni (1425–1482), Italian poet
• Uhwudong (died 1480), Korean writer, poet and dancer

16th century

In alphabetical order:

• Rachel Akerman (1522–1544), Austrian Jewish poet writing in German
• Isabella Andreini (1562–1604), Italian playwright, poet and actress
• Anne Askew (1520/1521–1546), English poet and Protestant martyr
• Madeleine de l'Aubespine (1546–1596), French poet
• Gabrielle de Coignard (1550–1586), French poet
• Veronica Franco (1546–1591), Italian poet and courtesan
• Pernette Du Guillet (c. 1520–1545), French poet
• Elen Gwdman (fl. 1609), Welsh poet
• Louise Labé (1524–1566), French poet
• Emilia Lanier (1569–1645), among first Englishwomen to publish a volume of original poems and seek patronage
• Anne Ley (c. 1599–1641), English writer, teacher, and polemicist
• Anne de Marquets (c. 1533–1588), French poet
• Camille de Morel (1547–1611), French poet and writer
• Isabella di Morra (c. 1520–1546), Italian poet of the Petrarchist movement
• Martha Moulsworth (1577–1646), English autobiographical poet
• Cecilia del Nacimiento (1570–1646), Spanish nun, mystic, writer, and poet
• Heo Nanseolheon (1563–1589), Korean female poet of the mid-Joseon dynasty
• Nicoletta Pasquale (fl. 1540), Sicilian Italian poet
• Mary Sidney, Countess of Pembroke (1561–1621), among first Englishwomen to gain a literary reputation
• Gaspara Stampa (1523–1554), Italian poet
• Joana Vaz (c. 1500 – post–1570), Portuguese court poet and humanist
• Isabella Whitney (fl. 1567–1573), earliest identified woman to publish secular poetry in English
• Lady Mary Wroth (1587–1651/1653), prolific English author

17th century

In alphabetical order:

• Gertrudis Anglesola (1641–1727), Valencian Cistercian abbess, mystic, autobiographer, spiritual poet
• Mary Barber (1685–1755), Irish poet, member of Swift's circle
• Aphra Behn (1640–1689), dramatist of the English Restoration and was one of the first English professional female writers
• Anne Bradstreet (c. 1612–1672), New England's first published poet
• Sophia Elisabet Brenner (1659–1730), Swedish writer, poet, feminist and salon hostess
• Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force (1654–1724), French novelist and poet
• Jane Cavendish (1620/1621–1669), English poet and playwright
• Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1623–1673), English aristocrat, prolific writer, and scientist
• Susannah Centlivre (1667–1723), English playwright and poet
• Lady Mary Chudleigh (1656–1710), English poet, essayist and writer
• Mary Collier (c. 1688–1762), English poet
• Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648–1695), Mexican poet, musician and nun
• Sarah Dixon (1671–1765), English poet
• Elżbieta Drużbacka (1695 or 1698–1765), Polish poet
• Dorothe Engelbretsdotter (1634–1716), Norway's first recognized female author
• Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea (1661–1720), English poet
• Catharina Regina von Greiffenberg (1633–1694), Austrian poet
• Eliza Haywood (1693–1756), English novelist, playwright, essayist, poet and translator
• Sor Juana (Juana Inés de la Cruz) (1651–1695), self-taught scholar and poet of Baroque school, nun of New Spain
• Anne Killigrew (1660–1685), English poet
• Amalia Wilhelmina Königsmarck (1663–1740), Swedish noble, dilettante painter, actor and poet
• Žofia Kubini (fl. mid–17th c.), Hungarian poet writing in Czech
• Anne Ley (c. 1599–1641), English writer, teacher, and polemicist
• Antoinette du Ligier de la Garde Deshoulières (1638–1694), French poet
• Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689–1762), English aristocrat and writer
• Julia Palmer (fl.1664–1673), English dissenting poet
• Kata Szidónia Petrőczy (1659–1708), Hungarian poet and writer
• Katherine Philips (1631–1664), English poet
• Vendela Skytte (1608–1629), Swedish noblewoman, salonnière, writer, poet and lady of letters
• Anna Stanisławska (1651–1701), Polish poet and author
• Nāzo Tokhī (1651–1717), Afghan poet and writer
• Anne Wharton (1659–1685), English poet
• Jane Wiseman (c. 1682–1717), English poet and playwright
• Zeb-un-Nissa (1638–1702), Persian-language poet and Mughal Princess

18th century

In alphabetical order:

• Jean Adam (Adams, 1704–1765), Scottish poet and teacher
• Nana Asma'u (1793–1864), Fulani poet and pioneer of women's education in Sokoto Caliphate
• Mah Laqa Bai (1768–1824), Urdu poet and philanthropist
• Anna Laetitia Barbauld (1743–1825), English poet, essayist, literary critic and children's author
• Margaret Bingham (1740–1814), English poet and painter
• Susanna Blamire (1747–1794), English poet
• Ann Eliza Bleecker (1752–1783), American poet and correspondent
• Martha Wadsworth Brewster (1710 – c. 1757), American poet and writer; first American-born woman to publish in own name
• Magdalene Sophie Buchholm (1758–1825), Norwegian poet
• Anna Bunina (1774–1829), Russian poet
• Sophia Burrell (1753–1802), English poet and dramatist
• Elizabeth Carter (1717–1806), English poet, writer and Bluestocking
• Christina Charlotta Cederström (1760–1832), Swedish artist, salon hostess and baroness
• Helmina von Chézy (1783–1856), German poet, playwright and librettist
• Fukuda Chiyo-ni (福田千代尼, 1703–1775), Japanese haiku poet
• Alison Cockburn (1712–1794), Scottish poet and socialite
• Caroline de Crespigny (1797–1861), English poet and translator
• Ann Batten Cristall (1769–1848), English poet and schoolteacher
• Umihana Čuvidina (c. 1794 – c. 1870), Bosnian poet
• Fanny Dénoix des Vergnes (1798–1879), French poet and writer
• Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (1786–1859), French poet
• Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797–1848), German poet
• Emily Eden (1797–1869), English novelist and poet
• Anna Ehrenström (1786–1857), Swedish poet
• Catherine Maria Fanshawe (1765–1834), English poet
• Margaretta Faugères (1771–1801), American poet
• Jane Lewers Gray (1796–1871), Northern Ireland-born American poet and hymnwriter
• Ann Griffiths (1776–1805), Welsh poet and hymnist
• Karoline von Günderrode (1780–1806), German poet
• Felicia Hemans (1793–1835), English poet
• Luise Hensel (1798–1876), German religious writer and poet
• Hồ Xuân Hương (1772–1822), Vietnamese poet
• Barbara Hofland (1770–1844), English children's writer and poet
• Margaret Holford (1778–1852), English poet and translator
• Mary Howitt (1799–1888), English poet and children's writer
• Abby B. Hyde (1799–1872), American hymnwriter
• Anna Louisa Karsch (1722–1791), German poet and letter writer
• Isabella Kelly (1759–1857), Scottish poet and novelist
• Mary Leapor (1722–1746), English poet
• Anne Brydges Lefroy (1747/8–1804), English writer and poet
• Anna Maria Lenngren (1754–1817), Swedish writer, poet, feminist, translator and salonnière
• Charlotte Lennox (c. 1730–1804), English novelist, poet and dramatist
• Isabella Lickbarrow (1784–1847, E), poet
• Erika Liebman (1738–1803), Swedish poet and academic
• Charlotta Löfgren (1720–1784), Swedish poet
• Hedvig Löfwenskiöld (1736–1789), Swedish poet
• Sophie Mereau (1770–1806), German novelist and poet
• Hannah More (1745–1833), English religious writer and philanthropist
• Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht (1718–1763), Swedish poet, feminist and salonnière
• Julia Nyberg (1784–1854), Swedish poet and songwriter
• Mathilda d'Orozco (Mathilda Montgomery-Cederhjelm, 1796–1863), Swedish salonnière, poet, writer, composer and harpsichordist
• Isabel Pagan (c. 1740–1821), Scottish poet
• Anna Maria Porter (1780–1832), English poet and novelist
• Elisa von der Recke (Elisabeth Recke, 1754–1833), German writer and poet from Courland
• Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791–1875), Japanese poet, calligrapher and actress
• Emma Roberts (1794–1840), English poet and travel writer
• Mary Robinson (1757–1800), English poet and novelist
• Mary Rolls (1775–1835), English poet
• Susanna Rowson (1762–1824), British-American novelist, poet and playwright
• Esther Saunders (1793–1862), African American poet who escaped from slavery
• Anna Seward (1747–1809), English poet
• Hedvig Sirenia (1734–1795), Swedish poet
• Charlotte Smith (1749–1806), English Romantic poet and novelist
• Caroline Anne Southey (1786–1854), English poet
• Agnes Strickland (1796–1874), English history writer and poet
• Judit Dukai Takách (1795–1836), Hungarian poet
• Amable Tastu (1795–1885), French poet and writer
• Ann Taylor (1782–1866), English poet and critic
• Emily Taylor (1795–1872), English poet and children's writer
• Jane Taylor (1783–1824), English poet and novelist
• Lucy Terry (c. 1730–1821), American poet
• Elizabeth Thomas (1770/1771–1855), English novelist and poet
• Petronella Johanna de Timmerman (1723–1786), Dutch poet and scientist
• Queen Tripurasundari of Nepal (1794–1832), Nepalese poet and regent
• Katharine Augusta Ware (1797–1813), American poet and literary magazine editor
• Jane West (1758–1852), English novelist, poet, playwright and tractarian
• Mary Whateley (1738–1825), English poet and playwright
• Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784), first African-American to publish a book of poetry
• Ulrika Widström (1764–1841), Swedish poet and translator
• Helen Maria Williams (1762–1827), English novelist and poet
• Maria Petronella Woesthoven (1760–1830), Dutch poet
• Dorothy Wordsworth (1771–1855), English poet and diarist
• Ann Yearsley (1753–1806), English poet, novelist and playwright
• Wu Zao (1799–1862), Chinese poet

19th-century (date of birth unknown)

• Cornelia Laws St. John (died February 24, 1902), American poet and biographer

1800s

In alphabetical order:

• Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861), prominent English poet
• Elizabeth Margaret Chandler (1807–1834), American poet and writer, first American woman writer to make abolition of slavery her main theme
• Lydia Maria Child (1802–1880), American poet, novelist and journalist
• Caroline Clive (1801–1872), English poet and novelist
• Lucretia Maria Davidson (1808–1825), American poet
• Julia Anne Elliott (1809–1841), English poet and hymnwriter
• Marjorie (Marjory) Fleming (1803–1811), Scottish child diarist and poet
• Frances Dana Barker Gage (1808–1884), American writer, poet, reformer, feminist and abolitionist
• Léocadie Hersent-Penquer (1817–1889), French poet
• Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L., 1802–1838), English poet and novelist
• Susanna Moodie (1803–1885), Canadian diarist, novelist, children's novelist and poet
• Caroline Norton (1808–1877), English poet, novelist and political writer
• Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (1800–1842), American Indian writer of poetry and fiction

1810s

In alphabetical order:

• Maria Frances Anderson (1819–1895), French-born American writer of prose and hymns
• Agnieszka Baranowska (1819–1890), Polish playwright and poet
• Adélaïde-Louise d'Eckmühl de Blocqueville (1815–1892), French poet and woman of letters
• Anne Lynch Botta (1815–1891), American poet, writer, teacher and socialite
• Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855), English novelist and poet, eldest of three Brontë writers
• Emily Brontë (1818–1848), English novelist and poet, best remembered for her novel Wuthering Heights
• Frances Browne (1816–1887), Irish poet and novelist
• Eliza Cook (1818–1889), English poet
• Elizabeth Jessup Eames (1813–1856), American writer of prose and poetry
• George Eliot (born Marian Evans, 1819–1880), English novelist and poet
• Elizabeth F. Ellet (1818–1877), American writer, historian and poet
• Catharine H. Esling (1812–1897), American author, poet, hymn writer
• Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda (1814–1873), Cuban novelist, playwright and poet
• Ellen Sturgis Hooper (1812–1848), American poet, member of Transcendental Club
• Julia Ward Howe (1819–1910), American abolitionist, social activist, and poet, author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"
• Jane Hughes (1811–1880), Welsh religious poet
• Marguerite St. Leon Loud (1812–1889), American poet and writer
• Dada Masiti (c. 1810s–1919), Somalian poet and scholar
• Mary Rootes Thornton McAboy (1815–1892), American poet
• Charlotta Öberg (Lotta Öberg, 1818–1856), Swedish poet
• Táhirih (1814 or 1817–1852), Iranian poet and theologian
• Narcyza Żmichowska (1818–1876), Polish novelist and poet

1820s

In alphabetical order:

• Louise Esther Vickroy Boyd (1827–1909), American poet^[2]
• Anne Brontë (1820–1849), English novelist and poet, youngest of three Brontë writers
• Alice Cary (1820–1871), American poet, sister of Phoebe Cary
• Anna Olcott Commelin (1841–1924), American writer and poet
• Julia Pleasants Creswell (1827–1886), American poet, novelist
• Anne Evans (1820–1870), English poet and composer
• Teréz Ferenczy (1823–1853), Hungarian poet
• Dora Greenwell (1821–1882), English poet
• Frances Harper (1825–1911), American poet and novelist
• Maria Ilnicka (1825 or 1827–1897), Polish poet, novelist and translator
• Jean Ingelow (1820–1897), English poet and novelist
• Annie Keary (1825–1879), English novelist and poet
• Lucy Larcom (1824–1893), American mill girl, contributor to Lowell Offering, publishing four books of poetry
• Maria White Lowell (1821–1853), American poet and abolitionist
• Eliza F. Morris (1821–1874), English hymnwriter
• Milica Stojadinović-Srpkinja (1828–1878), Serbian poet
• Emma Tatham (1829–1855), English poet widely admired in her century
• Kutty Kunju Thankachi (1820–1904), Indian poet, writer and composer
• Charlotte Maria Tucker (1821–1893), English poet and writer
• Mary Ware (1828–1915), American poet, prose writer
• Jane Wilde (1821–1896), Irish poet and nationalist
• Ruth Wills (1826–1908), English poet

1830s

In alphabetical order:

• Brígida Agüero (1837–1866), Cuban poet
• Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), American novelist, playwright and poet
• Elizabeth Akers Allen (1832–1911), American poet and journalist
• Ellen Palmer Allerton (1835–1893), American poet
• Marcelina Almeida (c. 1830–1880), Argentine-born Uruguayan writer, novelist and poet
• Addie L. Ballou (1837–1916), American poet and suffragist
• Hester A. Benedict (1838–1921), American poet and writer
• Annie R. Blount (1839–unknown), American poet, short story writer, and newspaper editor
• Rosalía de Castro (1837–1885), Spanish and Galician Romantic writer and poet
• Úrsula Céspedes (1832–1874), Cuban poet
• Emelie C. S. Chilton (1838–1864), American poet, short story writer, editor
• Annie McCarer Darlington (1836–1907), American poet
• Amelia Denis de Icaza (1836–1911), Panamanian poet
• Emily Dickinson (1830–1886), American poet
• E. S. Elliott (1836–1897), English, poet, hymnwriter, novelist, editor
• Amélie Gex (1835–1883), French poet and writer in French and Franco-Provençal
• Charlotte Forten Grimké (1837–1914), African-American abolitionist, poet and educator
• Bertha Jane Grundy (1837–1912), English poet and novelist
• Grace Hibbard (c. 1835–1911), American author, poet
• Mary E. Ireland (1834–1927), American; "poetess of Cecil County"
• Amanda Jones (1835–1914), American poet, inventor and spiritualist
• Atala Kisfaludy (1836–1911), Hungarian poet and writer
• Julia Pérez Montes de Oca (1839–1875), Cuban poet
• Carlotta Perry (1839/1848–1914), American writer and poet
• Sarah Jane Rees (1839–1916), Welsh poet
• Mary Bynon Reese (1832–1908), American temperance leader, poet, hymnwriter
• Christina Rossetti (1830–1894), English poet writing romantic, devotional and children's poems
• Ellen Sergeant Rude (1838–1916), American poet, writer, and temperance reformer
• Virginie Sampeur (1939–1919), Haitian educator and poet
• Carrie Bell Sinclair (1839–1883), American poet
• María del Pilar Sinués de Marco (1835–1893), Spanish novelist, poet, non-fiction writer
• Staka Skenderova (1831–1891), Bosnian poet, teacher and social worker
• Jeanie Oliver Davidson Smith (1836–1925), American poet and romance writer
• Amelia Solar de Claro (1836–1915), Chilean poet, playwright, and essayist
• Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford (1835–1921), American mystery novelist, poet and short story writer
• Celia Thaxter (1835–1894), American writer of poetry and stories
• Lydia H. Tilton (1839–1915), American journalist, poet, lyricist
• Mary Frances Tyler Tucker (1837–1902), American poet
• Emma Rood Tuttle (1839–1916), American writer and poet
• Sarah Lowe Twiggs (1839–1920), American poet
• Marion E. Warner (1839–1918), American poet and short story writer
• Jeneverah M. Winton (1837–1904), American poet and author

1840s

In alphabetical order:

• Lettie S. Bigelow (1849–1906), American poet and author
• Mathilde Blind (1841–1896), German-born English poet
• Alice Williams Brotherton (1848–1930), American poet, lyricist, and author
• Maria Alinda Bonacci Brunamonti (1841–1903), Italian poet and scholar
• Marietta Stanley Case (1845–1900), American poet and temperance advocate
• Ina Coolbrith (born Josephine Anna Smith) (1841–1928), first American poet laureate and first public librarian of California
• Sarah Doudney (1841–1926), English poet, hymnist and fiction writer
• Marian Douglas (1842–1913), American poet and short story writer
• Myra Douglas (1844 – unknown death date), American writer, poet
• Angeline Fuller Fischer (1841–1925), American writer, poet
• Lisa Anne Fletcher (1844–1905), American poet, correspondent
• Blanca de Gassó y Ortiz (1846–1877), Spanish writer and poet
• Annie Somers Gilchrist (1841–1912), American poet, novelist, biographer
• Isadore Gilbert Jeffery (1840–1919), American poet, lyricist
• Maria Konopnicka (1842–1910), Polish novelist, poet, translator and essayist
• Emily Lawless (1845–1913), Irish novelist and poet
• Louisa Lawson (1848–1920), Australian poet, writer and feminist
• Emma Lazarus (1849–1887), American poet, best known for "The New Colossus" (inscribed on the Statue of Liberty)
• Manuela Antonia Márquez García-Saavedra (1844–1890), Peruvian writer, poet, composer, pianist
• Dr. Lucy Creemer Peckham (1842–1923), American physician, poet
• Alice E. Heckler Peters (1845–1921), American social reformer, educator, poet, writer
• Kate Brownlee Sherwood (1841–1914), American poet, journalist, translator and story writer
• Julia H. Thayer (1847-1944), American poet, hymnwriter, and educator
• Ellen Oliver Van Fleet (1842–1893), American poet and hymnwriter
• Sallie Ada Vance (ca. 1840 – unknown)
• Adelaide Cilley Waldron (1843–1909), American author, editor, clubwoman
• Sarah Stokes Walton (1844–1899), American poet and artist
• Laura Rosamond White (1844–1922), American poet, author, editor

1850s

In alphabetical order:

• Annie Wall Barnett (1859–1942), American writer, litterateur, poet
• Katharine Lee Bates (1859–1929), American songwriter
• Marion Babcock Baxter (1850–1910), American poet, lecturer and financial agent
• Eva Best (1851–1925), American story writer, poet, music composer, dramatist
• Anna Braden (1858–1939), American poet, author, editor
• Florence Earle Coates (1850–1927), American poet
• Alice Rollit Coe (1858–1940), Canadian-American author
• Helen Gray Cone (1859–1934), American poet and professor of English literature
• Isabella Valancy Crawford (1850–1887), Canadian poet
• Anne Virginia Culbertson (1857–1918), American poet, writer
• Miriam Del Banco (1858–1931), American poet
• Belle R. Harrison (1856–1940), American poet and short story writer
• Veronica Micle (1850–1889), Romanian poet and writer
• Nicolasa Montt (1857–1924), Chilean poet
• Constance Naden (1858–1889), English poet and philosopher
• Charlotte Niese (1854–1935), German writer and poet
• Amy Parkinson (1855–1938), English-born Canadian poet
• Adelaide Day Rollston (1854–1941), American poet and author
• Salomé Ureña de Henríquez (1850–1897), Dominican Republic poet and pioneer of women's education
• Minnie Gow Walsworth (1859–1947), American poet
• Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850–1919), American author and poet

1860s

In alphabetical order

• Brígida Agüero (1837–1866), Cuban poet
• Anne Reeve Aldrich (1866–1892), American poet and novelist
• Marion Angus (1865–1946), Scottish poet writing in Scots and standard English
• Virginia Frazer Boyle (1863–1938), American poet and author
• Mae Bramhall (c. 1861–1897), American actress, writer
• Eve Brodlique (1867–1949), British-born Canadian/American author, poet, journalist
• Olivia Ward Bush (1869–1944), American author, poet and journalist
• Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (1861–1907), English novelist, poet, essayist and critic
• Marguerite Coppin (1867–1931), Poet Laureate of Belgium
• Jelena Dimitrijević (1862–1945), Serbian poet, fiction writer and polyglot
• Alice May Douglas (1865–1943), American poet and children's writer
• Helen Merrill Egerton (1866–1951), Canadian poet and historical writer
• Mary Eliza Fullerton (1868–1946), Australian feminist poet, fiction writer and journalist
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935), American sociologist, author, poet and lecturer for social reform
• Mary Gilmore (1865–1962), Australian socialist poet and journalist
• Zinaida Gippius (1869–1945), Russian/Italian poet, novelist and dramatist
• Anna Haava (1864–1957), Estonian poet
• Alice Harriman (1861–1925), American poet, author and publisher
• Josephine D. Heard (1861 – c. 1921), American teacher, poet
• Ricarda Huch (1864–1947), German historian, novelist and poet
• Violet Jacob (1863–1946), Scottish poet writing in Scots
• E. Pauline Johnson (1861–1913), Canadian poet
• Magdalene Isadora La Grange (1864–1935), American poet
• Else Lasker-Schüler (1869–1945), German poet and playwright
• Mirra Lokhvitskaya (1869–1905), Russian poet
• Elizabeth Roberts MacDonald (1864–1922), Canadian poet and writer
• Clementina Laura Majocchi (1866–1945), Italian poet and writer
• Emily Julian McManus (1865–1918), Canadian poet, author, and educator
• Charlotte Mew (1869–1928), English poet
• Harriet Monroe (1860–1936), American poet, critic and arts patron
• Yogmaya Neupane (1867–1941), Nepalese poet and religious leader
• Violet Nicholson (Laurence Hope, 1865–1904), English poet
• Amber E. Robinson (1867-1961), American educator, postmaster, poet, reporter, social reformer
• Ethel Rolt-Wheeler (1869–1958), English poet, author and journalist
• Fannie Isabelle Sherrick (fl. 1860 – 1880), American poet, essayist, and columnist
• Hilda Siller (1861–1945), American poet and short story writer
• May Sinclair (1862–1946), English fiction writer and poet
• Fruzina Szalay (1864–1926), Hungarian poet and translator
• Violet Tweedale (1862–1936), Scottish writer and poet

1870s

In alphabetical order:

• Eleanor Hallowell Abbott (1872–1958), American poet, novelist and short story writer
• Pauline B. Barrington (1876–1956), American poet
• Lucie Delarue-Mardrus (1874–1945), French poet, novelist and journalist
• Alice Dunbar-Nelson (1875–1935), American poet, journalist and political activist
• Nicole Garay (1873–1928), Panamanian poet
• Norah M. Holland (1876–1925), poet, playwright, journalist and editor
• Georgia Douglas Johnson (1877–1966), American poet
• Gertrud von Le Fort (1876–1971), German novelist, poet and essayist
• Lilian Leveridge (1879–1953), Canadian poet, short story writer, and non-fiction writer
• Amy Lowell (1874–1925), American poet of Imagist school, posthumous Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winner in 1926
• Agnes Miegel (1879–1964), German journalist, writer and poet
• Alice Duer Miller (1874–1942), American poet, novelist and screenplay writer
• L. M. Montgomery (1874–1942), Canadian poet and children's author
• Sarojini Naidu (Nightingale of India, 1879–1949), child prodigy, Indian independence activist and poet
• Qiu Jin (1875–1907), Chinese revolutionary, feminist and writer
• Dorothy Richardson (1873–1957), English fiction writer, poet and essayist
• Lola Ridge (1873–1941), American anarchist poet and editor of avant-garde, feminist and Marxist publications
• Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876–1958), American novelist, playwright, and poet
• Nina Salaman (1877–1925), English poet and translator
• Dora Adele Shoemaker (1873–1962), American poet and playwright
• Leonora Speyer (1872–1956), American poet and violinist
• Ilse von Stach (1879–1941), German playwright, novelist and poet
• Gertrude Stein (1874–1946), American writer, poet and art collector spending most of her life in France
• Lesya Ukrainka (1871–1913), Ukrainian poet
• Renée Vivien (1877–1909), French poet
• Florence Mary Wilson (c. 1870–1946), Northern Irish poet
• Maryla Wolska (1873–1930), Polish poet
• Yosano Akiko (與謝野晶子, 1878–1942), Japanese poet and feminist
• Kazimiera Zawistowska (1870–1902), Polish poet and translator

1880s

In alphabetical order:

• Delmira Agustini (1886–1914), Uruguayan poet
• Anna Akhmatova (1889–1966), Russian and Soviet modernist poet
• Ethel Anderson (1883–1958), Australian poet, essayist, novelist and painter
• Berthe Bénichou-Aboulker (1888–1942), French Algerian poet and playwright
• Grace Stone Coates (1881–1976), American poet and fiction writer
• Frances Cornford (1886–1960), English poet
• Helen Cruickshank (1886–1975), Scottish poet writing in Braid Scots and English
• H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) (1886–1961), American poet, novelist and memoirist, known for Imagist poetry
• Cherubina de Gabriak (Elisaveta Ivanovna Dmitrieva, 1887–1928), Russian poet
• Elizabeth Daryush (1887–1977), English poet
• Enid Derham (1882–1941), Australian poet
• Zoraida Díaz (1991–1948) Panamanian poet and feminist
• Eleanor Farjeon (1881–1965), English poet and children's writer
• Jesse Redmon Fauset (1882–1961), American poet, essayist and novelist
• Else Feldmann (1884–1942), Austrian playwright, poet and novelist
• Scottie McKenzie Frasier (1884–1964), American poet
• Pauline Fréchette (1889–1943), French Canadian poet, dramatist, journalist, and Catholic nun
• Ethel Romig Fuller (1883–1965), American poet and Oregon's third Poet Laureate
• Angelina Weld Grimké (1880–1958), Mixed American journalist, teacher, playwright and poet
• Anna Augusta Von Helmholtz-Phelan (1890–1964), American professor, poet, non-fiction writer
• Emmy Hennings (1885–1948), German poet and performer
• Juana Teresa Juega López (1885–1979), Galician-language Spanish poet
• Margit Kaffka (1880–1918), Hungarian poet and writer
• Mina Loy (1882–1966), Anglo-American artist, poet, playwright and novelist
• Ruth Manning-Sanders (1886–1988), English poet and author best known for a series of children's books
• Anna Margolin (1887–1952), Russian-American Yiddish-language poet
• Gabriela Mistral (Lucila Godoy Alcayaga) (1889–1957), Chilean poet, educator, diplomat, and feminist, first Latin American to win Nobel Prize in Literature
• Marianne Moore (1887–1972), American Modernist poet and writer
• Nettie Palmer (1885–1964), Australian poet, essayist and literary critic
• Sylvia Pankhurst (1882–1960), English suffragist, and poet, wrote Writ on Cold Slate (1922) on prison experiences
• Sophia Parnok (1885–1933), Russian Jewish Silver Age poet
• Paula von Preradović (1887–1951), Austrian story writer and poet
• Beatrice Redpath (1886–1937), Canadian poet and short story writer
• María Herminia Sabbia y Oribe (1883–1961), Uruguayan poet
• Blanaid Salkeld (1880–1959), Irish poet, dramatist, actor and salonnière
• Fredegond Shove (1889–1949), English poet
• Edith Sitwell (1887–1964), English poet and critic, eldest of three literary Sitwells
• Anne Spencer (1882–1975), American poet
• Elkanah East Taylor (1888–1945), American poet; poetry magazine founder
• Sara Teasdale (1884–1933), American lyrical poet
• Regina Ullmann (1884–1961), Swiss poet writing in German
• Dorothy Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (1889–1956), English poet
• Anna Wickham, born Edith Alice Mary Harper (1884–1947), English poet with Australian connections
• Elinor Wylie (1885–1928), American poet and novelist

1890s

In alphabetical order:

• Léonie Adams (1899–1988), American poet, seventh United States Poet Laureate
• Elisaveta Bagryana (1893–1991), Bulgarian poet known as a mother of Bulgarian literature
• Grace Shattuck Bail (1898–1996), American poet and composer
• Djuna Barnes (1892–1982), American modernist lesbian writer
• Ameena Begum (1892–1949), Indian/French poet
• Louise Bogan (1897–1970), American poet; fourth US Poet Laureate
• Marianne Bruns (1897–1994), German poet and novelist
• Bryher (Annie Winifred Ellerman, 1894–1983), English novelist, poet, memoirist, and magazine editor
• Lydia Cabrera (1899–1991), Cuban poet and anthropologist
• May Wedderburn Cannan (1893–1973), English poet
• Amy Key Clarke (1892–1980), English mystical poet, author and teacher
• Dulcie Deamer (1890–1972), New Zealand-born Australian poet and novelist
• Babette Deutsch (1895–1982), American poet, critic, translator, and novelist
• Florbela Espanca (1894–1930), Portuguese poet
• Claire Goll (1890–1977), German-born poet and novelist writing in German and French
• Dharmachari Guruma (1898–1978), Nepalese hymnist and Buddhist nun
• Gelanesh Haddis (1896–1986), Ethiopian poet and church scholar
• Hilda Mary Hooke (1898–1978), Canadian poet, playwright
• Ethel Jacobson (1899–1991), American writer of light verse
• Edna Jaques (1891–1978), Canadian poet
• Gertrud Kolmar (1894–1943), German poet
• Helen von Kolnitz Hyer (1896–1983), American poet, writer; South Carolina Poet Laureate 1974–1983
• Elisabeth Langgässer (1899–1950), German poet and novelist
• Claudia Lars (1899–1974), Salvadoran poet
• Muna Lee (1895–1965), American poet and translator
• Edith Gyömrői Ludowyk (1896–1987), Hungarian/Sri Lankan poet and psychotherapist
• Desanka Maksimović (1898–1993), Serbian poet, writer and translator
• Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950), American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist
• Naomi Mitchison (1897–1999), Scottish novelist and poet
• Helene Mullins (1899–1991), American poet and novelist
• María Olimpia de Obaldía (1891–1985), Panamanian poet
• Mary Devenport O'Neill (1898–1957), Irish poet and dramatist
• Ida Ospelt-Amann (1899–1996), Liechtensteiner dialect poet
• Dorothy Parker (1893–1967), American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist
• Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska (1891–1945), Polish poet
• Ruth Pitter (1897–1992), English poet, first woman to receive Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry, in 1955
• Esther Raab (1894–1981), Palestinian/Israeli poet and prose writer
• Elsa Rautee (1897–1987), Finnish poet
• Nelly Sachs (1891–1970), Jewish German poet and playwright
• Vita Sackville-West (1892–1962), English writer, poet and gardener
• Nafija Sarajlić (1893–1970), Bosnian poet and prose writer
• Henriette Sauret (1890–1976), French poet and political writer
• Nan Shepherd (1893–1981), Scottish novelist and poet
• Maria Shkapskaya (1891–1952), Soviet poet and journalist
• Edith Södergran (1892–1923), Swedish-speaking Finnish poet, early Swedish language modernist
• Jela Spiridonović-Savić (1890–1974), Serbian/Yugoslav poet
• Alfonsina Storni (1892–1938), Argentine poet of the modernist period
• Yelizaveta Tarakhovskaya (1891–1968), Soviet Russian poet, playwright, translator and children's author
• Marina Tsvetaeva (1892–1941), Russian and Soviet poet
• Erzsi Újvári (1899–1940), Hungarian poet
• Alice Lardé de Venturino (1895–1983), Salvador poet and writer
• Charlotte Wilder (1898–1980), American poet

1900s

In alphabetical order:

• Helen Adam (1909–1993), Scottish poet, collagist and photographer
• Mririda n'Ait Attik (c. 1900 – c. 1940s), Moroccan poet
• Rose Ausländer (1901–1988), Bucovina-born poet writing in German and English
• Ángela Figuera Aymerich (1902–1984), Basque and Spanish poet and writer
• Anna Barkova (1901–1976), Soviet poet, playwright, essayist and fiction writer
• Mary Barnard (1909–2001), American poet, biographer and Greek-to-English translator
• Joan Barton (1908–1986), English poet and bookseller
• Gwendolyn B. Bennett (1902–1981), African-American writer
• Karin Boye (1900–1941), Swedish poet and novelist
• Dilys Cadwaladr (1902–1979), Welsh-language poet and fiction writer
• Gladys Casely-Hayford (1904–1950), Sierra Leonean poet
• Anica Černej (1900–1944), Slovenian poet and author
• Subhadra Kumari Chauhan (1904–1948), Indian poet writing emotionally charged Hindi songs
• Mae Virginia Cowdery (1909–1948), African-American poe
• Meta Davis Cumberbatch (1900–1978), Trinidad-born pianist, composer, poet, playwright and cultural activist
• Clarissa Scott Delany (1901–1927), African-American poet, essayist, educator and social worker
• Ashapoorna Devi (1909–1995), Bengali novelist and poet
• Hilde Domin (1909–2006), German poet
• Gamila El Alaily (1907–1991), Egyptian poet and novelist
• Parvin E'tesami (1907–1941), Persian poet of Iran
• Margiad Evans (1909–1958), English poet, novelist and illustrator
• Georgie Starbuck Galbraith (1909–1980), American writer of light verse
• Madeline Gleason (1903–1979), American poet and dramatist
• Rumer Godden (1907–1998), English poet, novelist and children's writer
• Phoebe Hesketh (1909–2005), English poet
• Ofelia Hooper (1900–1981), Panamanian poet and sociologist
• Ada Verdun Howell (1902–1981), Australian author and poet
• Josephine Jacobsen (1908–2003), American poet, fiction writer and critic; 21st US Poet Laureate
• Helene Johnson (1906–1995), American poet
• Marie Luise Kaschnitz (1901–1974), German novelist and poet
• Halina Konopacka (1900–1989), Polish writer, poet and athlete
• Ruth Krauss (1901–1993), American poet and children's writer
• Lin Huiyin (1904–1955), Chinese architect and writer
• Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1906–2001), American poet, author and aviator
• Dorothy Livesay (1909–1996), Canadian poet
• Dulce María Loynaz (1902–1997), Cuban poet and novelist
• Una Marson (1905–1965), Jamaican activist and poet
• Phyllis McGinley (1905–1978), American author of children's books and poetry
• Cecília Meireles (1901–1964), Brazilian writer and educator
• Ruth Moore (1903–1989), American fiction writer and poet
• Salomėja Nėris (1904–1945), Lithuanian poet and political commentator
• Adalgisa Nery (1905–1980), Brazilian poet, novelist, journalist and politician
• Lorine Niedecker (1903–1970), American poet; only woman associated with Objectivist poets
• Silvina Ocampo (1903–1994), Argentine poet and short story writer
• Mary Oppen (1908–1990), American activist, artist, photographer, poet and writer
• Josefina Pla (1903–1999), Spanish poet, playwright, art critic and painter
• Margaret Steuart Pollard (1904–1996), English scholar and poet in the Cornish language
• Kathleen Raine (1908–2003), English poet, critic and scholar
• Laura Riding (1901–1991), American poet, critic, fiction writer and essayist
• Pavla Rovan (1908–1999), Slovenian poet and writer
• Ana María Martínez Sagi (1907–2000), Spanish (Catalan) poet and athlete
• Oda Schaefer (1900–1988), German poet and journalist
• Lilian Serpas (1905–1985), Salvador poet
• Stevie Smith (1902–1971), English poet and novelist
• Anna Świrszczyńska (1909–1984), Polish poet
• Olena Teliha (1906–1942), Ukrainian poet
• Rosemary Thomas (1901–1961), American poet and teacher
• Moti Laxmi Upasika (1909–1997), Nepalese poet and fiction writer
• Katri Vala (1901–1944), Finnish poet
• Mahadevi Varma (1906–1987), Hindi poet, freedom fighter, woman's activist and educationist
• Louise Leveque de Vilmorin (1902–1969), French novelist, poet, and journalist
• Viola S. Wendt (1907–1986), American poet and educator
• Anne Elizabeth Wilson (1901–1946), American-born Canadian poet, writer and editor
• Marguerite Young (1908–1995), American poet and novelist
• Esperanza Zambrano (1901–1992), Mexican poet
• Marya Zaturenska (1902–1982), American poet; won 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

1910s

In alphabetical order:

• Virginia Hamilton Adair (1913–2004), American poet
• Rabab Al-Kadhimi (1918–1998), Iraqi poet and dentist
• Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (1919–2004), Portuguese poet and writer
• Dorothy Auchterlonie (1915–1991), English-born Australian academic, literary critic and poet
• Margaret Avison (1918–2007), Canadian poet, editor and speaker
• Louise Bennett (1919–2006), Jamaican poet, folklorist and educator
• Elizabeth Bishop (1911–1979), American poet and short-story writer
• Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000), African-American poet; 30th US Poet Laureate
• Helle Busacca (1915–1996), Sicilian Italian poet, writer and painter
• Christine Busta (1915–1987), Austrian poet
• Matilde Camus (1919–2012), Spanish poet and writer
• Aída Cartagena Portalatín (1918–1994), Dominican poet, fiction writer and essayist
• Joy Davidman (1915–1960), American writer and poet, wife of C. S. Lewis
• Madeline DeFrees (1919–2015), American poet
• Joan Adeney Easdale (1913–1998), English poet
• Elvira Farreras i Valentí (1913–2005), Spanish (Catalan) poet and essayist
• Penelope Fitzgerald (1916–2000), Booker Prize-winning English novelist, poet, essayist and biographer
• Maria Assumpció Soler i Font (1913–2004), Spanish (Catalan) poet and writer
• Grace Beacham Freeman (1916–2002), American poet, columnist, short story writer, and South Carolina Poet Laureate 1985–1986
• Jean Garrigue (1912–1972), American poet
• Zuzanna Ginczanka (1917–1945), Polish poet and Holocaust victim
• Virginia Graham (1910–1993), English poet and humorist
• Anne Hébert (1916–2000), Canadian author and poet
• Esmé Hooton (1914–1992), English poet
• Christine Lavant (1915–1973), Austrian poet and novelist
• Matilde Elena López (1919–2010), Salvadorean poet, essayist and playwright
• Kersti Merilaas (1913–1986), Estonian poet and translator
• Josephine Miles (1911–1985), American poet and literary critic
• Hilda Mundy (1912–1980), Bolivian writer, poet, journalist
• Amrita Pritam (1919–2005), Indian (Punjabi) poet, novelist and essayist
• Anne Ridler (1912–2001), English poet and playwright
• Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980), American poet and political activist
• Helena Sanders (1911–1997), Cornish poet, humanitarian, cultural activist and politician
• May Sarton (1912–1995), Belgian American poet, novelist, and memoirist
• Johanna Schouten-Elsenhout (1910–1992), Suriname poet and community leader
• Stella Sierra (1917–1997), Panamanian poet and prose writer
• Ann Stanford (1916–1987), American poet
• Ruth Stone (1915–2011), American poet, author and teacher
• May Swenson (1913–1989), American poet and playwright
• Magda Szabó (1917–2007), Hungarian novelist, poet and playwright
• Maria Luise Thurmair (1912–2005), Austrian/German hymnist and writer
• Joan Ure (1918–1978), Scottish poet and playwright
• Margaret Walker (1915–1998), American poet and novelist
• Judith Wright (1915–2000), Australian poet, environmentalist and campaigner for Aboriginal land rights
• Audrey Wurdemann (1911–1960), American poet, winner of 1935 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Yana Yazova (1912–1974), Bulgarian poet, writer and historian; real name Ljuba Gantcheva
• Unica Zürn (1916–1970), German poet and painter

1920s

In alphabetical order:

• Nazik Al-Malaika (1923–2007), Iraqi poet
• Maqbula al-Shalak (1921–1986), Syrian poet, children's writer and activist
• Claribel Alegría (1924–2018), Nicaraguan poet, essayist, novelist and journalist
• Maya Angelou (1928–2014), American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist
• Thea Astley (1925–2004), Australian fiction writer and poet
• Arthenia J. Bates Millican (1920–2012), American poet, short-story writer, essayist and educator
• Ruth Bidgood (1922–2022), Welsh poet and local historian
• Erika Burkart (1922–2010), Swiss poet and writer in German
• Juanita Casey (1925–2012), English Gypsy poet, novelist and horse breeder
• Rosario Castellanos (1925–1974), Mexican poet and author
• Paulette Cherici-Porello (1924–2018), Monegasque poet and writer
• Amy Clampitt (1920–1994), American poet and author
• Blaga Dimitrova (1922–2003), Bulgarian poet and Vice President of Bulgaria
• Rosemary Dobson (1920–2012), Australian poet, illustrator, editor and anthologist
• Yulia Drunina (1924–1991), Soviet Russian poet
• Fangge Dupan (杜潘芳格, 1927–2016), Taiwanese poet
• Mona Jane Van Duyn (1921–2004), American poet and US Poet Laureate
• Annette Mbaye d'Erneville (born 1926), Senegalese poet and writer
• Mari Evans (1923–2017), American poet
• Sarah Webster Fabio (1928–1979), American poet, literary critic and educator
• Aminath Faiza (1924–2011), Maldive poet and author
• U. A. Fanthorpe (1929–2009), English poet
• Janet Frame (1924–2004), New Zealand poet and fiction writer
• FrancEyE (1922–2007), American poet, born Frances Dean Smith
• Olga Gonçalves (1929–2004), Portuguese poet and novelist
• Alda Neves da Graça do Espírito Santo (1926–2010), São Tomé e Príncipe poet
• Barbara Guest (1920–2006), American poet and author
• Julia Hartwig (1921–2017), Polish poet and translator
• Gwen Harwood (1920–1995), Australian poet and librettist
• Dorothy Hewett (1923–2002), Australian feminist poet, novelist, librettist and playwright
• Constance Hunting (1925–2006), American poet and publisher
• Ada Jafri (1924–2015), Indian/Pakistani poet and writer
• Elizabeth Jennings (1926–2001), English poet
• Hawa Jibril (1920–2011), Somali poet
• Anna Kamieńska (1920–1986), Polish poet, writer and translator
• Eriko Kishida (1929–2011), Japanese poet, children's author, lyricist, and translator
• Shirley Kaufman (1923–2016), American/Israeli poet and translator
• Eila Kivikk'aho (1921–2004), Finnish poet
• Carolyn Kizer (1925–2014), Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet; noted for feminist poetry
• Maxine Kumin (1925–2014), American poet and author; 26th US Poet Laureate
• Ana Emilia Lahitte (1929–2013), Argentine poet, writer, and playwright
• Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018), American poet and author
• Denise Levertov (1923–1997), English-born American poet
• Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye (1928–2015), English/Kenyan poet and fiction writer
• Eeva-Liisa Manner (1921–1995), Finnish poet, playwright and translator
• Joyce Mansour (1928–1986), Egyptian/French poet
• Manuela Margarido (1925–2007), São Tomé and Príncipe poet and diplomat
• Ludmiła Marjańska (1923–2005), Polish poet and translator
• Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger (1924–1942), Romanian-born German poet
• Máire Mhac an tSaoi (1922–2021), Irish language scholar, poet, writer and academic
• Lisel Mueller (1924–2020), German-born American poet
• Malkat al-Dar Muhammad (1920–1969), Sudanese poet, novelist and composer
• Inge Müller (1925–1966), German poet
• Ágnes Nemes Nagy (1922–1991), Hungarian poet, writer and translator
• Oodgeroo Noonuccal (a.k.a. Kath Walker, 1920–1993), Australian poet, political activist and artist
• Grace Paley (1922–2007), American-Jewish fiction writer, poet, and political activist
• Esdras Parra (1929–2004), Venezuelan poet and writer
• Vesna Parun (1922–2010), Croatian poet
• Marie Ponsot (1921–2019), American poet, literary critic, essayist, teacher, and translator
• Luz Pozo Garza (1922–2020), Spanish poet
• Adrienne Rich (1929–2012), American poet, essayist and feminist
• Dora Isella Russell (1925–1990), Uruguayan poet, journalist
• Carmelina Sánchez-Cutillas i Martínez del Romero (1921–2009), Spanish historian, novelist and poet
• Giovanna Sandri (1923–2002), Italian visual poet
• Iryna Senyk (1926–2009), poet
• Anne Sexton (1928–1974), American poet, known for highly personal, confessional verse
• Bessie Skea (1923–1996), Scottish poet from Orkney
• Noémia de Sousa (1926–2002), Mozambique poet
• Julie Suk (born 1924), American poet
• Efua Sutherland (1924–1996), Ghanaian playwright, children's author, poet and dramatist
• Wislawa Szymborska (1923–2012), Polish poet, essayist and translator; won 1996 Nobel Prize in Literature
• Alcira Cardona Torrico (1926–2003), Bolivian writer and poet
• Mona Van Duyn (1921–2004), American poet; 36th US Poet Laureate
• Phyllis Webb (1927–2021), Canadian poet and radio broadcaster
• Hannah Weiner (1928–1997), American poet; often grouped with the Language poets
• Christa Wolf (1929–2011), German poet, critic and novelist
• Mitsuye Yamada (born 1923), Japanese American activist, essayist, poet, story writer and editor
• Chia-ying Yeh (born 1924), Chinese-Canadian poet

1930s

In alphabetical order:

• Fleur Adcock (born 1934), poet and editor of English and Northern Irish ancestry
• Bella Akhmadulina (1937–2010), Soviet and Russian poet, short story writer, and translator
• Anne-Marie Albiach (1937–2012), French poet and translator
• Bisera Alikadić (born 1939), Bosnian poet and author
• Klairi Angelidou (1932–2021), Cypriot poet, translator and philologist
• Margaret Atwood (born 1939), Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist and environmental activist
• A. S. Byatt (born 1936), English novelist and poet
• Neriman Cahit (born 1937), Turkish Cypriot poet, author and prominent women's rights advocate
• Diana Chang (1934–2009), Chinese American novelist and poet
• Hélène Cixous (born 1937), Algerian-born French poet, playwright and philosopher
• Gillian Clarke (born 1937), Welsh poet, playwright, editor, broadcaster, lecturer and translator
• Lucille Clifton (1936–2010), American writer and educator
• Elizabeth Cook-Lynn (born 1930), Crow Creek Lakota Sioux editor, essayist, poet, novelist, and academic
• Jayne Cortez (1936–2012), American poet and performance artist
• Vilborg Dagbjartsdóttir (1930–2021), Icelandic poet
• Kamala Das (1934–2009), Indian English poet and littérateur
• Olga Xirinacs Díaz (born 1936), writer and piano teacher
• Zuhur Dixon (1933–2021), Iraqi poet
• Leila Djabali (born 1933), Algerian poet and intellectual
• Muzi Epifani (1935–1984), Italian novelist and poet
• Ruth Fainlight (born 1931), US-born English poet, short story writer, translator and librettist
• Forough Farrokhzad (1935–1967), Iranian poet and film director
• Elaine Feinstein (1930–2019), English poet, novelist and biographer
• Ágnes Gergely (born 1933), Hungarian poet, essayist and translator
• Ellen Gilchrist (born 1935), American novelist, short story writer and poet
• Halima Godane (1935–1994), Somali poet and activist
• Patricia Goedicke (1931–2006), American poet
• Georgina Herrera (1936–2021), Cuban poet
• Hilda Hilst (1930–2004), Brazilian poet, playwright and novelist
• Mary Ann Hoberman (born 1930), American poet and children's writer
• Barbara Holland (1933–2010), American children's writer, poet and memoirist
• Susan Howe (born 1937), American poet, scholar, essayist and critic; closely associated with Language poets
• Raquel Ilombé (1938–1992), Equatorial Guinean poet and author
• Nora Iuga (born 1931), Romanian poet, writer and translator
• Patricia Janus (1932–2006), American poet, artist and educator
• Rita Joe (1932–2007), Canadian poet
• Anna Jókai (1932–2017), Hungarian poet, author and teacher
• Ingrid Jonker (1933–1965), South African poet
• June Jordan (1936–2002), American poet, essayist, journalist, novelist, librettist and autobiographer
• Jenny Joseph (1932–2018), English poet
• Antigone Kefala (1935–2022), Australian poet and prose-writer of Greek-Romanian heritage
• Adrienne Kennedy (born 1931), American playwright and poet
• Vénus Khoury-Ghata (born 1937), Lebanese-French writer, former Miss Beirut
• Sarah Kirsch (1935–2013), German poet and translator
• Sarah Klassen (born 1932), Canadian poet and fiction writer
• Gwendoline Konie (1938–2009), Zambian poet, diplomat and politician
• Lina Kostenko (born 1930), Ukrainian poet
• Urszula Kozioł (born 1931), Polish poet
• Momoko Kuroda (黒田杏子, born 1938), Japanese haiku poet and essayist
• Joanne Kyger (1934–2017), American poet tied to Black Mountain, San Francisco Renaissance and Beat generation
• Alda Lara (1930–1962), Angolan poet
• Audre Lorde (1934–1992), Caribbean-American writer, poet and activist
• Ana María Llona Málaga (born 1936), Peruvian poet
• Alda Merini (1931–2009), Italian writer and poet
• Barbara Moraff (born 1939), American poet of the Beat generation
• Martha Nasibù (1931–2020), Ethiopian/French poet, writer and artist
• Olga Nolla (1938–2001), Puerto Rican poet, writer and professor
• Helga M. Novak (1935–2013), German poet and political writer
• Joyce Carol Oates (born 1938), American author
• Mary Oliver (1935–2019), American poet
• Agnieszka Osiecka (1936–1997), Polish poet and screenplay writer
• Alicia Ostriker (born 1937), American poet and scholar writing Jewish feminist poetry
• Atena Pashko (1931–2012), Ukrainian chemical engineer, poet, and social activist
• Amelia Blossom Pegram (1935–2022), South African poet
• Marge Piercy (born 1936), American poet, novelist and social activist
• Alejandra Pizarnik (1936–1972), Argentine poet
• Sylvia Plath (1932–1963), American poet and fiction writer
• Halina Poświatowska (1935–1967), Polish poet
• Diane di Prima (1934–2020), American poet
• Dahlia Ravikovitch (1936–2005), Israeli poet, translator and peace activist
• Mirkka Rekola (1931–2014), Finnish poet
• Adrienne Rich (1929–2012), American poet and writer
• Sonia Sanchez (born 1934), African-American poet
• Pat Schneider (1934–2020), American writer, poet and editor
• Nina Serrano (born 1934), American poet, writer, storyteller and media producer
• Bennie Lee Sinclair (1939–2000), American poet and fiction writer, South Carolina Poet Laureate, 1986–2000
• Fatou Ndiaye Sow (1937–2004), Senegalese poet, children's writer and teacher
• Donna J. Stone (1933–1994), American poet and philanthropist
• Karen Swenson (born 1936), American poet and journalist
• Elaine Terranova (born 1939), American poet
• Laura Ulewicz (1930–2007), American poet
• Lobat Vala (born 1930), Iranian poet and campaigner
• Jean Valentine (1934–2020), American poet; New York State Poet Laureate
• Diane Wakoski (born 1937), American poet
• Rosmarie Waldrop (born 1935), American poet, translator and publisher
• Eleanor Wilner (born 1937), American poet and editor
• Dede Wilson (born 1937), American poet
• Nellie Wong (born 1934), Chinese-American feminist poet
• Shaïda Zarumey (born 1938), Niger poet and sociologist
• Fay Zwicky (1933–2017), Australian poet, short-story writer, critic and academic

1940s

In alphabetical order:

• Kathy Acker (1947–1997), American experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright, postmodernist and sex-positive feminist writer
• Diane Ackerman (born 1948), American essayist and naturalist
• Ama Ata Aidoo (1940–2023), Ghanaian poet, novelist, playwright and short-story writer
• Gloria E. Anzaldúa (1942–2004), American author, poet and activist
• Rae Armantrout (born 1947), American writer, Language poet and professor
• Akram Monfared Arya (born 1946), Iranian/Swedish writer, politician and aircraft pilot
• Pam Ayres (born 1947), English poet, songwriter and radio/TV presenter
• Mary Jo Bang (born 1946), American poet
• Miryana Ivanova Basheva (1947–2020), Bulgarian poet
• Olinda Beja (born 1946), São Tomé and Príncipe poet, writer and narrator
• Mei-mei Berssenbrugge (born 1947), Chinese American poet associated with Language poetry, the New York School, phenomenology, and visual art
• Linda Bierds (born 1945), American poet and professor
• Becky Birtha (born 1948), American poet and children's author
• Eavan Boland (1944–2020), Irish poet
• Douangdeuane Bounyavong (born 1947), Laotian poet, novelist and non-fiction writer
• Cathy Smith Bowers (born 1949), American poet; North Carolina Poet Laureate 2010–2012
• Nicole Brossard (born 1943), French Canadian formalist poet and novelist
• Olga Broumas (born 1949), Greek poet living in United States
• Flora Brovina (born 1949), Kosovar poet and politician
• Andrea Hollander Budy (born 1947), American poet
• Kathryn Stripling Byer (1944–2017), American poet and teacher; North Carolina Poet Laureate 2005–2009
• Caroline Caddy (born 1944), Australian poet
• Luzmila Carpio (born 1949), Bolivian song-writer
• Kelly Cherry (born 1940), American poet and author
• Chrystos (born 1946), Menominee rights activist and poet
• Daria Chubata (born 1940), Ukrainian physician, writer, poet
• Michelle Cliff (1946–2016), Jamaican/American poet and fiction writer
• Norma Cole (born 1945), American poet, visual artist, and translator
• Wanda Coleman (1946–2013), American poet
• Anne Compton (born 1947), Canadian poet, critic, and anthologist
• Wendy Cope (born 1945), English poet
• Elsa Cross (born 1946), Mexican poet and essayist
• Doris Davenport (born 1949), American educator poet
• Regina Derieva (1949–2013), Russian poet and writer
• Toi Derricotte (born 1941), American poet and professor
• Annie Dillard (born 1945), American nonfiction writer, poet, essayist and novelist
• Berlie Doherty (born 1943), English novelist, poet, playwright, screenwriter and children's writer
• Rachel Blau DuPlessis (born 1941), American poet, essayist, feminist critic, and scholar
• Bohdana Durda (born 1940), Ukrainian writer, poet, songwriter
• Lynn Emanuel (born 1949), American poet
• Clarissa Pinkola Estés (born 1945), American poet
• Diane Fahey (born 1945), Australian poet
• Renée Ferrer de Arréllaga (born 1944), Paraguayan poet and novelist
• Veronica Forrest-Thomson (1947–1975), Scottish poet and theorist
• Tess Gallagher (born 1943), American poet, essayist, author and playwright
• Nikki Giovanni (born 1943), African-American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator
• Banira Giri (1946–2021), Nepalese poet and author
• Diane Glancy (born 1941), American poet, novelist and playwright
• Louise Glück (born 1943), American poet; 42nd US Poet Laureate
• Lorna Goodison (born 1947), Jamaican poet
• Hedwig Gorski (born 1949), American performance poet and avant-garde artist
• Hattie Gossett (born 1942), African-American feminist playwright, poet, and magazine editor
• Judy Grahn (born 1940), American feminist, lesbian poet
• Debora Greger (born 1949), American poet and visual artist
• Linda Gregg (1942–2019), American poet
• Susan Griffin (born 1943), American poet, playwright and philosopher
• M. A. Griffiths (1947–2009), English poet
• Marilyn Hacker (born 1942), American poet, translator and critic
• Jessica Hagedorn (born 1949), Filipino American poet, playwright and novelist
• Eloise Klein Healy (born 1943), American poet, first Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, professor at Antioch University
• Lyn Hejinian (born 1941), American poet, essayist, translator and publisher
• Lin Van Hek (born 1944), Australian poet and novelist
• Guðrið Helmsdal (born 1941), Faroese poet
• Linda Hogan (born 1947), American poet and fiction writer
• Libby Houston (born 1941), English poet, botanist, and rock climber
• Fanny Howe (born 1940), American poet and fiction writer
• Ingibjörg Haraldsdóttir (1942–2016), Icelandic poet
• Erica Jong (born 1942), American author and teacher
• Jane Kenyon (1947–1995), American poet and translator
• Mimi Khalvati (born 1944), Iranian-born English poet
• Hamda Khamis (born 1945), Bahrain poet and columnist
• Karin Kiwus (born 1942), German poet
• Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda (born 1946), American poet; Poet Laureate of Virginia
• Ann Lauterbach (born 1942), American poet, essayist and professor
• Tanith Lee (1947–2015), English novelist, poet and screenwriter
• Lalitha Lenin (born 1946), Indian poet in Malayalam
• Catherine Lim (林宝音, born 1942), Singaporean poet and fiction writer
• Ewa Lipska (born 1945), Polish poet
• Liz Lochhead (born 1947), Scottish poet and dramatist
• Christine De Luca (born 1947), Scottish poet and writer
• Gwendolyn MacEwen (1941–1987), Canadian poet and novelist
• Mary Mackey (born 1945), American novelist, poet and academic
• Jennifer Maiden (born 1949), Australian poet
• Angela Marinescu (born 1941), Romanian poet
• Daphne Marlatt (born 1942), Canadian poet
• Bernadette Mayer (born 1945), American poet, writer and visual artist
• Susan McCaslin (born 1947), Canadian poet
• Heather McHugh (born 1948), American poet
• Jane Miller (born 1949), American poet
• Susan Mitchell (born 1944), American poet, essayist and translator
• Grace Mera Molisa (1947–2002), ni-Vanuatu politician, poet and campaigner for women's equality
• Nancy Morejón (born 1944), Cuban poet, critic and essayist
• Robin Morgan (born 1941), American poet, author and lecturer
• Micere Githae Mugo (1942–2023), Kenyan poet, playwright and professor
• Joan Murray (born 1945), American poet, writer and playwright
• Carol Muske-Dukes (born 1945), American poet, novelist, essayist and professor; California Poet Laureate
• Marilyn Nelson (born 1946), American poet, translator and children's author
• Kavidi Wivine N'Landu (living), DR Congo poet and politician
• Alice Notley (born 1945), American poet
• Clémentine Nzuji (born 1944), Congolese poet and writer
• Sharon Olds (born 1942), American poet
• Ljubica Ostojić (1945–2021), Bosnian poet, writer and playwright
• Ruth Padel (born 1946), English poet and non-fiction author on poetry and nature writing
• Ánxeles Penas (born 1943), Spanish poet
• Katha Pollitt (born 1949), American feminist poet, essayist and critic
• Dina Posada (born 1946), Salvadoran poet
• Thuraya Qabil (born 1943), Saudi Arabian poet and journalist
• Jennifer Rankin (1941–1979), Australian poet and playwright
• Denise Riley (born 1948), English poet and philosopher
• Althea Romeo-Mark (born 1948), Antigua poet, writer and educator
• Penelope Rosemont (born 1942), American poet, writer and visual artist
• Cristina Peri Rossi (born 1941), Uruguayan poet, fiction writer and translator
• Susanna Roxman (1946–2015), Swedish-born English poet and critic
• Kay Ryan (born 1945), American poet and educator; 16th US Poet Laureate
• Olive Senior (born 1941), Jamaican poet, novelist, short story and non-fiction writer
• Ntozake Shange (1948–2018), American poet and playwright
• Leslie Marmon Silko (born 1948), American poet and fiction writer
• Marilyn Singer (born 1948), American poet and children's writer
• Patti Smith (born 1946), American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist
• Stephanie Strickland (born 1942), American poet and exponent of electronic literature
• Telcine Turner-Rolle (1944–2012), Bahamas poet, playwright and educator
• Jane Urquhart (born 1949), Canadian novelist and poet
• Amy Uyematsu (1947–2023), American poet
• Janine Pommy Vega (1942–2010), American poet associated with Beat generation
• Judit Vihar (born 1944), Hungarian poet and literary historian
• Ellen Bryant Voigt (born 1943), American poet and essayist
• Anne Waldman (born 1945), American poet
• Alice Walker (born 1944), American author, poet and activist
• Sherley Anne Williams (1944–1999), American poet, novelist and playwright
• Connie Willis (born 1945), American poet and short story writer
• Wong May (born 1944), Singaporean/Irish poet
• Merle Woo (born 1941), Asian American teacher, poet and activist
• Carolyn D. Wright (1949), American poet
• Halima Xudoyberdiyeva (1947–2018), Uzbek poet, People's Poet of Uzbekistan
• Ekaterina Petrova Yosifova (born 1941), Bulgarian poet, educator and journalist

1950s

In alphabetical order:

• Catherine Obianuju Acholonu (1951–2014), Nigerian poet and researcher
• Patricia J. Adams (born 1952), Anguillan poet and writer
• Kim Addonizio (born 1954), American poet and novelist
• Josephine Balmer (born 1959), English poet, translator and critic
• Fevziye Rahgozar Barlas (born 1955), Afghan poet and fiction writer
• Mubarkah Bent al-Barra (born 1957), Mauritanian poet and translator
• Dawn-Michelle Baude (born 1959), American poet, journalist and educator
• Nura Bazdulj-Hubijar (born 1951), Bosnian poet, writer and playwright
• Marion Bethel (born 1953), Bahamas poet, essayist and attorney
• Valerie Bloom (born 1956), Jamaican poet and novelist
• Tanella Boni (born 1954), Côte d'Ivoire poet and novelist
• Jenny Boult (1951–2005), Australian poet, playwright, and editor
• Melba Boyd (born 1950), African-American poet
• Alison Brackenbury (born 1953), English poet
• Di Brandt (born 1952), Canadian poet and scholar
• Giannina Braschi (born 1953), Puerto Rican poet and writer
• Jean "Binta" Breeze (1956–2021), Jamaican dub poet and storyteller
• Fern G. Z. Carr (born 1956), Canadian poet, translator and lawyer
• Anne Carson (born 1950), Canadian poet, essayist and translator
• Ana Castillo (born 1953), Mexican-American fiction writer, poet and essayist
• Catherine Chandler (born 1950), American/Canadian poet and translator
• Andrea Cheng (born 1957), American poet and children's writer
• Edith Checa (1957–2017), Spanish poet, writer, and journalist
• Marilyn Chin (born 1955), American poet and writer
• Sandra Cisneros (born 1954), American writer
• Michelle T. Clinton (born 1955), African-American poet
• Judith Ortiz Cofer (born 1952), Puerto Rican poet and author
• Allison Hedge Coke (born 1958), American/Canadian poet
• Merle Collins (born 1950), Grenadian poet and fiction writer
• Judy Croome (born 1958), South African poet and novelist
• Bernadette Sanou Dao (born 1952), Burkina Faso poet, fiction writer and politician
• Tina Darragh (born 1950), American Language poet
• Mahadai Das (1954–2003), Guyanese poet and academic
• Ananda Devi (born 1957), Mauritian poet and fiction writer
• Imtiaz Dharker (born c. 1954), English poet, artist and film-maker
• Koumanthio Zeinab Diallo (born 1956), Guinean poet, novelist and playwright
• Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (born 1956), Indian-American poet and fiction writer
• Rita Dove (born 1952), American poet and essayist
• Jane Draycott (born 1954), English poet and university teacher
• Vera Duarte (born 1952), Cape Verdean poet and politician
• Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955), Scottish poet and playwright; first female Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom
• Marilyn Dumont (born 1955), First Nations Canadian poet
• Helen Dunmore (1952–2017), English poet, novelist and children's writer
• Claudia Emerson (born 1957), American poet; won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Louise Erdrich (born 1954), American poet and fiction writer
• Annie Finch (born 1956), American poet, playwright and performance artist
• Rosa Méndez Fonte (born 1957), Galician poet, writer, and researcher
• Nikky Finney (born 1957), American poet
• Carolyn Forché (born 1950), American poet, translator and professor
• Coralie Frei (born 1951), Comoros/Swiss poet and novelist
• Alice Fulton (born 1952), American author and poet
• Chitra Gajadin (born 1954), Surinamese/Dutch poet, writer and playwright
• Amy Gerstler (born 1956), American poet
• Stanka Gjurić (born 1956), Croatian poet and essayist
• Jorie Graham (born 1950), American poet
• Joy Harjo (born 1951), American poet, former United States Poet Laureate
• Carla Harryman (born 1952), American poet, essayist, and playwright, associated with Language poets
• Katherine Hastings (born 1950), American poet
• Jane Hirshfield (born 1953), American poet, essayist and translator
• Lynda Hull (1954–1994), American poet
• Julie Kane (born 1952), American poet, scholar and editor; Louisiana Poet Laureate 2011–2013
• Mary Karr (born 1955), American poet and essayist
• Barbara Kingsolver (born 1955), American fiction writer, poet and essayist
• Katarzyna Krenz (born 1953), Polish writer, poet and painter
• Antjie Krog (born 1952), South African poet and journalist in Afrikaans
• Mira Kuś (born 1958), Polish poet and journalist
• Dorianne Laux (born 1952), American poet
• Sue Lenier (born 1957), English poet and playwright
• Krystyna Lenkowska (born 1957), Polish poet and translator
• Rika Lesser (born 1953), American poet and translator
• Corinth Morter Lewis (living), Belize poet and educator
• Gwyneth Lewis (born 1959), Welsh poet and inaugural National Poet of Wales
• Sarah Lindsay (born 1958), American poet
• Suzanne Lummis (born 1951), American poet and publisher; founder of Los Angeles Poetry Festival
• Jully Makini (born 1953), Solomon Islands poet, writer and women's rights activist
• Chris Mansell (born 1953), Australian poet and publisher
• Lee Maracle (born 1950), Canadian poet, novelist and storyteller
• Maria Mercè Marçal (1952–1998), Catalan poet
• Camille Martin (born 1956), Canadian poet and collage artist
• Dionyse McTair (born 1950), Trinidadian poet^[3]
• Grażyna Miller (1957–2009), Polish poet and translator
• Leslie Adrienne Miller (born 1956), American poet
• Cherrie Moraga (born 1952), Chicana poet, playwright, and essayist
• Aurora Levins Morales (born 1954), Puerto Rican essayist, poet and fiction writer
• Thylias Moss (born 1954), American poet, children's novelist, and playwright
• Lale Müldür (born 1956), Turkish poet and writer
• Harryette Mullen (born 1953), American poet, short story writer and literary scholar
• Herta Müller (born 1953), Romanian-born German novelist, poet and essayist; Nobel Prize in Literature winner
• Rosario Murillo (born 1951), Nicaraguan poet
• Sheila Murphy (born 1951), American poet and visual poet
• Susan Musgrave (born 1951), Canadian poet and children's writer
• J. C. Niala (living), Zanzibar/English poet and story-teller
• Grace Nichols (born 1950), Guyanese poet
• Elly Niland (born 1954), Guyanese poet, playwright and teacher
• Barbara Noda (born 1953), third generation Japanese American poet
• Naomi Shihab Nye (born 1952), American poet, songwriter and novelist
• Maggie O'Sullivan (born 1951), English poet of Irish descent, performer and visual artist
• Yolanda Pantin (born 1954), Venezuelan poet and children's writer
• Kathleen Peirce (born 1956), American poet
• Pascale Petit (born 1953), French-born Welsh poet and artist
• Chiranan Pitpreecha (born 1955), Thai poet and feminist
• Judith Pordon (born 1954), American poet and writer
• Dorothy Porter (1954–2008), Australian poet
• Karen Press (born 1956), South African English-language poet
• Viera Prokešová (1957–2008), Slovak poet, writer and translator
• Zsuzsa Rakovszky (born 1950), Hungarian poet and translator
• Ágnes Rapai (born 1952), Hungarian poet, writer and translator
• Irina Ratushinskaya (1954–2017), Soviet/Russian poet and writer
• Jutta Richter (born 1955), German author of children's and youth literature
• Luisa Ballesteros Rosas (born 1957), Colombian essayist, poet, and educator
• Barbara Rosiek (1959–2020), Polish poet, writer and psychologist
• Anne Rouse (born 1954), American-British poet
• Layla Sarahat Rushani (c. 1952/1954–2004), Afghan poet
• Gig Ryan (born 1956), Australian poet
• Gjertrud Schnackenberg (born 1953), American poet
• Odete Semedo (born 1959), Guinea-Bissau poet, writer and educator
• Jo Shapcott (born 1953), English poet, editor and lecturer
• Edi Shukriu (born 1950), Kosovar poet, politician and archaeologist
• Margaret Smith (born 1958), American poet, musician and artist
• Cathy Song (born 1955), American poet
• Susan Stewart (born 1952), American poet, university professor and critic
• Kebedech Tekleab (born 1958), Ethiopian poet and painter
• Eleni Theocharous (born 1953), Cypriot poet and politician
• Angela Topping (born 1954), English poet, literary critic and author
• Agata Tuszynska (born 1957), Polish writer, poet and journalist
• Chase Twichell (born 1950), American poet, professor and publisher
• Ania Walwicz (1951–2020), Australian poet and prose writer and visual artist
• Connie Wanek (born 1952), American poet
• Meralda Warren (born 1959), Pitcairn Island artist, poet and author
• Marjory Heath Wentworth (born 1958), American poet; South Carolina Poet Laureate
• Sheri-D Wilson (born 1958), Canadian poet, producer and lecturer
• Grażyna Wojcieszko (born 1957), Polish poet and essayist
• Tetiana Yakovenko (born 1954), Ukrainian poet, literary critic and teacher
• Neşe Yaşın (born 1959), Turkish Cypriot poet and author
• Yuan Chiung-chiung (袁瓊瓊, born 1950), Taiwanese poet, fiction writer and television writer

1960s

In alphabetical order:

• Patience Agbabi (born 1965), English poet
• Kelli Russell Agodon (born 1969), American poet
• Nura al-Badi (born 1969), Omani poet
• Khadija Besikri (born 1962), Libyan poet, writer and human rights activist
• Kate Clanchy (born 1965), Scottish poet and writer
• Julia Copus (born 1969), English poet and children's writer
• M. T. C. Cronin (born 1963), Australian poet, lawyer and academic
• Anna Dodas i Noguer (1962—1986), Catalan poet
• Petya Dubarova (born 1962), Bulgarian poet, school student
• Zena Edwards (born 1960s), British writer, poet and performer
• Milena Ercolani (born 1963), San Marino poet and novelist
• Jacinta Escudos (living), Salvadorian poet and fiction and non-fiction writer
• Maggie Estep (1963–2014), American poet and writer
• Magie Faure-Vidot (living), Seychelles poet
• Sia Figiel (born 1967), Samoan novelist, poet, and painter
• Kate Gale (born 1965), American poet; founding publisher of Red Hen Press
• Karina Galvez (born 1964), Ecuadorian poet
• Lavinia Greenlaw (born 1962), English poet and novelist
• Mariela Griffor (born 1961), Chilean poet, translator and diplomat
• Beth Gylys (born 1964), American poet and professor
• Roya Hakakian (born 1966), Iranian/American poet, writer and journalist
• Jennifer Michael Hecht (born 1965), American poet, historian, philosopher and author
• Ellen Hinsey (born 1960), American poet, translator and scholar
• Rozalie Hirs (born 1965), Dutch poet and composer
• Frieda Hughes (born 1960), English poet and painter
• Helen Ivory (born 1969), English poet, artist, tutor and editor
• Lisa Jarnot (born 1967), American poet
• Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (born 1967), American poet and novelist
• Judy Jordan (born 1961), American poet, novelist, and memoirist
• Sandra Pierrette Kanzié (born 1966), Burkina Faso poet
• Adeena Karasick (born 1965), Canadian poet, essayist and performance artist
• Julia Kasdorf (born 1962), American poet
• Laura Kasischke (born 1961), American poet
• Jackie Kay (born 1961), Scottish poet, playwright and novelist
• Ruth Ellen Kocher (born 1965), American poet
• Simona Lazăr (living), Romanian poet and gastronomic writer
• Danielle Legros Georges (living), Haitian-born American poet, essayist and academic
• Dana Levin (born 1965), American poet and teacher
• Conceição Lima (born 1961), São Tomé and Príncipe poet
• LindaAnn Loschiavo (born c. 1960), American poet
• Zindzi Mandela (1960–2020), South African poet and diplomat
• Wendy McGrath (born 1960), Canadian poet and novelist
• Nora Méndez (born 1969), Salvadoran poet
• Sarah Messer (born 1966), American poet and author
• Cho Mina (born 1960), South Korean poet
• Ange Mlinko (born 1969), American poet and literary critic
• Nora Nadjarian (born 1966), Cypriot poet and fiction writer
• Taslima Nasrin (born 1962), Bengali doctor, novelist, poet and essayist
• Juliane Okot Bitek (born 1966), Kenyan-born Ugandan diasporian poet and academic
• Alice Oswald (born 1966), English poet
• Vera Pavlova (born 1963), Russian poet
• Parween Pazhwak (born 1967), Afghan poet, writer and artist
• Marine Petrossian (born 1960), Armenian poet, essayist and columnist
• Duanwad Pimwana (born 1969), Thai poet, novelist and journalist
• Pascale Quao-Gaudens (born 1963), Côte d'Ivoire poet, writer and artist
• Samina Raja (born 1961), Pakistani poet, writer, translator and broadcaster
• Claudia Rankine (born 1963), American poet and playwright
• Lisa Robertson (born 1961), Canadian poet
• Mamta Sagar (born 1966), Kannada poet and playwright living in Bangalore
• Maryam Salama (born 1965), Libyan poet and writer
• Fiona Sampson (born 1968), English/Welsh poet and editor
• Dipti Saravanamuttu (born 1960), Sri Lankan-Australian poet and academic
• Rebecca Seiferle (living), American poet
• Narmala Shewcharan (living), Guyanese poet, novelist and anthropologist
• Dorothea Smartt (born 1963), English-born poet of Barbadian descent
• A. E. Stallings (born 1968), American poet and translator
• Lisa Gluskin Stonestreet (born 1968), American poet
• Maud Sulter (1960–2008), British fine artist and poet
• Krisztina Tóth (born 1967), Hungarian poet, writer and translator
• Ann Townsend (born 1962), American poet and essayist
• Elizabeth Treadwell (born 1967), American poet
• Natasha Trethewey (born 1966), American poet; Mississippi Poet Laureate, won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Reetika Vazirani (1962–2003), Indian/American poet and educator
• Phillippa Yaa de Villiers (born 1966), South African poet, dramatist and performance artist
• Rebecca Wee (living), American poet and academic
• Elizabeth Willis (born 1961), American poet, literary critic and professor
• Sholeh Wolpé (born 1962), Iranian/American poet, translator and playwright
• Jacqueline Woodson (born 1963), American poet
• Cho Yongmee (born 1962), South Korean poet

1970s

In alphabetical order:

• An Heon-mi (born 1971), South Korean poet
• Maryam Jafari Azarmani (born 1977), Iranian poet, essayist, critic and translator
• Siham Benchekroun (living), Moroccan poet and novelist
• Jacqueline Bishop (living), Jamaican poet, novelist and visual artist
• Amba Bongo (born 1962), DR Congo poet and novelist
• Malika Booker (born 1970), British poet and multi-disciplinary artist
• Shannon Bramer (born 1973), Canadian poet
• Colette Bryce (born 1970), Northern Irish poet
• Alison Calder (born 1969), Canadian poet and educator
• Susana Chávez (1974–2011), Mexican poet and human rights activist
• Grace Chia (born 1973), Singaporean poet, writer and journalist
• Dan Chiasson (born 1971), American poet, critic and journalist
• Eugenia Chuprina (born 1971), Ukrainian poet, novelist, writer, playwright
• Dani Couture (born 1978), Canadian poet and novelist
• Jennifer K Dick (born 1970), American poet
• Lidija Dimkovska (born 1971), Macedonian poet, novelist and translator
• Adda Djørup (born 1972), Danish poet and fiction writer
• Chay Douangphouxay (living), American poet of Lao-Khmer extraction
• Sasha Dugdale (born 1974), English poet, playwright and translator
• Nurduran Duman (born 1974), Turkish poet, writer, essayist, and translator
• Camille Dungy (born 1972), American poet and academic
• Zetta Elliott (born 1972), Canadian-American poet and playwright
• Jill Alexander Essbaum (born 1971), American poet and novelist
• Kate Fox (born 1975), English poet, writer, comedian and academic
• Marta Repullo i Grau (born 1976), Andorran poet and journalist
• Jane Griffiths (born 1970), English poet and literary historian
• Rachel Eliza Griffiths (born 1978), American poet, novelist, photographer and visual artist
• Eliza Griswold (born 1973), American journalist and poet
• Wioletta Grzegorzewska (born 1974), Polish poet and writer
• Kim Haengsook (born 1970), South Korean poet
• Sophie Hannah (born 1971), English poet and novelist
• Ilona Hegedűs (living), Hungarian poet and fiction writer
• Hissa Hilal (living), Saudi Arabian poet and editor
• Joan Houlihan (living), American poet
• Sheema Kalbasi (born 1972), Iranian poet, producer, critic, blogger and human rights advocate
• Sissal Kampmann (born 1974), Faroese poet
• Saba Kidane (born 1978), Eritrean poet and journalist
• Taja Kramberger (born 1970), Slovenian poet, translator and essayist
• Evelyn Lau (born 1971), Canadian poet and novelist
• Ágnes Lehóczky (born 1976), Hungarian translator and academic
• Ada Limón (born 1976), 24th United States Poet Laureate
• Lebogang Mashile (born 1979), South African actress, writer and performance poet
• Lili Mendoza (born 1974), Panamanian poet and writer
• Touhfat Mouhtare (living), Comoros poet and writer
• Aimee Nezhukumatathil (born 1974), American poet
• Neelam Karki Niharika (born 1975), Nepalese poet and fiction writer
• Ketty Nivyabandi (born 1978), Burundian poet and human rights activist
• Gayatribala Panda (born 1977), Indian poet, fiction writer and journalist
• Rochelle Potkar (born 1979), Indian fiction writer and poet
• Asmaa bint Saqr Al Qasimi (living), United Arab Emirates poet
• Adele Ramos (living), Belize poet, writer and journalist
• Angela Rawlings (born 1978), Canadian poet, editor, and interdisciplinary artist
• Angela Readman (born 1973), English poet
• Nandini Sahu (born 1973), Indian poet writing in English
• Ann Sansom (living), English poet and tutor
• Sally Singhateh (born 1977), Gambian poet and novelist
• Tracy K. Smith (born 1972), African-American poet and educator
• Geeta Tripathee (born 1972), Nepalese poet and song-writer
• Julieta Valero (born 1971), Spanish poet
• Jumoke Verissimo (born 1979), Nigerian poet and writer
• Emily Warn (living), American poet and essayist
• Jennifer Wong (born 1978), Chinese poet
• Yu Xiuhua (余秀华, born 1976), Chinese poet
• Eva Yárnoz (born 1975), Spanish poet
• Katarzyna Ewa Zdanowicz-Cyganiak (born 1979), Polish poet and journalist

1980s

In alphabetical order:

• Anastasia Afanasieva (born 1982), Ukrainian physician, poet, writer and translator
• Salma Khalil Alio (born 1982), Chad poet, photographer and graphic artist
• Nadia Anjuman (1980–2005), Afghanistani poet
• Süreyya Aylin Antmen (born 1981), Turkish writer, poet and essayist
• Wani Ardy (born 1984), Malaysian writer, poet, and singer-songwriter
• Eileen Barbosa (living), Cape Verdean poet and fiction writer
• Linda M. Deane (living), English-born writer, poet and editor in Barbados
• Kristín Eiríksdóttir (born 1981), Icelandic poet
• Fateme Ekhtesari (born 1986), Iranian poet and midwife
• Kalilah Enríquez (born 1983), Belize poet and journalist
• Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner (living), Marshall Islander/American poet and climate-change activist
• Iya Kiva (born 1984), Ukrainian poet, translator, journalist, and critic
• D. L. Lang (born 1983), American poet laureate of Vallejo, California
• Joanna Lech (born 1984), Polish poet and writer
• Rossy Evelin Lima (born 1986), Mexican poet and linguist
• Wendy McGrath (living), Canadian poet and novelist
• Jennifer Militello (living), American poet and professor
• Yamilka Noa (born 1980), Cuban/Costa Rican poet and film-maker
• Vera Polozkova (born 1986), Russian poet, actor and singer
• Tania De Rozario (born 1982), Singaporean writer and visual artist
• Warsan Shire (born 1988), British writer, poet, editor and teacher
• Maja Solar (born 1980), Serbian poet
• Margo Taft Stever (living), American poet
• Azalia Suhaimi (born 1985), Malaysian poet, writer and photographer
• Véronique Tadjo (born 1985), Côte d'Ivoire poet, novelist and artist
• Bogi Takács (born 1983), Hungarian poet, writer and translator

1990s

In alphabetical order:

• Amata Giramata (born 1996), Rwandan/American poet and community organizer
• Amanda Gorman (born 1998), American poet
• Rupi Kaur (born 1992), Indian-born Canadian poet and illustrator
• Sheila Khala (born 1990 or 1991), Lesotho poet
• Melissa Lozada-Oliva (born 1992), American poet and educator
• Emtithal Mahmoud (born 1992 or 1993), Sudanese poet and activist
• Andisha Shahii (born 1991), Kyrgyzstan poet and fiction writer

Current (date of birth unknown)

• Elizabeth Acevedo, Dominican-American poet
• Sandra Agard, British storyteller, poet and cultural historian
• Star Black, American poet, photographer and artist
• Hannah Drake, African-American poet
• Beda Higgins, Anglo-Irish poet and writer
• Kara Jackson, American poet and former National Youth Poet Laureate of the USA
• Monica Ong, Asian-American visual poet

See also

• Poetry
• Poet
• List of feminist poets

References

1. Judges, 4.
2. Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life. Moulton. pp. 111–12.
3. Benson, Eugene; Conolly, L W (2004). Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English. p. 1004. ISBN 1134468482.