List of female poets

This is a list of female poets organised by the time period in which they were born. This listing is subordered alphabetically by name.

Before Common Era

• Anyte of Tegea (fl. early 3rd century BC), Greek poet
• Cleobulina (fl. c. 550 BC), Greek poet
• Consort Ban (Ban Jieyu, Lady Pan, c. 48–c. 6 BC), Chinese scholar and poet
• Corinna (fl. 6th century BC), Ancient Greek poet
• Cornificia (c. 85–c. 40 BC), Roman poet and writer of epigrams.
• Elephantis (fl. late 1st century BC), Greek erotic poet
• Enheduanna (2285–2250 BC), Akkadian princess, priestess and Sumerian-language poet, regarded as possibly the world's earliest known female author
• Erinna (fl. c. 600 BC), Greek poet, a contemporary and friend of Sappho
• Moero or Myro (3rd century BC), Greek poet
• Nossis (fl. c. 300 BC), Greek epigrammist and poet
• Praxilla (5th century BC), Greek poet
• Sappho (fl. 6th century BC), Ancient Greek poet; one of the nine lyric poets
• Sulpicia I (fl. 1st century BC)
• Telesilla (fl. 510 BC), Greek poet
• Zhuo Wenjun (Wen Jun, 2nd century BC), Chinese poet

1 – 500 CE

• Cai Wenji (born 177), Chinese poet and composer
• Princess Iwa (4th or 5th century), Japanese poet
• Faltonia Betitia Proba (c. 306/15–c. 353/66), Roman poet in Latin
• Sulpicia II (fl. 1st century AD)
• Xie Daoyun (pre-340–post-399), Chinese poet
• Zuo Fen (c. 255–300), Chinese poet

500 – 999 CE

• Akazome Emon (956–1041), Japanese poet and historian
• Hrotsvith von Gandersheim (c. 935–c. 1002), German dramatist and poet writing in Latin
• Huarui Furen (fl. mid–10th century), Chinese poet
• Lady Ise (c. 875–c. 938), Japanese poet
• Izumi Shikibu (born c. 976), Japanese poet
• Jindeok of Silla (fl. 647–654), Korean poet and queen
• Empress Jitō (645–702), Japanese poet and empress
• Kishi Joō (929–985), Japanese poet
• Lady Kasa (early 8th century), Japanese poet
• Kassia (810–pre-865), Byzantine poet and composer writing in Greek
• al-Khansa (575–645), Arabic poet
• Nakatsukasa (912–991), Japanese poet
• Nukata no Ōkimi (630–690), Japanese poet of the Asuka period
• Princess Ōku (661–702), Japanese poet
• Ono no Komachi (c. 825–c. 900), Japanese waka poet, one of the Rokkasen—the Six best Waka poets of the early Heian period
• Ōtomo no Sakanoe no Iratsume (c. 700–750), Japanese poet
• Rabia Balkhi (10th century), Persian poet
• Radegund (c. 520–586), Frankish princess and poet writing in Latin
• Shangguan Wan'er (c. 664–710), Chinese poet and prose writer
• Murasaki Shikibu (973–1025), Japanese novelist and poet
• Shirome (10th century), Japanese poet
• Sei Shōnagon (c. 966–c. 1017), Japanese author and poet
• Princess Tajima (died 708), Japanese poet
• Xu Hui (627–650), Chinese poet
• Xue Tao (768–831), Chinese poet
• Empress Yamato (fl. later 7th century), Japanese poet
• Yu Xuanji (844–869 or 871), Chinese poet

1000 – 1399 CE

• Ava (c. 1060–1127), first named female writer in any genre in the German language
• Marie de France (fl. 12th century), medieval poet who was probably born in France and lived in England
• Ise no Taiu or Taifu (early 11th century), Japanese poet
• Lalleshwari (aka Lalla, Lal Ded or Lal Arifa) (1320–1392), Mystic and poet; creator of the mystic poetry called vatsun, the earliest compositions in the Kashmiri language
• Li Qingzhao (1084–c. 1151), Chinese writer and poet of the Song Dynasty
• Akka Mahadevi (12th century), Indian poet writing in Old Kannada
• Mahsati Ganjavi (c. 1089–post-1159), Persian poet
• Eudokia Makrembolitissa (c. 1021–1096), Byzantine poet and empress writing in Greek
• Christine de Pizan (1363—c. 1430), Venetian-born late medieval author
• Tibors de Sarenom (c. 1130–post-1198), French poet writing in Occitan
• Shikishi Naishinnō (died 1201), Japanese poet
• Wallada bint al-Mustakfi (1001–1080), Andalusian poet writing in Arabic
• Zhu Shuzhen (c. 1135–1180), Chinese poet

15th century

• Vittoria Colonna (1490–1547), Italian poet and marchioness
• Monahinja Jefimija (1350– after 1405), Serbian poet and nun
• Catherine d'Amboise (1475–1550), French writer and poet
• Guji, Princess of Joseon (died 1489), Korean writer, poet and dance
• Mihri Hatun (died 1506), female Ottoman poet
• Huang E (aka Huang Xiumei) (1498–1569), Chinese poet of the Ming dynasty
• Gwerful Mechain (fl. 1460–1500), Welsh poet
• Mirabai (aka Meera, Meera Bai) (c. 1498–c. 1547), Hindu mystical poet
• Lucrezia Tornabuoni (1425–1482), Italian poet
• Uhwudong (died 1480), Korean writer, poet and dancer
• Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, considered to be a founder of the Discalced Carmelites along with John of the Cross.

16th century

• Rachel Akerman (1522–1544), Austrian Jewish poet writing in German
• Anne Askew (1520/21–1546), English poet and Protestant martyr
• Isabella Andreini (1562–1604), Italian playwright, poet and actress
• 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
• Louise Labé (1524–1566), French poet
• Aemilia Lanyer (1569–1645), one of the first Englishwomen to publish a volume of original poems and to seek patronage
• Anne Ley (c. 1599-1641), English writer, teacher, and polemicist
• Isabella di Morra (c. 1520-1546), Italian poet of the Petrarchist movement
• Heo Nanseolheon (1563–1589), Korean female poet of the mid-Joseon dynasty
• Anne de Marquets (c. 1533–1588), French poet
• Gaspara Stampa (1523–1554) Italian poet
• Mary Sidney, Countess of Pembroke (1561–1621), one of the first English women to achieve a major reputation for her literary works, poetry, poetic translations and literary patronage
• Lady Mary Wroth (1587–1651/3), prolific author of the Jacobean era

17th century

• 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
• Jane Cavendish (1620/21–1669), English poet and playwright
• Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1623–1673), English aristocrat, prolific writer, and scientist
• Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force (1654–1724), French novelist and poet
• 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
• 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 the Baroque school, and nun of New Spain
• Anne Killigrew (1660–1685), English poet
• Amalia Wilhelmina Königsmarck (1663–1740), Swedish noble, known as a dilettante artist (painter), amateur actor, and poet
• Anne Ley (c. 1599-1641), English writer, teacher, and polemicist
• Antoinette du Ligier de la Garde Deshoulières (1638–1694), French poet
• Katherine Philips (1631–1664), English poet
• Vendela Skytte (1608–1629), Swedish noblewoman, salonist and writer, poet and Lady of Letters
• Anne Wharton (1659–1685), English poet
• Isabella Whitney (fl. 16th century), earliest identified woman to have published secular poetry in the English language
• Jane Wiseman (c. 1682–1717), English poet and playwright
• Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689–1762), English aristocrat and writer
• Zebunnisa, Persian-language poet and Mughal Princess

1710s

• Martha Wadsworth Brewster (1710–c. 1757), American poet and writer; first American-born woman to publish under her own name
• Elizabeth Carter (1717–1806), English poet, writer and Bluestocking
• Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht (1718–1763), Swedish poet, feminist and salon hostess

1720s

• Anna Louisa Karsch (1722–1791), German poet and letter writer
• Mary Leapor (1722–1746), English poet
• Charlotte Lennox (1720–1804), English novelist, poet, and dramatist
• Charlotta Löfgren (1720–1784), Swedish poet
• Petronella Johanna de Timmerman (1723–1786), Dutch poet and scientist

1730s

• Erika Liebman (1738–1803), Swedish poet and academic
• Hedvig Löfwenskiöld (1736–1789), Swedish poet
• Hedvig Sirenia (1734–1795), Swedish poet

1740s

• Anna Laetitia Barbauld (1743–1825), English poet, essayist, literary critic, editor and children's author
• Susanna Blamire (1747–1794), English poet
• Hannah More (1745–1833), English religious writer and philanthropist
• Isabel Pagan (c. 1740—1821), Scottish poet
• Anna Seward (1747–1809), English poet
• Charlotte Turner Smith (1749–1806), English Romantic poet and novelist

1750s

• Ann Eliza Bleecker (1752–1783), American poet and correspondent
• Magdalene Sophie Buchholm (1758–1825), Norwegian poet
• Anna Maria Lenngren (1754–1817), Swedish writer, poet, feminist, translator and salonist
• Elisa von der Recke (Elisabeth Recke, 1754–1833), German writer and poet from Courland
• Mary Robinson (1757–1800), English poet, novelist,
• Jane West (1758–1852), English novelist, poet, playwright, and tract-writer
• Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784), first African-American poet

1760s

• Joanna Baillie (1762–1851), Scottish poet and dramatist
• Christina Charlotta Cederström (1760–1832), Swedish dilettante artist, salon hostess, and baroness
• Susanna Rowson (1762–1824), British-American novelist, poet and playwright.
• Ulrika Widström (1764–1841), Swedish poet and translator
• Helen Maria Williams (1762–1827), English novelist and poet
• Maria Petronella Woesthoven (1760–1830), Dutch poet

1770s

• Anna Bunina (1774–1829), Russian poet
• Margaretta Faugères (1771–1801) American poet
• Hồ Xuân Hương (1772–1822), Vietnamese poet born at the end of the Lê Dynasty
• Barbara Hofland (1770–1844), English children's writer and poet
• Sophie Mereau (1770–1806), German novelist and poet
• Elizabeth Thomas (1770/71–1855), English novelist and poet
• Dorothy Wordsworth (1771–1855), English poet and diarist

1780s

• Helmina von Chézy (1783–1856), German poet, playwright and librettist
• Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (1786–1859), French poet
• Anna Ehrenström (1786–1857), Swedish poet
• Karoline von Günderrode (1780–1806), German poet
• Julia Nyberg (1784–1854), Swedish poet and songwriter
• Anna Maria Porter (1780–1832), English poet and novelist
• Ann Taylor (1782–1866), English poet and critic
• Jane Taylor (1783–1824), English poet and novelist

1790s

• Nana Asma’u (1793–1864), Fulani poet and pioneer of women's education in the Sokoto Caliphate
• Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797–1848), German poet
• Emily Eden (1797–1869), English novelist and poet
• Felicia Hemans (1793–1835), English poet
• Luise Hensel (1798–1876), German religious writer and poet
• Mary Howitt (1799–1888), English poet and children's writer
• Mathilda d'Orozco (aka Mathilda Montgomery-Cederhjelm) (1796–1863), Swedish (originally Spanish-Italian) noble and salonist, composer, poet, writer, singer, amateur actress and harpsichordist
• Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791–1875), Japanese poet and calligrapher

and actress

• Agnes Strickland (1796–1874), English history writer and poet
• Wu Zao (1799–1862), Chinese poet

1800s

• Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861), English poet, one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era
• Elizabeth Margaret Chandler (1807–1834), American poet and writer; first woman writer in America to make the abolition of slavery her principal 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
• Marjorie (Marjory) Fleming (1803–1811), Scottish child diarist and poet
• Frances Dana Barker Gage (1808–1884), American writer, poet, reformer, feminist and abolitionist
• Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L., 1802–1838), English poet and novelist
• Susanna Moodie (1803–1885), Canadian diarist, novelist, children's novelist and poet
• Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (1800–1842), American Indian writer of poetry and fiction

1810s

• Agnieszka Baranowska (1819–1890), Polish playwright and poet
• Anne Lynch Botta (1815–1891), American poet, writer, teacher and socialite
• Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855), English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters
• Emily Brontë (1818–1848), English novelist and poet, best remembered for her solitary novel, Wuthering Heights
• Frances Browne (1816–1887), Irish poet and novelist
• Eliza Cook (1818–1889), English poet
• George Eliot (born Marian Evans, 1819–1880), English novelist and poet
• Elizabeth F. Ellet (1818–1877), American writer, historian and poet
• Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda (1814–1873), Cuban novelist, playwright and poet
• Ellen Sturgis Hooper (1812–1848), American poet, member of the Transcendental Club
• Julia Ward Howe (1819–1910), American abolitionist, social activist, and poet, most famous as the author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"
• Charlotta Öberg (aka Lotta Öberg) (1818–1856), Swedish poet
• Narcyza Żmichowska (1818–1876), Polish novelist and poet

1820s

• Anne Brontë (1820–1849), British novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family
• Alice Cary (1820–1871), American poet, sister of Phoebe Cary
• Frances Harper (1825–1911), American poet and novelist
• Jean Ingelow (1820–1897), English poet and novelist
• Annie Keary (1825–1879), English novelist and poet
• Lucy Larcom (1824–1893), millgirl, frequent contributor to the Lowell Offering, published four books of poetry in her lifetime

1830s

• Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), American novelist, playwright and poet
• Amanda Jones (1835–1914), American poet, inventor, spiritualist
• Ellen Palmer Allerton (1835–1893), American poet
• Addie L. Ballou (1837–1916), American poet and suffragist
• Rosalía de Castro (1837–1885), Spanish and galician romanticist writer and poet
• Emily Dickinson (1830–1886), American poet
• Amélie Gex (1835–1883), French poet and writer in French and Franco-Provençal
• Charlotte Forten Grimké (1837–1914), African American abolitionist, poet, and educator
• Christina Rossetti (1830–1894), English poet who wrote a variety of romantic, devotional, and children's poems
• Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford (1835–1921), American mystery novelist, poet, and short story writer
• Celia Thaxter (1835–1894), American writer of poetry and stories

1840s

• Mathilde Blind (1841–1896), German-born English poet
• Ina Coolbrith (born Josephine Anna Smith) (1841–1928), first poet laureate of California, first public librarian in California
• Maria Konopnicka (1842–1910), Polish novelist, poet, translator and essayist
• Emily Lawless (1845–1913), Irish novelist and poet
• Emma Lazarus (1849–1887), best known for her poem The New Colossus (inscribed on the Statue of Liberty)

1850s

• Katharine Lee Bates (1859–1929), American songwriter
• Florence Earle Coates (1850–1927), American poet
• Alice Rollit Coe (1858–1940), Canadian-American author
• Helen Gray Cone (1859–1934), poet and professor of English literature
• Isabella Valancy Crawford (1850–1887), Canadian poet
• Constance Naden (1858–1889), English poet and philosopher
• Charlotte Niese (1854–1935), German writer and poet
• Salomé Ureña de Henríquez (1850–1897), Dominican Republic poet and pioneer of women's education
• Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850–1919), American author and poet

1860s

• Marion Angus (1865–1946), Scottish poet writing in Scots and in standard English
• Olivia Ward Bush (1869–1944), American author, poet and journalist
• Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (1861–1907), British novelist, poet, essayist and critic
• Marguerite Coppin (1867–1931) woman Poet Laureate of Belgium
• Mary Eliza Fullerton (1868–1946), Australian feminist poet, short story writer, journalist and novelist
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935), American sociologist, author, poet and lecturer for social reform
• Mary Gilmore (1865–1962), Australian socialist poet and journalist
• 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
• Pauline Johnson (1861–1913), Canadian poet
• Else Lasker-Schüler (1869–1945), German poet and playwright
• Mirra Lokhvitskaya (1869–1905), Russian poet
• Charlotte Mew (1869–1928), English poet
• Ethel Rolt-Wheeler (1869–1958), English poet, author and journalist
• May Sinclair (1862–1946), English novelist, poet, and short story writer
• Violet Tweedale (1862–1936), Scottish writer and poet

1870s

• Eleanor Hallowell Abbott (1872–1958), American poet, novelist and short story writer
• Lucie Delarue-Mardrus (1874–1945), French poet, novelist and journalist
• Alice Dunbar-Nelson (1875–1935), American poet, journalist and political activist
• Georgia Douglas Johnson (1877–1966), American poet
• Gertrud von Le Fort (1876–1971), German novelist, poet and essayist
• Amy Lowell (1874–1925), American poet of the imagist school; posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926
• Agnes Miegel (1879–1964), German journalist, writer and poet
• L. M. Montgomery (1874–1942), poet and author of Anne of Green Gables
• Sarojini Naidu (aka The 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 novelist, poet, essayist and short story writer
• Lola Ridge (1873–1941), anarchist poet and an influential editor of avant-garde, feminist, and Marxist publications
• Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876–1958), American novelist, playwright, and poet
• 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 who spent most of her life in France
• Lesya Ukrainka (1871–1913), Ukrainian poet
• Renée Vivien (1877–1909), French poet
• Akiko Yosano (1878–1942), Japanese poet

1880s

• 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
• Helen Cruickshank (1886–1975), Scottish poet writing in Braid Scots and English
• Cherubina de Gabriak (aka Elisaveta Ivanovna Dmitrieva) (1887–1928), Russian poet
• H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) (1886–1961), American poet, novelist and memoirist; known for her Imagist poetry
• Enid Derham (1882–1941), Australian poet
• Jesse Redmon Fauset (1882–1961), American poet, essayist and novelist
• Else Feldmann (1884–1942), Austrian playwright, poet and novelist
• 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
• Emmy Hennings (1885–1948), German poet and performer
• Mina Loy (1882–1966), artist, poet, playwright, novelist, Futurist, actress, Christian Scientist, designer of lamps, and bohemian
• Ruth Manning-Sanders (1886–1988), British poet and author best known for her 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 the 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, poet; wrote Writ on Cold Slate, poems about her prison experience, in 1922
• Sophia Parnok (1885–1933), Russian Silver Age poet
• Paula von Preradović (1887–1951), Austrian story writer and poet
• Blanaid Salkeld (1880–1959), Irish poet, dramatist, actor and salon hostess
• Edith Sitwell (1887–1964), British poet and critic, eldest of the three literary Sitwells
• Anne Spencer (1882–1975), American poet
• 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), British poet with strong Australian connections
• Elinor Wylie (1885–1928), American poet and novelist

1890s

• Léonie Adams (1899–1988), American poet, seventh United States Poet Laureate
• Elisaveta Bagryana (1893–1991), Bulgarian poet; one of the mothers of Bulgarian literature
• Djuna Barnes (1892–1982), American modernist lesbian writer
• Louise Bogan (1897–1970), American poet; fourth US Poet Laureate
• Bryher (aka Annie Winifred Ellerman) (1894–1983), English novelist, poet, memoirist, and magazine editor
• May Wedderburn Cannan (1893–1973), British poet
• Amy Key Clarke (1892–1980), English mystical poet, author and teacher
• 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
• Helen von Kolnitz Hyer (1896–1983), American poet, writer; South Carolina Poet Laureate 1974–1983
• Gertrud Kolmar (1894–1943), German poet
• Elisabeth Langgässer (1899–1950), German poet and novelist
• Claudia Lars (1899–1974), Salvadoran poet
• Muna Lee (1895–1965), American poet and translator
• Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950), American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist
• Naomi Mitchison (1897–1999), Scottish novelist and poet
• Mary Devenport O'Neill (1898–1957), Irish poet and dramatist
• Dorothy Parker (1893–1967), American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist
• Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska (1891–1945), Polish poet
• Ruth Pitter (1897–1992), British poet; first woman to receive the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1955
• Elsa Rautee (1897–1987), Finnish poet
• Nelly Sachs (1891–1970), Jewish German poet and playwright
• Vita Sackville-West (1892–1962), writer, poet and gardener
• Nan Shepherd (1893–1981), Scottish novelist and poet
• Maria Shkapskaya (1891–1952), Soviet poet and journalist
• Edith Södergran (1892–1923), Swedish-speaking Finnish poet; one of the first Swedish language Modernist poets
• Alfonsina Storni (1892–1938), Latin American poet of the Modernist period
• Yelizaveta Tarakhovskaya (1891–1968), Soviet Russian poet, playwright, translator, and author of children's books
• Marina Tsvetaeva (1892–1941), Russian and Soviet poet
• Joan Ure (1918–1978), Scottish poet and playwright
• Charlotte Wilder (1898–1980), American poet

1900s

• Rose Ausländer (1901–1988), Bucovina-born poet writing in German and English
• Anna Barkova (1901–1976), Soviet poet, journalist, playwright, essayist, memoirist, and writer of fiction
• Mary Barnard (1909–2001), American poet, biographer and Greek-to-English translator
• Gwendolyn B. Bennett (1902–1981), African American writer
• Karin Boye (1900–1941), Swedish poet and novelist
• Subhadra Kumari Chauhan (1904–1948), Indian poet famous for her emotionally charged Hindi songs
• Ashapoorna Devi (1909–1995), Bengali novelist and poet
• Hilde Domin (1909–2006), German poet
• Parvin E'tesami (1907–1941), Persian poet of Iran
• Madeline Gleason (1903–1979), American poet and dramatist
• Ada Verdun Howell (1902–1981), Australian author and poet
• Josephine Jacobsen (1908–2003), American poet, short story writer, and critic; 21st US Poet Laureate
• Helene Johnson (1906–1995), American poet
• Marie Luise Kaschnitz (1901–1974), German novelist and poet
• Lin Huiyin (1904–1955), Chinese architect and writer
• Dorothy Livesay (1909–1996), Canadian poet
• Dulce María Loynaz (1902–1997), Cuban poet and novelist
• 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 novelist, poet and short story writer
• Adalgisa Nery (1905–1980), Brazilian poet, novelist, journalist and politician
• Lorine Niedecker (1903–1970), American poet; only woman associated with the 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, painter and journalist
• Kathleen Raine (1908–2003), British poet, critic, and scholar
• Laura Riding (1901–1991), American poet, critic, novelist, essayist and short story writer
• Oda Schaefer (1900–1988), German poet and journalist
• Stevie Smith (1902–1971), English poet and novelist
• Olena Teliha (1906–1942), Ukrainian poet
• Katri Vala (1901–1944), Finnish poet
• Mahadevi Varma (1906–1987), Hindi poet, was a freedom fighter, woman's activist and educationist from India
• Louise Leveque de Vilmorin (1902–1969), French novelist, poet, and journalist
• Viola S. Wendt (1907–1986), American poet and educator
• Marya Zaturenska (1902–1982), American poet; won 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

1910s

• 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
• Christine Busta (1915–1987), Austrian poet
• Joy Davidman (born Helen Joy Davidman) (1915–1960), writer and poet, wife of C. S. Lewis
• Penelope Fitzgerald (1916–2000), Booker Prize-winning English novelist, poet, essayist and biographer
• Grace Beacham Freeman (1916–2002), American poet, columnist, short story writer; South Carolina Poet Laureate 1985–86
• Anne Hébert (1916–2000), Canadian author and poet
• Christine Lavant (1915–1973), Austrian poet and novelist
• Josephine Miles (1911–1985), American poet and literary critic
• Amrita Pritam (1919–2005), considered the first prominent woman Punjabi poet, novelist, and essayist
• Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980), American poet and political activist
• May Sarton (1912–1995), Belgian American poet, novelist, and memoirist
• Ruth Stone (1915–2011), American poet, author, and teacher
• May Swenson (1913–1989), American poet and playwright
• Magda Szabó (1917–2007), Hungarian novelist, poet, 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; won 1935 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Unica Zürn (1916–1970), German poet and painter

1920s

• Claribel Alegría (born 1924), Nicaraguan poet, essayist, novelist, and journalist
• Maya Angelou (1928–2014), American author and poet
• Thea Astley (1925–2004), Australian novelist and short story writer; also some poetry
• Erika Burkart (1922–2010), Swiss poet and writer in German
• Juanita Casey(1925–2012), poet, novelist, horse trainer and breeder
• Rosario Castellanos (1925–1974), Mexican poet and author
• Amy Clampitt (1920–1994), American poet and author
• Blaga Dimitrova (1922–2003), Bulgarian poet and former Vice President of Bulgaria
• Rosemary Dobson (born 1920), Australian poet, illustrator, editor and anthologist
• Mari Evans (born 1923), African American poet
• U. A. Fanthorpe (1929–2009), English poet
• FrancEyE (1922–2007), American poet, born Frances Dean Smith
• Olga Gonçalves (1929–2004), Portuguese poet and novelist
• Barbara Guest (1920–2006), American poet, author
• 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
• Elizabeth Jennings (1926–2001), English poet
• Carolyn Kizer (born 1925), Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet; noted for her feminist poetry
• Maxine Kumin (born 1925), American poet and author; 26th US Poet Laureate
• Ursula K. Le Guin (born 1929), American poet and author
• Denise Levertov (1923–1997), British-born American poet
• Eeva-Liisa Manner (1921–1995), Finnish poet, playwright and translator
• Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger (1924–1942), Romanian-born German poet
• Máire Mhac an tSaoi (born 1922), Irish language scholar, poet, writer and academic
• Lisel Mueller (born 1924), German-born American poet
• Inge Müller (1925–1966), German poet
• Oodgeroo Noonuccal (aka Kath Walker) (1920–1993), Australian poet, political activist, artist and educator
• Grace Paley (1922–2007), American-Jewish short story writer, poet, and political activist
• Vesna Parun (1922–2010), Croatian poet
• Marie Ponsot (born 1921), American poet, literary critic, essayist, teacher, and translator
• Adrienne Rich (1929–2012), American poet, essayist and feminist
• Anne Sexton (1928–1974), American poet, known for her highly personal, confessional verse
• Bessie Skea (1923–1996), Scottish poet from Orkney
• 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
• Mona Van Duyn (1921–2004), American poet; 36th US Poet Laureate
• Phyllis Webb (born 1927), Canadian poet and radio broadcaster
• Hannah Weiner (1928–1997), American poet; often grouped with the Language poets
• Mitsuye Yamada (born 1923), Japanese American activist, feminist, essayist, poet, story writer, editor, and professor
• Chia-ying Yeh (born 1924), Chinese-Canadian poet

1930s

• Fleur Adcock (born 1934), poet and an editor of English and Northern Irish ancestry; lived much of her life in England
• Bella Akhmadulina (1937–2010), Soviet and Russian poet, short story writer, and translator
• Anne-Marie Albiach (born 1937), French poet and translator
• 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 (born 1934), 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 (born 1936), American poet and performance artist
• Kamala Das (1934–2009), Indian English poet and littérateur
• Diane Di Prima (born 1934), American poet
• Muzi Epifani (1935-1984), Italian novelist and poet
• Ruth Fainlight (born 1931), US-born British poet, short story writer, translator and librettist
• Forough Farrokhzad (1935–1967), Iranian poet and film director
• Ellen Gilchrist (born 1935), American novelist, short story writer, and poet
• Hilda Hilst (1930–2004), Brazilian poet, playwright and novelist
• Susan Howe (born 1937), American poet, scholar, essayist and critic; closely associated with the Language poets
• Rita Joe (born 1932), Canadian poet
• Ingrid Jonker (1933–1965), South African poet
• June Jordan (1936–2002), American poet, essayist, journalist, novelist, librettist and autobiography writer
• Jenny Joseph (born 1932), English poet
• Antigone Kefala (born 1935), Australian poet and prose-writer of Greek-Romanian heritage
• Vénus Khoury-Ghata (born 1937), Lebanese-French writer; former Miss Beirut
• Sarah Kirsch (born 1935), German poet and translator
• Lina Kostenko (born 1930), Ukrainian poet
• Joanne Kyger (born 1934), American poet; tied to the poets of Black Mountain, the San Francisco Renaissance, and the Beat generation
• Alda Lara (1930–1962), Angolan poet
• Ana María Llona Málaga (born 1936), Peruvian poet
• Audre Lorde (1934–1992), Caribbean-American writer, poet and activist
• Alda Merini (1931–2009), Italian writer and poet
• Barbara Moraff (born 1939), American poet of the Beat generation
• Helga M. Novak (born 1935), German poet and political writer
• Joyce Carol Oates (born 1938), American author
• Mary Oliver (born 1935), American poet
• Alicia Ostriker (born 1937), American poet and scholar who writes Jewish feminist poetry
• Marge Piercy (born 1936), American poet, novelist, and social activist
• Alejandra Pizarnik (1936–1972), Argentine poet
• Sylvia Plath (1932–1963), American poet, novelist and short story writer
• Halina Poświatowska (1935–1967), Polish poet
• Dahlia Ravikovitch (1936–2005), Israeli poet, translator, and peace activist
• Mirkka Rekola (born 1931), Finnish poet
• Sonia Sanchez (born 1934), African American poet most often associated with the Black Arts Movement
• Pat Schneider (born 1934), American writer, poet and editor
• Nina Serrano (born 1934), American poet, writer, storyteller, and independent media producer
• Bennie Lee Sinclair (1939–2000), American poet, novelist, short story writer; South Carolina Poet Laureate, 1986–2000
• Jean Valentine (born 1934), American poet; New York State Poet Laureate
• Diane Wakoski (born 1937), American poet; associated with the deep image poets
• Rosmarie Waldrop (born 1935), American poet, translator and publisher
• Dede Wilson (born 1937), American poet
• Nellie Wong (born 1934), Chinese-American feminist poet
• Olga Xirinacs Díaz (born 1936), writer and piano teacher
• Fay Zwicky (born 1933), Australian poet, short-story writer, critic and academic

1940s

• Kathy Acker (1947–1997), American experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright, essayist, postmodernist and sex-positive feminist writer
• Ama Ata Aidoo (born 1940), 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
• Pam Ayres (born 1947), English poet, songwriter and radio/TV presenter
• Mary Jo Bang (born 1946), American poet
• Mei-mei Berssenbrugge (born 1947), Chinese American poet associated with Language poetry, the New York School (art), phenomenology, and visual art
• Linda Bierds (born 1945), American poet and professor
• Eavan Boland (born 1944), Irish poet
• 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 the United States
• Andrea Hollander Budy (born 1947), American poet
• Kathryn Stripling Byer (born 1944), American poet and teacher; North Carolina Poet Laureate 2005–2009
• Caroline Caddy (born 1944), Australian poet
• Kelly Cherry (born 1940), American poet and author
• Chrystos (born 1946), Menominee rights activist and poet
• 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
• Regina Derieva (born 1949), Russian poet and writer
• 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 and essayist, known as a feminist critic and scholar
• 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
• Tess Gallagher (born 1943), American poet, essayist, author and playwright
• Nikki Giovanni (born 1943), African American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator
• 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 an avant-garde artist
• Judy Grahn (born 1940), American feminist, lesbian poet
• Debora Greger (born 1949), American poet and visual artist
• Linda Gregg (born 1942), American poet
• Marilyn Hacker (born 1942), American poet, translator and critic
• Jessica Hagedorn (born 1949), Filipino American poet, playwright and novelist
• Lyn Hejinian (born 1941), American poet, essayist, translator and publisher
• Guðrið Helmsdal (born 1941), Faroese poet
• Linda Hogan (born 1947), American poet, novelist and short story writer
• Libby Houston (born 1941), English poet, botanist, and rock climber
• Fanny Howe (born 1940), American poet, novelist, and short story writer
• Ingibjörg Haraldsdóttir (born 1942), Icelandic poet
• Erica Jong (born 1942), American author and teacher
• Karin Kiwus (born 1942), German poet
• Eloise Klein Healy (born 1943), American poet, first Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, professor at Antioch University
• Tanith Lee (born 1947), British novelist, poet, and screenwriter
• Liz Lochhead (born 1947), Scottish poet and dramatist
• Gwendolyn MacEwen (1941–1987), Canadian poet and novelist
• Mary Mackey (born 1945), American novelist, poet and academic
• Jennifer Maiden (born 1949), Australian poet
• Daphne Marlatt (born 1942), Canadian poet
• Susan McCaslin (1947), Canadian 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
• Robin Morgan (born 1941), American poet, author, political theorist and activist, journalist, lecturer, and former child actor
• Carol Muske-Dukes (born 1945), American poet, novelist, essayist, critic, and professor; California Poet Laureate
• Alice Notley (born 1945), American poet
• Sharon Olds (born 1942), American poet
• Ruth Padel (born 1946), British poet, a non-fiction author known for her poetry criticism and nature writing
• Katha Pollitt (born 1949), American feminist poet, essayist and critic
• Jennifer Rankin (1941–1979), Australian poet and playwright
• Denise Riley (born 1948), English poet and philosopher
• 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
• Leslie Marmon Silko (born 1948), American novelist, poet, and short story writer
• Patti Smith (born 1946), American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist
• Stephanie Strickland (born 1942), American poet whose work includes electronic literature
• Jane Urquhart (born 1949), Canadian novelist and poet
• Janine Pommy Vega (1942–2010), American poet associated with the Beat generation
• Ellen Bryant Voigt (born 1943), American poet and essayist
• Anne Waldman (born 1945), American poet
• Alice Walker (born 1944), American author, poet, and activist
• Connie Willis (born 1945), Indian poet and short story writer
• Merle Woo (born 1941), Asian American teacher, poet and activist
• C. D. Wright (born 1949), American poet
• Halima Xudoyberdiyeva (born 1947), Uzbek poet; People's Poet of Uzbekistan

1950s

• Kim Addonizio (born 1954), American poet, novelist
• Julia Álvarez (born 1950), Dominican-American poet, novelist and essayist
• Maria Arbatova (born 1957), Russian novelist, playwright and poet
• Dawn-Michelle Baude (born 1959), American poet, journalist and educator
• Valerie Bloom (born 1956), Jamaican poet and novelist
• Giannina Braschi (born 1953), Puerto Rican poet, writer
• Jean "Binta" Breeze (born 1956), Jamaican dub poet, and storyteller.
• Ana Castillo (born 1953), Mexican-American novelist, poet, short story writer and essayist
• Marilyn Chin (born 1955), American poet and writer
• Sandra Cisneros (born 1954), American writer
• Tina Darragh (born 1950), American Language poet
• Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (born 1956). Indian-American poet, novelist and short story writer
• Rita Dove (born 1952), American poet and author; 37th US Poet Laureate
• Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955), Scottish poet and playwright; first female and first Scottish Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom
• Marilyn Dumont (born 1955), First Nations Canadian poet
• Claudia Emerson (born 1957), American poet; won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Louise Erdrich (born 1954), American novelist, poet and children's writer
• Annie Finch (born 1956), American poet, translator and critic
• Alice Fulton (born 1952), American author, poet
• Amy Gerstler (born 1956), American poet
• Jorie Graham (born 1950), American poet
• Joy Harjo (born 1951), American poet
• Carla Harryman (born 1952), American poet, essayist, and playwright; associated with the Language poets
• Katherine Hastings (born 1950), American poet
• Allison Hedge Coke (born 1958), American/Canadian poet
• Julie Kane (born 1952), American poet, scholar and editor; Louisiana Poet Laureate 2011–2013
• Barbara Kingsolver (born 1955), American novelist, poet, short story writer and essayist
• Sue Lenier (born 1957), English poet and playwright
• Aurora Levins Morales (born 1954), U.S. Puerto Rican essayist, poet and fiction writer
• Suzanne Lummis (born 1951), American poet, founder of the Los Angeles Poetry Festival, publisher
• Chris Mansell (born 1953), Australian poet and publisher
• Lee Maracle (born 1950), Canadian poet, novelist and storyteller
• Dionyse McTair (born 1950) Trinidadian poet<^[1]
• Grazyna Miller (1957–2009), Polish poet, translator
• Leslie Adrienne Miller (born 1956), American poet
• Cherrie Moraga (born 1952) Chicana poet, playwright and essayist
• 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 winner
• Rosario Murillo (born 1951), Nicaraguan poet
• Susan Musgrave (born 1951), Canadian poet and children's writer
• Grace Nichols (born 1950), Guyanese poet
• Maggie O'Sullivan (born 1951), British poet, performer and visual artist associated with the British Poetry Revival
• Kathleen Peirce (born 1956), American poet
• Dorothy Porter (1954–2008), Australian poet
• Jutta Richter (born 1955), German author of children's and youth literature
• Anne Rouse (born 1954), American-British poet
• Gig Ryan (born 1956), Australian poet
• Jo Shapcott (born 1953), English poet, editor and lecturer
• Cathy Song (born 1955), American poet
• Susan Stewart (born 1952), American poet, university professor and literary critic
• Angela Topping (born 1954), British 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 (born 1951), Australian poet and prose writer, and visual artist
• Meralda Warren (born 1959), artist, poet, and author from Pitcairn Island
• Marjory Heath Wentworth (born 1958), American poet; South Carolina Poet Laureate
• Sheri-D Wilson (born 1958), Canadian poet, producer, and lecturer

1960s

• Kelli Russell Agodon (born 1969), American poet
• Jordie Albiston (born 1961), Australian poet and academic
• Elizabeth Alexander (born 1962), American poet, essayist, playwright and academic
• Elvia Ardalani (born 1963), Mexican poet, writer, and storyteller
• M. T. C. Cronin (born 1963), Australian poet, lawyer and academic
• Phillippa Yaa de Villiers (born 1966), South African poet, dramatist and performance artist
• Sia Figiel (born 1967), Samoan novelist, poet, and painter
• Kate Gale (born 1965), American poet, founder and publisher of Red Hen Press
• Karina Galvez (born 1964), Ecuadorian poet
• Lavinia Greenlaw (born 1962), English poet and novelist
• Beth Gylys (born 1964), American poet, professor
• Jennifer Michael Hecht (born 1965), American poet, historian, philosopher and author
• Frieda Hughes (born 1960), English poet and painter
• Helen Ivory (born 1969) English poet, artist, tutor and editor
• Lisa Jarnot (born 1967), American poet
• Ruth Ellen Kocher (born 1965), American poet
• Wendy McGrath (born 1960), Canadian poet, novelist
• Ange Mlinko (born 1969), American poet and literary critic
• Taslima Nasrin (born 1962), Bengali doctor, novelist and poet and essayist
• Alice Oswald (born 1966), English poet
• Marine Petrossian (born 1960), Armenian poet, essayist and columnist
• 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
• Samina Raja (born 1961), Pakistani poet, writer, editor, translator, educationist and broadcaster
• Fiona Sampson (born 1968), British poet and editor
• Dipti Saravanamuttu (born 1960), Sri Lankan-Australian poet and academic
• Lisa Gluskin Stonestreet (born 1968), American poet
• Maud Sulter (1960–2008), Black British fine artist and poet
• Natasha Trethewey (born 1966), American poet; Mississippi Poet Laureate, won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Elizabeth Willis (born 1961), American poet, literary critic and professor

1970s

• Shannon Bramer (born 1973), Canadian poet.
• Colette Bryce (born 1970), poet from Northern Ireland
• Dani Couture (born 1978), Canadian poet and novelist
• Nurduran Duman (born 1974), Turkish poet, writer, essayist, translator
• Eliza Griswold (born 1973), American journalist and poet
• Sheema Kalbasi (born 1972), Iranian poet, producer, critic, blogger and human rights advocate
• Sissal Kampmann (born 1974), Faroese poet
• Evelyn Lau (born 1971), Canadian poet and novelist
• Aimee Nezhukumatathil (born 1974), Asian American poet
• Angela Rawlings (born 1978), Canadian poet, editor, and interdisciplinary artist
• Angela Readman (born 1973), English poet
• Nandini Sahu (born 1973), Indian poet who writes in English
• Tracy K. Smith (born 1972), African American poet and educator
• Jennifer Wong (born 1978), Chinese poet

1980s

• Süreyya Aylin Antmen (born 1981), Turkish writer, poet, and essayist

See also

• Poetry
• Poet
• List of feminist poets

References

1. Benson, Eugene; Conolly, L W (2004). Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English. p. 1004. ISBN 1134468482.