Selected Poems offers a full and representative selection of poems from the whole of Rich's long and distinguished career. The volume encompasses her best-known work-the clear-sighted and passionate feminist poems of the 1970s, including "Diving into the Wreck", "Planetarium", and "The Phenomenology of Anger"-and offers the full range of her evolution as a poet.

From poems leading up to her feminist breakthrough through bold later work such as "North American Time" and "Calle Vision", Selected Poems expresses the vital dialogue between Rich's personal experiences and political views. As the editors explain in their introduction, Selected Poems presents the complete picture of Rich's powerful and deeply moving poetry, as well as the evolution in poetic forms that trace her radical vision.