#TheSealeyChallenge 2026 reading roundup

Dear Readers (especially readers of poetry):

Have you tried The Sealey Challenge? Several years ago I wrote about it for the Inlandia Literary Journeys column. It was founded by poet Nicole Sealey and this year marks the challenge’s 10th anniversary. I don’t do it every year, because it’s a big commitment to read a book a day, but this year I noticed they emphasized it’s not just about an entire book a day but even a poem a day, or a poetry podcast a day—engaging more with poetry in any way that fits your individual schedule. That sounded more manageable. So, this month I have most definitely engaged with poetry in a variety of ways: 20 physical poetry collections including a book of poetry comics, 5 electronic poetry collections (PDF or ePub), 4 audiobook poetry collections, plus two episodes of The Slowdown poetry podcast.

My observations:

The first book I completed this month I began in July, after seeing The Odyssey on the big screen. I have plans to also buy the physical book and read it again, and to read other versions, but I did love listening to Claire Danes read it to me.

I started out slow, reading the one book a day, picking up books that I had recently purchased, because they were on the top of the pile(s). [Of note: I will never get through all of the poetry books I own.] I also supplemented by borrowing a few audiobook and eBook titles for when I was up and around or out and about.

The titles I chose are kind of random except in certain cases I picked things that I would otherwise not have read. For instance, the Libby app is pretty sad, in terms of available poetry. Very few options. So I gave Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey a chance. I’m glad I did. I liked the poems more than I expected to. They are all short and not especially complex but they are authentic and I can see why she’s developed a following. Also, after reading Diane Seuss’s Modern Poetry, I wanted to revisit Keats. I also listened to all of Shakespeare’s sonnets.

One night about halfway through the month, as I was drifting off to sleep, I was thinking about which books I was most enjoying and why and I had the urge to write down my thoughts. So, in the dark, I scribbled in barely legible pencil across the page of a nearby notebook:

The poetry collections that excited me most were formally dexterous while also saying important things about poetry and social issues.

Now that the month is over, I would add to that I am also excited by the unexpected. Not handstands or backflips but work that intentionally mixes things up. My mind is ringing with ideas for new poems.

Observations about the challenge itself: I was excited early in the month but later as I found myself missing days I felt like I needed to catch up. One morning I read five books in one sitting. Other days, I stayed up later than I should have and read faster than was optimal, and therefore didn’t give the poems the time they deserved. It is supposed to be a luxurious act, reading all of these poems, so if you can’t or don’t want to set aside the time to do it properly (and remember—reading just one poem or listening to a podcast counts!) it is counterproductive and unpleasant if you turn the reading into a chore, which I did toward the end. Better to read fewer and slower.

(Someone please remind me of this next August!)

Here’s the list along with first lines to give you a flavor for what I read:

1. Emily Wilson, translator: The Odyssey. (audio)

   First line: Tell me about a complicated man.

2. Prageeta Sharma: Onement Won.

   First line: I am talking my way back to the poem’s turn

3. Natasha Sajé: Bend.

   First line: Into my pocket slips a folded note, creased

4. Rupi Kaur: Milk and Honey. (audio)

   First line: how is it so easy for you

5. Carmen Giménez Smith: Be Recorder.

   First line: People sometimes confuse me for someone else they know.

6. Kristie Daughterty, editor: Invisible Strings: 113 poets respond to the songs of Taylor Swift

   First line: You know but pretend not to know:

7. Diane Seuss: Modern Poetry.

   First line: Far have I wandered not knowing

8. Ilya Kaminsky: Deaf Republic.

   First line: And when they bombed other people’s houses, we

9. Gabrielle Calvocoressi: Rocket Fantastic.

   First line: Like the buck I am I turn my head

10. William Shakespeare: Shakespeare’s Sonnets. (audio)

    First line: From fairest creatures we desire increase,

11. Various: John Keats — A Tribute in Verse. (audio)

    First line: I weep for Adonais—he is dead!

12. Harryette Mullen: Sleeping with the Dictionary.

    First line: Forgive me, I’m no good at this. I can’t write back. I never read

13. Jenny Factor: Want, the Lake.

    First line: Effigy of darkness, darkening

14. Anna Moschovakis: You And Three Others Are Approaching a Lake.

    First line: The problem is I don’t care if I convince you or not

15. Ching-In Chen: Shiny City.

    First line: I don’t know who

16. Carlos Cortés: Tenth Decade. (in draft)

    First line: Nobody ever told me

17. Bianca Stone: Poetry Comics from The Book of Hours.

    First line: Are we the fashion superstars of tomorrow?

18. Alan Shapiro: Night of the Republic.

    First line: The present tense

19. Paisely Rekdal: Nightingale.

    First line: Too soon, perhaps, for fruit. And the broad branches,

20. Sara Teasdale: Flame and Shadow. (scanned book)

    First line: How many million Aprils came

21. Margaret Atwood: The Circle Game. (eBook)

    First line: It was taken some time ago.

22. Ron Koertge: Yellow Moving Van. (eBook)

    First line: I grew up in a tough little town.

23. Naomi Shihab Nye: You & Yours.

    First line: Paul Robeson stood

24. Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo: Incantation - Love Poems for Battle Sites.

    First line: Rise and feed the cat staring you down from her corner of the bed. One scoop of food, one drag of

25. Camonghne Felix: Build Yourself a Boat.

    First line: The psych on duty in triage

26. Allison Benis White: The Wendys.

    Dear W., My mind will not cool

27. Erin Belieu: Slant Six.

    First line: The Rapture came

28. Allison Joseph: Confessions of a Barefaced Woman.

    First line: It was comic on Seinfeld: Jerry looks up to see a naked man

29. Ada Limón: The Carrying.

    First line: When Eve walked among

30. The Slowdown poetry podcast, episode 1573: Dialogue with the Oldest Tree in the U.S., whose Location is a Closely-Guarded Forest Service Secret by Nina Sudhakar

    First line: stilted woodlands / towering reliquaries

31. The Slowdown poetry podcast, episode 1572: Summer Strawberries by Cat Wei

    First line: This is the first time we’ve been together in the garden

Bonus content: Erin Belieu’s Slant Six had a previous owner’s writing in the back. I tend to buy used and I especially love seeing other people’s notes!

A poem? A reflection?