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

• May 12 — John Montague is named as first holder of The Ireland Chair of Poetry.
• August — English poet and playwright Tony Harrison's film-poem Prometheus is first shown.
• Fall — Skanky Possum poetry magazine founded in Austin, Texas.
• Samizdat poetry magazine founded in Chicago (it will run until 2004).

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

• Robert Gray, New Selected Poems
• Jennifer Harrison, Dear B (Black Pepper)
• Frieda Hughes, Wooroloo, English-born Australian poet, originally published in United States by Harper Flamingo
• John Leonard, editor, Australian Verse: An Oxford Anthology, Melbourne: Oxford University Press (anthology)
• Philip Salom, New and Selected Poems. (Fremantle Arts Centre) ISBN 978-1-86368-218-3
• John Tranter, Late Night Radio, Polygon Press
• Chris Wallace-Crabbe, Whirling, Oxford: Oxford University Press

• Gary Barwin, Outside the Hat, (Coach House Books) ISBN 978-1-55245-030-7
• Stephen Cain, dislexicon (Coach House Books) ISBN 978-1-55245-027-7
• Anne Carson, Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse (Knopf); a New York Times "notable book of the year"
• Margaret Christakos, The Moment Coming (Oakville: ECW)
• Don Domanski, Parish of the Psychic Moon
• Louis Dudek, The Poetry of Louis Dudek. Ottawa: The Golden Dog.^[1]
• Paul Dutton, Aurealities, (Coach House Books) ISBN 978-0-88910-414-3
• Michael Holmes, Satellite Dishes from the Future Bakery, (Coach House Books) ISBN 978-1-55245-004-8
• Sylvia Legris, Iridium Seeds
• Dorothy Livesay, Archive for Our Times: Previously Uncollected and Unpublished Poems of Dorothy Livesay, Irvine Dean ed. Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press.^[2]
• Michael Ondaatje, Handwriting, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart; New York: Knopf, 1999^[3] ISBN 0-375-40559-3
• E. J. Pratt, Selected Poems of E. J. Pratt, Sandra Djwa, W.J. Keith, and Zailig Pollock ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.^[4]

• Allan Forrie, Patrick O'Rourke, and Glen Sorestad, editors, In the Clear: A Contemporary Canadian Poetry Anthology, Saskatoon: Thistledown Press
• Kwame Dawes, editor, Wheel and Come Again: An Anthology of Reggae Poetry, Fredericton, New Brunswick: Goose Lane

• Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, The Transfiguring Places ( Poetry in English ), Ravi Dayal, New Delhi, ISBN 81-7530-019-1^[5]
• K. Satchidanandan, How to go to the Tao Temple, Har-Anand Publications, New Delhi.^[6]
• Dilip Chitre, The Mountain, Pune: Vijaya Chitre^[7]

• Dermot Bolger, Taking my Letters Back: New and Selected Poems, Dublin: New Island Books^[8]
• Ciaran Carson:
  • The Alexandrine Plan, Oldcastle: The Gallery Press, ISBN 978-1-85235-218-9
  • The Twelfth of Never, Oldcastle: The Gallery Press, ISBN 978-1-85235-235-6
• Peter Fallon, News of the World, Oldcastle: The Gallery Press, ISBN 978-1-85235-214-1

• Raewyn Alexander, Concrete, Auckland: Penguin^[9]
• Alan Brunton, Moonshine, Bumper Books^[10]
• Roger Robinson and Nelson Wattie, editors, The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature, Melbourne; Auckland: Oxford University Press
• Kate Camp, Unfamiliar Legends of the Stars, Victoria University Press

• Ciarán Carson: The Alexandrine Plan, (adaptations of sonnets by Baudelaire, Mallarmé, and Rimbaud); Gallery :Press, Wake Forest University Press
• Carol Ann Duffy, The Pamphlet,^[11] Anvil Press Poetry^[12]
• Paul Farley, The Boy from the Chemist is Here to See You
• Salena Godden, The Fire People
• Seamus Heaney:
  • Audenesque, Maeght
  • Translator, Beowulf^[11]
  • Opened Ground: Poems 1966-1996, Faber & Faber; in the United States, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux; a New York Times "notable book of the year" for 1999
• Paul Henry, The Milk Thief, Seren
• Ted Hughes:
  • Birthday Letters, (Farrar, Straus & Giroux); a verse chronicle of the author's relationship with Sylvia Plath, his late wife; a New York Times "notable book of the year"
  • Translator, Phedre^[11]
• Jackie Kay, Off Colour United Kingdom
• Peter Levi, Reed Music^[11]
• Kevin MacNeil, Love and Zen in the Outer Hebrides, Scottish poet published in Scotland
• Andrew Motion, Selected Poems 1976–1997^[11]
• Paul Muldoon, Hay^[11]
• Carol Rumens, Holding Pattern^[11]
• Jo Shapcott, My Life Asleep^[11]
• Jon Stallworthy, Rounding the Horn^[11]

• Simon Armitage and Robert Crawford, editors, Penguin Book of Poetry from Britain and Ireland Since 1945, Viking, ISBN 978-0-670-86829-2
• Sean O'Brien, editor, The Firebox: Poetry in Britain and Ireland after 1945 (Picador), anthology
• Lloyd Searwar, editor, They Came in Ships: An Anthology of Indo-Guyanese Prose and Poetry,Leeds: Peepal Tree

• Sean O'Brien, The Deregulated Muse: Essays on Contemporary British and Irish Poetry (Bloodaxe), criticism
• John Heath-Stubbs, The literary essays of John Heath-Stubbs, edited by A.T. Tolley
• Michael Schmidt, Lives of the Poets, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson

• John Ashbery:
  • The Mooring of Starting Out: The First Five Books of Poetry (Ecco) collection of the poet's work from 1956 to 1972; a New York Times "notable book of the year"
  • Wakefulness
• Renée Ashley, The Various Reasons of Light
• Ted Berrigan, Great Stories of the Chair
• Henri Cole, The Visible Man
• Billy Collins, Picnic, Lightning (ISBN 0-8229-4066-3)
• Fanny Howe, Q
• Deborah Garrison, A Working Girl Can't Win: And Other Poems, (Random House); a New York Times "notable book of the year"
• Lee Harwood, Morning Light
• Kenneth Koch, Straits: Poems, New York: Knopf ^[13]
• William Logan, Vain Empires: Poems, (Penguin, paper); a New York Times "notable book of the year"
• W. S. Merwin:
  • Translator, East Window: The Asian Translations, translated poems from earlier collections, Port Townsend, Washington: Copper Canyon Press
  • The Folding Cliffs: A Narrative, a "novel-in-verse" New York: Knopf^[14]
• Michael Palmer, The Lion Bridge: Selected Poems 1972-1995 (New Directions), first retrospective of Palmer's work selected by the author himself reprinting much work that had gone out of print
• Carl Phillips, From the Devotions^[15]
• Marie Ponsot, The Bird Catcher, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and finalist for the 1999 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize
• Frederick Seidel Going Fast: Poems, (Farrar, Straus & Giroux); a New York Times "notable book of the year"
• Mark Strand, Blizzard of One: Poems, (Knopf); a New York Times "notable book of the year"; by a Canadian native long living in and published in the United States
• Patti Smith, Patti Smith Complete
• James Tate, Shroud of the Gnomes: Poems, (Ecco); a New York Times "notable book of the year"
• Richard Tayson, The Apprentice of Fever, winner of the 1997 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize
• Keith and Rosmarie Waldrop, Well Well Reality (The Post-Apollo Press)

• Laurence Breiner, An Introduction to West Indian Poetry, Cambridge University Press, scholarship^[16]
• Kenneth Koch, Making Your Own Days: The Pleasures of Reading and Writing Poetry, New York: Scribner^[13]
• Eric L. Haralson, editor, Encyclopedia of American Poetry: The Nineteenth Century, Chicago and London: Fitzroy Dearborn
• Mary Oliver, Rules for the Dance: A Handbook for Writing and Reading Metrical Verse

• Barbara Tran, Monique T. D. Truong, and Luu Truong Khoi, editors, Watermark: Vietnamese American Poetry & Prose, New York: Asian American Writers' Workshop

Poems from these 75 poets were in The Best American Poetry 1999, general editor David Lehman, guest editor John Hollander:

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

• Klaus Høeck; Denmark:
  • Hjem, publisher: Gyldendal^[17]
  • Honeymoon, publisher: Gyldendal^[17]
• Inger Christensen, Samlede digte ("Collected Poems")^[18]

• Olivier Barbarant, Odes dérisoires et quelques autres un peu moins, publisher: Editions Champ Vallon, ISBN 978-2-87673-272-8
• Salah Stetie, Fievre et guerison de l'icone
• Jean-Michel Maulpoix, Domaine public

Listed in alphabetical order by first name:

• Amarjit Chandan, Chhanna, Navyug, New Delhi; Punjabi-language^[19]
• Anamika, Anushtup, Delhi: Kitab Ghar; Hindi-language^[20]
• Gagan Gill, Yah Akanksha Samay Nahin, New Delhi: Rajkamal Prakashan, New Delhi, 1998, Bharatiya Jnanpith; Hindi-language^[21]
• K. Satchidanandan, Apoornam, ("Imperfect"); Malayalam-language^[6]
• Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih, Ban Sngewthuh ia ka Poitri ("Understanding Poetry"), Shillong: Gautam Brothers; Khasi-language^[22]
• Mallika Sengupta; Hindi-language:
  • Meyeder Aa Aaa Ka Kha, Kolkata: Prativas Publication^[23]
  • Translator, Akaler Madhye Saras, translation from the original Hindi of Kedarnath Singh, Kolkata: Sahitya Akademi^[23]
• Manushya Puthiran, Itamum Iruppum, Nagercoil: Kalachuvadu Pathipagam, Tamil language^[24]
• Prathibha Nandakumar, Kavadeyata ("Game of Cowry"), Bangalore: Kannada Sangha, Christ College^[25]
• Raghavan Atholi, Mozhimattam, Kottayam: Sahitya Pravarthaka Cooperative Society (SPCS)^[26]
• Rajendra Bhandari, Kshar/Akshar ("Perishable/ Imperishable"), Gangtok, Sikkim: Jana Paksha Prakashan; Nepali-language^[27]
• Varavara Rao (better known as "VV"), Aa Rojulu ("Those Days"), Hyderabad: Akruti Printers^[28][29]

• Stanisław Barańczak, Chirurgiczna precyzja ("Surgical Precision"), Krakow: a5^[30]
• Zbigniew Herbert:
  • 89 wierszy, ("89 Poems"), Kraków: a5^[31]
  • Epilog burzy ("Epilogue to a Storm"), Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie^[31]
• Ewa Lipska:
  • Godziny poza godzinami ("Hours Beyond Hours"), selected poems, Warsaw: PIW^[32]
  • Życie zastępcze, Kraków: Wydawnictwo literackie^[32]
• Jan Twardowski:
  • Bóg prosi o miłość - Gott fleht um Liebe, Krakow, Poland: Wydawnictwo Literackie^[33]
  • Niebo w dobrym humorze, Warsaw: PIW^[33]
• Adam Zagajewski, Trzej aniołowie, Three Angels (sic) Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie^[34]

• Dejan Stojanović, Krugovanje: 1978–1987 (Circling),^[35] Second Edition, Narodna knjiga–Alfa, Beograd

• Matilde Camus, Fuerza creativa ("Creative strength")

• Christoph Buchwald, general editor, and Marcel Beyer, guest editor, Jahrbuch der Lyrik 1998/99 ("Poetry Yearbook 1998/99"), publisher: Beck; anthology^[36]
• Ndoc Gjetja, Dhjata ime ("My Testament"); Albania^[37]
• Haim Gouri Ha-Shirim ("The Poems"), in two volumes by an Israeli writing in Hebrew^[38]
• Chen Kehua, Yinwei siwang er jingying de fanfu shipian ("Engaging in a Complicated Poetry for the Sake of Death ") Chinese (Taiwan)^[39]
• Maria Luisa Spaziani, La traversata dell'oasi, Italy
• Rahman Henry, Banbhojoner Moto Aundhokar ( Darkness as Picnic is), Bengali

• C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry: Coral Hull, Broken Land
• Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: No awards were presented this year
• Mary Gilmore Prize: Lucy Dougan, Memory Shell

• Archibald Lampman Award: Sandra Nicholls, Woman of Sticks, Woman of Stones
• Atlantic Poetry Prize: Carmelita McGrath, To the New World
• Gerald Lampert Award: Mark Sinnett, The Landing
• 1998 Governor General's Awards: Stephanie Bolster, White Stone: The Alice Poems (English); Suzanne Jacob, La Part de feu / Le Deuil de la rancune (French)
• Pat Lowther Award: Barbara Nickel, The Gladys Elegies
• Prix Alain-Grandbois: Paul Chanel Malenfant, Fleuves
• Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize: Patricia Young, What I Remember from My Time on Earth
• Prix Émile-Nelligan: Tony Tremblay, Rue Pétrole-Océan

• Sahitya Akademi Award : Arun Kamal for Naye Ilake Mein
• Poetry Society India National Poetry Competition : K. Srilata for In Santa Cruz, Diagnosed Home Sick

• Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement:
• Montana New Zealand Book Awards (no award given in poetry category this year) First-book award for poetry: Kapka Kassabova, All Roads Lead to the Sea, Auckland University Press

• Cholmondeley Award: Roger McGough, Robert Minhinnick, Anne Ridler, Ken Smith
• Eric Gregory Award: Mark Goodwin, Joanne Limburg, Patrick McGuinness, Kona Macphee, Esther Morgan, Christiania Whitehead, Frances Williams
• Forward Poetry Prize Best Collection: Ted Hughes, Birthday Letters (Faber and Faber)
• Forward Poetry Prize Best First Collection: Paul Farley, The Boy from the Chemist is Here to See You (Picador)
• Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry: Les Murray
• T. S. Eliot Prize (United Kingdom and Ireland): Ted Hughes, Birthday Letters (Faber and Faber)
• Whitbread Award for poetry and for book of the year: Ted Hughes, Birthday Letters (Faber and Faber)
• National Poetry Competition : Caroline Carver for Horse Underwater

• Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize: Shara McCallum, The Water Between Us
• Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry: X.J. Kennedy
• American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Drama: Horton Foote
• American Academy of Arts and Letters: Robert Fagles elected a member of the Literature Department
• American Book Award: Angela Y. Davis, "Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday"
• American Book Award: Allison Hedge Coke, "Dog Road Woman", Coffee House Press "American Book Award 1998"
• AML Award for poetry to Alex Caldiero for Various Atmospheres: Poems and Drawings
• Bernard F. Connors Prize for Poetry: Sherod Santos, "Elegy for My Sister", and (separately) Neil Azevedo, "Caspar Hauser Songs"
• Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry: Frank Bidart, Desire
• National Book Award for poetry: Gerald Stern, This Time: New and Selected Poems
• Poet Laureate of Virginia: Joseph Awad, two year appointment 1998 to 2000^[40]
• Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Charles Wright, Black Zodiac
• Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize: W.S. Merwin
• Wallace Stevens Award: A. R. Ammons
• William Carlos Williams Award: John Balaban, Locusts at the Edge of Summer: New and Selected Poems, Judge: Robert Phillips
• Whiting Awards: Nancy Eimers, Daniel Hall, James Kimbrell, Charles Harper Webb, Greg Williamson
• Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets: Charles Simic

• Amanda Gorman, American poet

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

• January 23 — John Forbes, 47 (born 1915), Australian poet
• February 8
  • Enoch Powell, 85 (born 1912), British MP from 1950 to 1987, classicist and poet
  • Niall Sheridan, 85 (born 1912), Irish poet, fiction writer and broadcaster
• March 23 — Hilda Morley, 81 (born 1916), American poet, after a fall
• April 19 — Octavio Paz, 84 (born 1914), Mexican writer, poet, diplomat and winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize in Literature
• April 21 — Ivan Chtcheglov, 65 (born 1933), French political theorist, activist and poet
• April 30 — Nizar Qabbani, 75 (born 1923), Syrian diplomat, poet and publisher of Arabic poetry
• May 29 — Philip O'Connor, 81 (born 1916), English writer and surrealist poet
• June 25 — John Malcolm Brinnin, 81 (born 1916), American poet and critic
• July 1 — Martin Seymour-Smith, 70 (born 1928), English poet, critic and biographer
• July 14 — Miroslav Holub, 75 (born 1923), Czech poet and immunologist
• July 28 — Zbigniew Herbert, 73 (born 1924), influential Polish poet, essayist and moralist
• August 26 — Ryūichi Tamura 田村隆, 75 (born 1923), Japanese Shōwa period poet, essayist and translator of English-language novels and poetry
• October 25 – Dick Higgins, 60 (born 1938), English-born poet, composer and early Fluxus artist with ties to the Language poets
• October 28 — Ted Hughes, 68 (born 1930), English poet, Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom since 1984
• Date not known
  • Aimee Joan Grunberger, 44, American poet, of cancer
  • Michalis Katsaros (born 1919), Greek poet

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