E.E. Cummings (1894 – 1962) – stylized e. e. cummings – possesses a unique style. Cummings was very familiar with avant-garde style poetry (some attribute this to an influence from Calligrammes by Apollinaire) and makes use of it to a certain degree within a great deal of his work.

It is, perhaps, wrong to categorize Cummings’s poetry as truly avant-garde, although it is certainly avant-garde influenced. Many of his poems are sonnets with twists.

Cummings does, however, play with syntax and almost completely avoids punctuation. Many of his famous pieces play with typography, but as a whole, that comprises only a small part of his work.

Poems of note are “may i feel said he”, “in Just–”, “next to of course god america i,”, and “r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r”.