Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).

• January 20 — Miller Williams of Arkansas reads his poem, "Of History and Hope," at President Clinton's inauguration.
• Regeneration (titled Behind the Lines in the United States), a film about World War I poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, is released. It is based on the novel Regeneration by Pat Barker.
• Jacket online literary magazine founded.

Listed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:

• Michael Barnholden, On the Ropes (Coach House Books) ISBN 978-1-55245-002-4
• Dionne Brand, Land to Light On
• Clint Burnham, Be Labour Reading (ECW Press) ISBN 978-1-55022-344-6
• Kwame Dawes, editor, Wheel and Come again: An Anthology of Reggae Poetry, Fredericton, New Brunswick: Goose Lane.
• Louis Dudek, The Caged Tiger. Montreal: Empyreal Press.^[1]
• John Glassco, Selected Poems with Three Notes on the Poetic Process. Ottawa: Golden Dog Press)
• Elisabeth Harvor, The Long Cold Green Evenings of Spring
• Roy Kiyooka, Pacific Windows: The Collected Poems of Roy Kiyooka (posthumous), edited by Roy Miki
• A.M. Klein, Selected Poems. Selected Poems Seymour Mayne, Zailig Pollock, Usher Caplan ed. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 1997.^[2] ISBN 0-8020-0734-1 ISBN 0802077536
• Laura Lush:
  • Darkening In, Montreal: Véhicule Press
  • Fault Line, Montreal: Véhicule Press
• Don McKay, Apparatus^[3]
• George McWhirter, Incubus: The Dark Side of the Light
• John Reibetanz:
  • Midland Summer^[4]
  • Near Finisterre^[4]

• R. Parthasarathy Rough Passage ( Poetry in English ). New Delhi: Oxford University Press, India 1977. ISBN 0-19-560690-6
• Jeet Thayil, Apocalypso ( Poetry in English ), London: Aark Arts, 1997, ISBN 1-899179-01-1^[5]
• Sudeep Sen, Postmarked India: New & Selected Poems ( Poetry in English ), New Delhi: HarperCollins, ISBN 81-7223-269-1^[6]
• Eunice de Souza, editor, Nine Indian Women Poets, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-564077-2^[7]
• Svami Bhumananda Sarasvati, editor and translator, Anthology of Vedic Hymns: Being a Collection of Hymns from the Four Vedas, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad: Kusum Lat Arya Pratishthan, India.

• Moya Cannon, The Parchment Boat, Oldcastle: The Gallery Press, ISBN 978-1-85235-201-1
• Michael Coady, All Souls (poems and prose), Oldcastle: The Gallery Press, ISBN 978-1-85235-212-7
• Aidan Murphy, Stark Naked Blues, New Island Books, ISBN 978-1-874597-67-4
• William Wall, Mathematics And Other Poems, Collins Press, Cork ISBN 1-898256-26-8

• Fleur Adcock, Looking Back, Oxford and Auckland: Oxford University Press (New Zealand poet who moved to England in 1963)^[8]
• Jenny Bornholdt, Gregory O'Brien, and Mark Williams, editors, An Anthology of New Zealand Poetry in English, Auckland: Oxford University Press New Zealand (anthology)
• Jenny Bornholdt, Miss New Zealand: Selected Poems
• Diane Brown, Before The Divorce We Go To Disneyland, Tandem Press
• Alan Brunton, Years Ago Today, documentary essay on poetry in the 1960s, Bumper Books^[9]
• Allen Curnow, Early Days Yet: New and Collected Poems 1941-1997
• Kendrick Smithyman, Atua Wera, Auckland: Auckland University Press, posthumous
• Paula Green, Cookhouse, Auckland University Press

• Fleur Adcock, Looking Back, Oxford and Auckland: Oxford University Press (New Zealand poet who moved to England in 1963)^[8]
• Simon Armitage, CloudCuckooLand (sic.)^[10]
• Charles Causley, Collected Poems (see also Collected Poems 1975)^[10]
• Gillian Clarke, Collected Poems, Carcanet Press, ISBN 1-85754-335-1
• Elaine Feinstein, Daylight, Carcanet
• Lavinia Greenlaw, A World Where News Travelled Slowly, Faber and Faber
• Ted Hughes, Tales from Ovid; a New York Times "notable book of the year" for 1998^[10]
• Elizabeth Jennings, In the Meantime^[10]
• Jamie McKendrick, The Marble Fly^[10]
• Anne MacLeod, Standing by Thistles (Scottish poet)
• Derek Mahon, The Yellow Book. Gallery Press
• Andrew Motion, Salt Water^[10]
• Sean O'Brien, The Ideology (Smith/Doorstep)
• Don Paterson, God's Gift to Women^[10]
• Peter Reading, Work in Regress^[10]
• Peter Redgrove:
  • Orchard End
  • What the Black Mirror Saw: New Short Fiction and Prose Poetry
• Robin Robertson, A Painted Field
• Labi Siffre, Monument
• Anthony Thwaite, Selected Poems 1956–1996^[10]
• Charles Tomlinson, Selected Poems 1955–1997^[10]

• Thomas Rain Crowe with Gwendal Denez and Tom Hubbard, Writing the Wind: A Celtic resurgence: The New Celtic Poetry: Welsh, Breton, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Manx, Cullowhee, NC: New Native Press
• Michael Donaghy, Andrew Motion, Hugo Williams, poets in Penguin Modern Poets 11, Penguin
• Iona Opie and Peter Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, Oxford: Oxford University Press

• R. F. Foster, W. B. Yeats: A Life, Vol. I: The Apprentice Mage, Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-288085-3

• Kim Addonizio, Jimmy & Rita (BOA Editions) 1997
• Agha Shahid Ali, The Country Without a Post Office (Indian-born poet of Kashmiri heritage)
• Dick Allen, Ode to the Cold War: Poems New and Selected (Sarabande)
• A.R. Ammons, Glare^[11]
• Marvin Bell, Ardor (The Book of the Dead Man, Volume 2) (Copper Canyon Press)^[11]
• Wendell Berry, Entries (Washington, D.C.: Counterpoint)
• Frank Bidart, Desire (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), received the Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Prize and the 1998 Bobbitt Prize for Poetry; nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award
• Allison Hedge Coke, [Dog Road Woman (Coffee House Press), "American Book Award"
• Alfred Corn, Present (Washington: Counterpoint Press)
• Tess Gallagher, At the Owl Woman Saloon (Scribner), a New York Times "notable book of the year"
• Amy Clampitt, The Collected Poems of Amy Clampitt (Knopf), published posthumously, a New York Times "notable book of the year"
• Jorie Graham, The Errancy: Poems (Ecco), a New York Times "notable book of the year"
• Beth Gylys, Balloon Heart (Wind Publications), Winner of the Quentin R. Howard Award.
• Robert Fagles (translator), The Odyssey by Homer (Viking), a New York Times "notable book of the year"
• Susan Hahn, Confession (University of Chicago Press)^[11]
• Anthony Hecht and John Hollander, Jiggery-Pokery: A Compendium of Double Dactyls
• Paul Hoover, Viridian (University of Georgia Press)
• Fanny Howe, One Crossed Out
• Jane Kenyon, Otherwise: New and Selected Poems (Graywolf), a New York Times "notable book of the year"
• Maxine Kumin, Selected Poems, 1960-1990 (Norton), a New York Times "notable book of the year"
• Robert Hass, Sun Under Wood: New Poems (Ecco), a New York Times "notable book of the year"
• John Hollander, The Work of Poetry (Columbia University Press)^[11]
• Maxine Kumin, Selected Poems, 1960-1990 (W.W. Norton)^[11]
• Philip Levine, Unselected Poems (Greenhouse Review Press)^[11]
• Sarah Lindsay, Primate Behavior (Grove Press), National Book Award finalist
• William Meredith, Effort at Speech: New and Selected Poems
• W. S. Merwin, Flower and Hand: Poems, 1977-1983 (Port Townsend, Washington: Copper Canyon Press)^[12]
• Howard Nemerov, The Collected Poems of Howard Nemerov (which wins the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, the National Book Award, and the Bollingen Prize)
• Mary Oliver, West Wind: Poems and Prose Poems
• Carl Rakosi, The Earth Suite 1997
• Kenneth Rexroth, Sacramental Acts: The Love Poems
• Rosmarie Waldrop, Another Language: Selected Poems (Talisman House)
• C. K. Williams, The Vigil (Farrar Straus), nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award^[11]
• David Wojahn, The Falling Hour (University of Pittsburgh Press)^[13]
• Charles Wright, BlackZodiac (Farrar Straus)^[11]

• Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux, The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry
• Joseph Blotner, Robert Penn Warren: A Biography. (Random House), one of The New York Times "notable books of the year"
• Bonnie Costello, Celeste Goodridge and Cristanne Miller, editors, The Selected Letters of Marianne Moore (Knopf), one of The New York Times "notable books of the year"
• Angela Davis, Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday, 1997 American Book Award
• Phyllis Grosskurth, Byron: The Flawed Angel (Peter Davison/Houghton Mifflin), one of The New York Times "notable books of the year"
• Douglas Hofstadter, Le Ton Beau de Marot: In Praise of the Music of Language (Basic Books) "ruminations on the art of translation" with a 16th-century French poem as the prime example, one of The New York Times "notable books of the year"
• John Hollander, The Work of Poetry (criticism)
• Sam McCready, A William Butler Yeats Encyclopedia, Greenwood Press (scholarship)
• Nicholas Murray, A Life of Matthew Arnold (Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's), one of The New York Times "notable books of the year"
• Helen Vendler, The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets (Belknap/Harvard University), one of The New York Times "notable books of the year"

• Harold Bloom edits The Best of the Best American Poetry 1988-1997
• Ross and Kathryn Petras, editors, Very Bad Poetry (Vintage)

Poems from these 75 poets are in The Best American Poetry 1997, edited by David Lehman, guest editor James Tate:

• Margaret Avison, Not Yet but Still, Australia

Listed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:

• Olivier Barbarant, Aragon: la mémoire et l'excès, publisher: Editions Champ Vallon, ISBN 978-2-87673-226-1
• Yves Bonnefoy, L'Encore Aveugle,
• Seyhmus Dagtekin, Artères-solaires, publisher: L'Harmattan; Kurdish Turkish poet writing in French, living in and published in France

• Suzanne Jacob, La part de feu, Montréal: Boréal, winner of the prix de la Société Radio-Canada, and prix du Gouverneur général^[14]
• Pierre Nepveu, Romans-fleuves, Montréal: Le Noroît^[15]

• Aharon Shabtai, Be-xodesh May ha-nifla’ ("In the Wonderful Month of May")
• Rami Saari, Maslul Ha-k'ev Ha-no"az ("The Route of the Bold Pain")^[16]

In each section, listed in alphabetical order by first name:

• Joy Goswami, Kabita-Songroho, Vol. 2, Kolkata: Ananda Publishers, ISBN 81-7215-750-9 (third reprint in 2002)^[17]
• Nirendranath Chakravarti, Shondharaater Kobita, Kolkata: Ananda Publishers^[18]
• Udaya Narayana Singh, Ashru o Parihaas, Kolkata: Pritoniya^[19]
• Subrata Bandyopadhyay, Saodāgara o The final judgement ("Saudagar and the Final Judgement"), Kalakata: De'ja Pābaliśiṃ^[20]

• Jiban Narah, Dhou Khela Loralir San, Guwahati, Assam: Nibedon; Indian, Assamese-language^[21]
• Jayant Kaikini, Neelimale, Bangalore: Patrike Prakashana, Indian, Kannada-language poet, short-story writer, and screenwriter^[22]
• K. G. Sankara Pillai, K.G. Shankara Pillayude Kavithakal 1969-1996, Kottayam, Kerala: D C Books; Malayalam-language^[23]
• K. Siva Reddy, Naa Kalala Nadi Anchuna, Hyderabad: Jhari Poetry Circle; Telugu-language^[24]
• Kanaka Ha Ma, Papanashini, Puttur, Karnataka: Kannada Sangha; Kannada language^[25]
• Namdeo Dhasal, Andhale Shatak, Mumbai: Ambedkara Prabodhini; Marathi-language^[26]

• Stanisław Barańczak, Zimy i podroze ("Winter and Journeys"), Krakow: Wydawnictwo Literackie^[27]
• Ewa Lipska, Ludzie dla poczatkujacych, ("People for Beginners"); Poznan: a5^[28]
• Tomasz Różycki, Vaterland, Łódź: Stowarzyszenie Literackie im. K.K. Baczyńskiego^[29]
• Piotr Sommer, Nowe stosunki wyrazów. Wiersze z lat siedemdziesiątych i osiemdziesiątych^[30]
• Wisława Szymborska: Sto wierszy - sto pociech ("100 Poems - 100 Happinesses")
• Eugeniusz Tkaczyszyn-Dycki, Liber mortuorum^[31]

• Matilde Camus, Mundo interior ("Inner World")

• Mario Benedetti, La vida ese paréntesis, Uruguay^[32]
• Attilio Bertolucci, La lucertola di Casarola, previously unpublished poems, many written in his youth; Italy
• Christoph Buchwald, general editor, and Ror Wolf, guest editor, Jahrbuch der Lyrik 1997/98 ("Poetry Yearbook 1997/98"), publisher: Beck; anthology^[33]
• Chen Kehua, Bie ai moshengren ("Don’t Make Love to Strangers") Chinese (Taiwan)^[34]
• Alexander Mezhirov:
  • Позёмка ("Drifting"), Russia
  • Apologii︠a︡ t︠s︡irka: kniga novykh stikhov ("Apologia of the Circus"), including a version of "Blizzard", St. Petersburg, Russia^[35]
• Wang Xiaoni, Wode zhili baozhe wo de huo ("My paper wraps my fire"), China^[36]

• C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry: Les Murray, Subhuman Redneck Poems
• Dinny O'Hearn Poetry Prize: Joint winners
  • Dragons in their Pleasant Places by Peter Porter
  • The Wild Reply by Emma Lew
• Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: Anthony Lawrence, The Viewfinder
• Mary Gilmore Prize: Emma Lew - The Wild Reply

• Gerald Lampert Award: Marilyn Dumont, A Really Good Brown Girl
• Archibald Lampman Award: Diana Brebner, Flora & Fauna
• 1997 Governor General's Awards: Dionne Brand, Land to Light On (English); Pierre Nepveu, Romans-fleuves (French)
• Pat Lowther Award: Marilyn Bowering, Autobiography
• Prix Alain-Grandbois: Claude Beausoleil, Grand hôtel des étrangers
• Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize: Margo Button, The Unhinging of Wings
• Prix Émile-Nelligan: Patrick Lafontaine, L’Ambition du vide

• Sahitya Akademi Award : Leeladhar Jagudi for Anubhav Ke Aakash Mein Chaand
• Poetry Society India National Poetry Competition : Ranjit Hoskote for Portrait of a Lady

•  Montana New Zealand Book Awards, First Book Award for Poetry: Diane Brown, Before the Divorce We Go To Disneyland, Tandem Press

• Cholmondeley Award: Alison Brackenbury, Gillian Clarke, Tony Curtis, Anne Stevenson
• Eric Gregory Award: Matthew Clegg, Sarah Corbett, Polly Clark, Tim Kendall, Graham Nelson, Matthew Welton
• Forward Poetry Prize Best Collection: Jamie McKendrick, The Marble Fly (Oxford University Press)
• Forward Poetry Prize Best First Collection: Robin Robertson, A Painted Field (Picador)
• T. S. Eliot Prize (United Kingdom and Ireland): Don Paterson, God's Gift to Women
• Whitbread Award for poetry and book of the year: Ted Hughes, Tales from Ovid
• National Poetry Competition : Neil Rollinson for The Constellations

• Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize: Richard Blanco, City of a Hundred Fires
• Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry: Fred Chappell
• American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in Poetry, John Ashbery
• AML Award for poetry to Susan Elizabeth Howe for Stone Spirits
• Bernard F. Connors Prize for Poetry: John Drury, "Burning the Aspern Papers"
• Bollingen Prize: Gary Snyder
• National Book Award for poetry: William Meredith, Effort at Speech: New & Selected Poems
• Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress: Robert Pinsky appointed
• Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Lisel Mueller: Live Together: New and Selected Poems
• Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize: William Matthews
• Wallace Stevens Award: Anthony Hecht
• Whiting Awards: Connie Deanovich, Forrest Gander, Jody Gladding, Mark Turpin
• Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets: John Haines
• North Carolina Poet Laureate: Fred Chappell appointed.

Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:

• January 19 – James Dickey, 73 (born 1923), American
• April 5 – Allen Ginsberg, 70 (born 1926), of liver cancer, American
• April 27 – Dulce María Loynaz, 94 (born 1902), Cuban
• May 15 – Laurie Lee, 82, English poet, novelist and screenwriter
• August 27 – Johannes Edfelt, 92, Swedish
• October 19 – Stella Sierra, 80, (born 1917), Panamanian
• November 12:
  • James Laughlin, 83, American poet, publisher and man of letters
  • William Matthews, 55, American poet and essayist, of a heart attack
• November 17 – David Ignatow, 83, American poet
• November 30 – Kathy Acker, 53, American postmodernist experimental novelist and punk poet
• December 13 – Claude Roy, pen name of Claude Orland (born 1915), French poet, novelist, essayist, art critic and journalist; an activist in the Communist Party until his expulsion in 1956^[37]
• December 20 – Denise Levertov, 74, of lymphoma

• Poetry
• List of years in poetry
• List of poetry awards