Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article: • January 10 –
Jared Carter, American poet, winner of the 1980 Walt Whitman Award • January 23 –
Fred Wah, Chinese-
Canadian poet, novelist, and scholar • February 5 –
Siv Cedering (died
2007), Swedish-American poet, painter, sculptor, illustrator, and author • February 22 –
Katerina Anghelaki-Rooke (died
2020),
Greek (died
2020) • February 26 –
Clark Coolidge,
American • March 3 –
Hans Verhagen (died
2020),
Dutch journalist, poet, painter and filmmaker • March 26 –
Patrick Lane (died
2019),
Canadian • April 13 –
Seamus Heaney (died
2013),
Irish writer and lecturer from Northern Ireland awarded the
Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995 • April 16 –
Diane Wood Middlebrook, née Helen Diane Wood (died
2008),
American poet, academic and biographer • April 25 –
Ted Kooser,
American poet and 13th
Poet Laureate of the United States, serving two terms from 2004 to 2006 • May 7 –
Volker Braun,
German • May 11 –
Samih al-Qasim (died
2014),
Palestinian • May 23 –
Stanley Plumly (died
2019),
American poet and academic • May 27 –
Frank Bidart,
American • May 31 –
Al Young (died
2021),
American poet, novelist and writer of musical memoirs named
poet laureate of
California in 2005 • June 6 –
Lee Harwood (died
2015),
English poet associated with the
British Poetry Revival • June 24 –
Stephen Dunn,
American poet and winner of the
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry • June 30 –
José Emilio Pacheco (died
2014),
Mexican poet, essayist, translator, novelist and short story writer • July 22 –
Quincy Troupe,
American poet, editor, journalist, and academic • July 27 –
Michael Longley (died
2025),
Northern Irish poet • August 8 –
Dick Allen (died
2017),
American poet, literary critic and academic • August 18 –
Sándor Tóth (died
2019),
Hungarian poet, journalist and politician • August 31 –
Dennis Lee,
Canadian children's writer and poet • October 7 –
Clive James (died
2019),
Australian-born writer and poet • October 24 –
Paula Gunn Allen (died
2008), Native American poet, literary critic, activist and novelist • November 11 –
Bimbo Rivas, born Bittman Rivas (died
1992),
Puerto Rican-born actor, community activist, director, playwright, poet and teacher • November 18 –
Margaret Atwood,
Canadian novelist and
poet • November 23 –
Bill Bissett, Canadian poet • Also: •
Charles Boer,
American •
Michael Coady (died
2024),
Irish poet, short story writer, local historian, genealogist, photographer, journalist and musician •
Philip Dacey,
American •
James L. McMichael,
American •
Heather Ross Miller,
American poet, author and academic •
Primus St. John,
American ==Deaths==