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Oprah Winfrey - One of Oprah's more famous friendships was the one with American poet Maya Angelou, so it should come as no surprise that Oprah's favorite poem was written by her.

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Oprah Winfrey - On her own website the media tycoon and talk show host mentioned her favorite poem was Angelou's 'Phenomenal Woman,' calling it "life defining."

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J.K. Rowling - The Harry Potter author's favorite poem is by another American great. Walt Whitman's 'Of the Terrible Doubt of Appearances' is her all time fave.

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J.K. Rowling - The poem from Whitman's famous collection 'Leaves of Grass' was her pick for an anthology to raise money for the non-profit, War Child.

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James Franco - When it comes to the arts, James Franco is a true jack-of-all-trades. The actor, director, published author, visual artist, and dance theater director revealed not just one, but two favorite poems.

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James Franco - They were 2004's 'October' by Louise Glück and 'Cement Truck' by Tony Hoagland.

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Ashton Kutcher - The comedic actor's favorite poem was written by someone very close to him: his own father, Larry M. Kutcher. The poem, 'What Are You Doing,' affected him deeply.

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Ashton Kutcher - His dad became a Marine at 17 and saw combat. Kutcher said the poem made him realize how scarred his dad was.

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Demi Moore - The veteran actress adores 'Flower in the Crannied Wall,' a deceptively simple poem by British Victorian poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

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Demi Moore - The actress commented Tennyson's poem "begs a question of such enormous magnitude that you could spend a lifetime seeking the answer."

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Mike Tyson - The former heavyweight boxing champion revealed that when he was 12 years old he was introduced to a poem called 'Don't Quit.' However, he didn't remember the name of the poet.

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Mike Tyson - A little research revealed that that poet was actually John Greenleaf Whittier. The former boxer just remembered the last couple of lines: "Stick to the fight when you're hardest hit / It's when things seem worst that you must not quit."

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Steven Spielberg - The director's favorite poem is 'For the Artist at the Start of Day' by the late Irish poet John O'Donohue.

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Steven Spielberg - He says it gives him an opportunity to remember where it all begins.

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Kate Capshaw -

Actress (and Spielberg's wife) Kate Capshaw had a very strong reaction to reading David Whyte's poem 'Self Portrait' for the first time.

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Kate Capshaw - She was so deeply moved by the poem that she cried the first time she read it. 

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Matt Dillon - The actor revealed his favorite poem to be W.B. Yeats' 'The Stolen Child.' The first time he heard the influential Irishman's poem was in Dublin.

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Matt Dillon - "Standing there was a bearded man with haunted eyes, busking for change. He had a sandwich board draped over his shoulders with a long list of poems he could recite from memory," Dillon told Oprah.com.

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Sting - The former Police front man is partial to the Ted Hughes poem 'The Thought Fox.'

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Sting - According to the singer it deals with writer's block. He says he can identify with looking desperately for creative inspiration and just not finding it.

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Stephen King - The horror master's favorite poem is the suitably gruesome 'Falling' by James L. Dickey, about an air stewardess falling out of a plane.

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Stephen King - Not only does he like the lyrical language and the style of the poem, he also thinks it's a great metaphor for the human condition.

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Rita Wilson - The actress, producer, and Tom Hanks' wife of over 30 years revealed her favorite poem is 'Ithaka' by the modern Greek poet C.P. Cavafy.

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Rita Wilson - She sees the poem as being about the journey of life, reminding us that the "monsters" you come across in life are just passing difficulties.

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Donna Tartt - The novelist, who knows many French poems by heart, revealed that her favorite poem is 'The Drunken Boat' by 19th-century French poet Arthur Rimbaud.

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Donna Tartt - Written in 1871 when he was only 17, the 100-line poem about a rudderless boat lost at sea is narrated in the first person. She says it's never lost its magic to her.

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Natalie Merchant - The former 10,000 Maniacs singer and successful solo artist's favorite poem is Gerald Manley Hopkins' 'Spring and Fall.'

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Natalie Merchant - "In our daily use of language we lack the ability to speak of the most profound experiences, but poetry can do that for us," the singer explained.

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Isaac Mizrahi - The fashion designer doesn't have one favorite poem, but 154!

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Isaac Mizrahi -

He loves all of Shakespeare's sonnets. He's been passionate about them since his teenage years, when he received a special edition that still sits on his bedside table.

See also: Book recommendations from your favorite celebrities

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