There’s something about summer that stirs up feelings of nostalgia, reflection, and wonder. Maybe it’s the long days bathed in golden sunlight, or maybe it’s the promise of fresh, new reads. This season brings a wave of short stories and poetry collections perfect for slow mornings and beach afternoons. We’ve gathered the upcoming releases we’re most excited to see hit the shelves this summer in all their captivating glory.

The Mother Self by Talia Gutin (5/6)

Motherhood is one of the most challenging, rewarding, and fruitful labors a person can experience. Mothers spend lifetimes caring for their children, only to feel like they blinked and their child flies the nest. These sentiments, along with many universal experiences of motherhood, are examined in this poetry collection that shows readers a glimpse of the beautiful, terrifying, and intense experience of motherhood in a thought-provoking and lyrical way.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Late to The Search Party: Poems by Steven Espada Dawson (5/6)

This gripping poetry collection details Dawson’s experiences in an immigrant family. Each section of the collection evaluates a different experience that shaped him into the person he is today, including the loss of his mother, the absence of his father, and his brother’s mysterious disappearance. These experiences give the writing an emotional depth and rawness that feels grounded and wistful, providing the perfect space to question feelings of loss, belonging and family.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

The Words of Dr. L and Other Stories by Karen E. Bender (5/6)

In her short story collection, Bender investigates feelings of identity, freedom, and family through a lens that is both dystopian and startlingly relatable. Each story strikes a chord with readers, as the lives in the dystopic short stories seem eerily plausible and fantastical. This collection explores the complexities of the evolving nuclear family and is a great place to start for fiction readers looking to try something a bit different.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

I Hope You Remember by Josie Balka (5/13)

Balka’s poems first found an audience on TikTok and have blossomed into this debut work. With over eighty pieces, each addressing a complex topic like family structures, falling in and out of love with others and yourself, jealously, and more, readers are sure to connect with her writing as she asks, what in our lives feels like the most important thing right now, and will it be the same years from now? Emotionally honest and deeply relatable, this collection is a mirror for anyone navigating the uncertainty of life and love.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Hardly Creatures: Poems by Rob Macasia Colgate (5/20)

This collection is incredibly unique in its form and prose. Each section represents a gallery room in an inclusive art museum. Each “room” becomes a space for exploring themes of disability, love, pop culture, and social media, all from the perspective of the disabled community that invites readers to reconsider how we define accessibility, creativity, and connection.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Make Your Way Home by Carrie R. Moore (7/15)

Make Your Way Home is all about place, history, and the feeling of separation many Black Americans feel with the legacy of the South. Moore’s stories confront the intergenerational trauma and racial injustice experienced by many Black Americans, while telling of their defiance and resilience, showing how the search for home is also a search for identity and healing.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

A Magnificently Ordinary Romance: A Poetry Collection by Celia Martinez (7/15)

This poetry collection offers a fresh take on the classic tale of two people who fall in love a little too quickly, but as passionately as possible, only to discover they had been steps away from each other for years while working in the same building. This story has an added twist of including the lovers’ guardian angels, who are equally enamored with each other. A narrative of enduring hope, love, and all the highs and lows of a coming-of-age, this collection is perfect for all the romantic optimists and poetry fanatics.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

An Oral History of Atlantis by Ed Park (7/29)

In sixteen stories, Park examines the transitory state of our lives in a witty and familiar way. From a man sent into an extreme crisis after forgetting his password, to a student losing themselves in a film role, these stories highlight what it means to evolve from who we think we are and confront the uncomfortable but ultimately rewarding experience of who we are now.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Dead Girl Cameo by M. Mick Powell (8/5)

This lyrical and haunting debut poetry collection follows the lives of music icons, including Aaliyah, Selena, Whitney Houston, and more. It reflects on the work they have done that impacted the author’s childhood as a queer Black woman. How did they navigate media scrutiny and the pressure to perform while still being authentically themselves? These icons transformed more than just the music industry; their artistry shaped generations of fans beyond their time.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble