Books you should read: Maggie Nelson, "The Argonauts." Viet Thanh Nguyen, "The Sympathizer." Adam Johnson, "Fortune Smiles." Ocean Vuong, "Night Sky With Exit Wounds." Source: me, all MFA ppl, colleagues, a million writers.
BTW, that list goes 2015 NBCCA award, 2016 Pulitzer winner, 2015 National Book Award, and probably the poetry collection that will win the NBA for poetry in 2016 and has already won a Whiting.