Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World
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- Author：Pádraig Ó. Tuama
- ISBN：1324035471
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Summary
In the tumult of our contemporary moment， poetry has emerged as an inviting， consoling outlet with a unique power to move and connect us， to inspire fury， tears， joy， laughter， and surprise。 This generous anthology pairs fifty illuminating poems with poet and podcast host Pádraig Ó Tuama’s appealing， unhurried reflections。 With keen insight and warm personal anecdotes， Ó Tuama considers each poem’s artistry and explores how its meaning can reach into our own lives。
Focusing mainly on poets writing today， Ó Tuama engages with a diverse array of voices that includes Ada Limón， Ilya Kaminsky， Margaret Atwood， Ocean Vuong， Layli Long Soldier， and Reginald Dwayne Betts。 Natasha Trethewey meditates on miscegenation and Mississippi; Raymond Antrobus makes poetry out of the questions shot at him by an immigration officer; Martín Espada mourns his father; Marie Howe remembers and blesses her mother’s body; Aimee Nezhukumatathil offers comfort to her child-self。 Through these wide-ranging poems， Ó Tuama guides us on an inspiring journey to reckon with self-acceptance， history， independence， parenthood， identity， joy， and resilience。
For anyone who has wanted to try their hand at a conversation with poetry but doesn’t know where to start， Poetry Unbound presents a window through which to celebrate the art of being alive。
Focusing mainly on poets writing today， Ó Tuama engages with a diverse array of voices that includes Ada Limón， Ilya Kaminsky， Margaret Atwood， Ocean Vuong， Layli Long Soldier， and Reginald Dwayne Betts。 Natasha Trethewey meditates on miscegenation and Mississippi; Raymond Antrobus makes poetry out of the questions shot at him by an immigration officer; Martín Espada mourns his father; Marie Howe remembers and blesses her mother’s body; Aimee Nezhukumatathil offers comfort to her child-self。 Through these wide-ranging poems， Ó Tuama guides us on an inspiring journey to reckon with self-acceptance， history， independence， parenthood， identity， joy， and resilience。
For anyone who has wanted to try their hand at a conversation with poetry but doesn’t know where to start， Poetry Unbound presents a window through which to celebrate the art of being alive。
Reviews
Betsy
，
Everything about this book prompts me to give it five stars: the warmth and welcome of its editor/author， the gift of introduction to poets I likely would not have stumbled across on my own， and the extremely helpful guidance through the texts of the poems themselves。 Truly world-opening。
Kevin Hodgson
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I really loved this book for the poems and the essays and insights。
Nic Carnes
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Heart full。 As always， I’m dazzled by the expansiveness of Pádraig Ó Tuama’s mind。 These poems are woven together by his beautiful story telling and I’ll be reading this one over and over。
Nicolas Duran
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I loved this book！ I had not heard of the podcast before， and received this as a Christmas gift from my parents， who know I love poetry。 I was stunned！ Such a joy to read， I was introduced to many fabulous poets， and I’m glad to have it in my book shelf。 Would highly recommend to truly everyone。
Cheryl
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“…in the end we go to poetry for one reason， so that we might more fully inhabit our lives and the world in which we live them， and that if we more fully inhabit these things， we might be less apt to destroy both。” Christian WimanA poem is a difficult thing to define。 What is it？ It’s a little block of ink on a page， sometimes five lines long， sometimes fifty。 It’s a house of memory。 It’s a clockwork thing you can carry in your pocket; take it out， set it to go， and it goes。 Tick-tock-tick-tock， “…in the end we go to poetry for one reason， so that we might more fully inhabit our lives and the world in which we live them， and that if we more fully inhabit these things， we might be less apt to destroy both。” Christian WimanA poem is a difficult thing to define。 What is it？ It’s a little block of ink on a page， sometimes five lines long， sometimes fifty。 It’s a house of memory。 It’s a clockwork thing you can carry in your pocket; take it out， set it to go， and it goes。 Tick-tock-tick-tock， it says， sometimes rhyming with itself。 Some poems are full of love， and some of anger; some poems remember things that shouldn’t be forgotten， other poems fantasise about the future， acting as a warning for today。 Some sound like a song， others like a story。Maybe I shouldn’t say a poem is a door between two rooms。 Maybe it’s twenty doors: what it means to remember yourself as a teenager; what it means to be an adult; what music works in us; how grief is a complicated ghost… Pádraig Ó。 TuamaI listened to the book launch for this book， and it was an example of being everything。 Joy， sorrow， peace， sweetness， enlightenment。 All of it。 All the things that make living so beautiful。 Lorna Goodison，a Jamaican poet who I discovered when heading to the Caribbean for the first time and then on Poetry Unbound， called Pádraig Ó。 Tuama a “bringer of light。” In my worldview， I think of all of humanity’s religious impulses as points of light， as shards of light as the Hasidim tell of that we are meant to sanctify and reunite， as wonder and awe and deep faith。 I may disagree with so much of how religions can be presented with an iron fist， and people do horror in the name of many religions， but the impulse is real， I have seen it and I have felt it。 This is why I love bringers of light， light bringers， and why poetry is so important to this day。 Thank you to all involved in this book， it is truly a work of art， the essays， the poems， the voices Pádraig Ó。 Tuama showcases and lifts up for us to know。 I was brought to tears by just the thought of this book when I was done。 It is that beautiful， encompassing， again， everything， being everything。 I can’t even begin to add my own thoughts to the authors so will add a photo to some of them。 Poems in bold， commentary by the author in italic。 REPORTING BACK TO QUEEN ISABELLA BY LORNA GOODISON:When Don Cristobal returned to a hero’s welcome，his caravels corked with treasures of the New World，he presented his findings; told of his great adventuresto Queen Isabella， whose speech set the gold standardfor her nation’s language。 When he came to Xamaicahe described it so: ‘The fairest isle that eyes ever beheld。’Then he balled up a big sheet of parchment， unclenched，and let it fall off a flat surface before it landed at her feet。There we were， massifs， high mountain ranges， expansiveplains， deep valleys， one he’d christened for the Queenof Spain。 Overabundance of wood， over one hundredrivers， food， and fat pastures for Spanish horses， men，and cattle; and yes， your majesty， there were some people。 There’s a theory in conflict resolution that conflicts take as long to deescalate as they took to escalate。 I think anybody from a colonized or previously colonized country knows this。 Oppression doesn’t end the day oppressors leave; the impact of centuries can take centuries to repair。WONDER WOMAN ADA LIMÓNStanding at the swell of the muddy Mississippi after the urgent care doctor had just said， Well， sometimes shit happens， I fell fast and hard for New Orleans all over again。 Pain pills swirled in the purse along with a spell for later。 It’s taken a while for me to admit， I am in a raging battle with my body， a spinal column thirty-five degrees bent， vertigo that comes and goes like a DC Comics villain nobody can kill。 Invisible pain is both a blessing and a curse。 You always look so happy， said a stranger once as I shifted to my good sidegrinning。 But that day， alone on the riverbank， brass blaring from the Steamboat Natchez， out of the corner of my eye， I saw a girl， maybe half my age， dressed， for no apparent reason， as Wonder Woman。 She strutted by in all her strength and glory， invincible， eternal， and when I stood to clap （because who wouldn’t have）， she bowed and posed like she knew I needed a myth-a woman， by a river， indestructible。 Ada Limón is a cinematic poet – you can often see what’s happening…。Superhero language is echoed elsewhere the poem， with vertigo being described as a ‘villain nobody can kill’。 Important to remember is that a myth is not something false， rather a myth is something with so much truth that it needs a fantastical container。 BOOK OF GENESIS KEI MILLER Suppose there was a book full only of the word， let – from whose clipped sound all things began: fir and firmament， feather， the first whale – and suppose we could scroll through its pages every day to find and pronounce a Let meant only for us – we would stumble through the streets with open books， eyes crossed from too much reading; we would speak in auto-rhyme， the world would echo itself – and stillwe’d continue in rounds， saying let and let and let until even silent dreams had been allowed。 In the poem， the word let is not just for worldmaking， it’s for discovery too。 If there existed such a book – or a scroll， he says， invoking both smartphones and ancient texts – full of the word let， then a person might search through that book every day looking for a let that would give them permission to be。 If Let there be light made the light， then Let there be you might make a person feel alive。 reconciliationJÓNÍNA KIRTONhow will I reconcile myself？ the Icelander and the Métis the settler and the Indigenous an ally to myself since birth flung across a chasm I often wonder am I to forever be the way across weak anchors at each end…maybe one day I will just float away see where the water takes me but not today today I will rebuild this time no quick fixes no steel cables or wooden planks no rust no rot no nails necessarybut rather the slow growth of twisted rootsfrom ancient trees the way across a path made of grandfather grandmother stones I will become a self-sustaining structure gain strength over time a living root bridge that lasts five hundred yearsShe shared how she researched bridges from around the world， then landed on living root bridges found in India; bridges made not of steel， but of the roots of trees stretched across chasms。 The oldest of these bridges is thought to be five hundred years old。 Something living – a tree – can be held in the earth in a way that allows the earth and the plant to be mutually sustaining。 A living root bridge is part of the earth， spans the chasms of the earth， and lives; it is not just a means to an end， rather it’s a breathing thing itself。 Where does one tree end and another begin？ The answer is that something new is created in the in-between。 In the zero-sum game of having to cut off one of her identities， Kirton rejects the binary choice， instead seeing her body as a type of living bridge， nurtured by the earth of two places， sustained by both， alive across its entire span。 A BLESSING BY JAMES WRIGHT （phrase） Suddenly I realize That if I stepped out of my body I would break Into blossom。 WHEN YOU SAY ‘PROTESTORS’ INSTEAD OF PROTECTORS NO‘U REVILLA I would call it a trick， if it wasn’t so terrifying， the way your mouth doesn’t move when you speak。 Your smile， shiny as a church， but whatkind of prayer could ever be trusted without evidence of a free tongue？ On the rare occasion sound shakes loose， words， no matter how unmuzzled， words still go to die。 In your mouth， even womb is wound。 Sometimes I dream of tearing your throat wide open and finding there， where stories should be born， only bleeding bleedingbleeding。 The wish to desecrate。 We are， yet again， portrayed by you， the girl the Native the water the mountain who was ‘asking for it。’ Your lips so Sunday still。 Sometimes I almostBelieve you。 So it’s best I keeping hiding knives inMy hair， the way my grandmother- not god-The way my grandmother intended。 No‘u Revilla is an ‘Ōiwi （Hawaiian） poet， and the ability to name is a powerful one， and this voice， this you， has named a group of people who are protecting something as ‘protestors’， implying they’re the ones doing wrong， instead of protecting the already harmed from further harm， the already violated from complete annihilation。 Maybe she’s trying to believe that somewhere， deep within a person， there’s a place of integrity where truer words can be found。 PHASE ONE （excerpt） DILRUBA AHMED For leaving the fridge open last night， I forgive you。 For conjuring white curtains instead of living your life。 For the seedlings that wilt， now， in tiny pots， I forgive you。 For saying no first but yes as an afterthought。…I forgive you for letting vines overtake the garden。 For fearing your own propensity to love。 。。。I forgive you for leaving windows open in rain and soaking library books again。 For putting forth only revisions of yourself， with punctuation worked over， instead of the disordered truth，I forgive you。…I forgive you。 For feeling awkward and nervous without reason。 For bearing Keats’ empty vessel with such calm you worried you had， perhaps， no moral center at all。 For treating your mother with contempt when she deserved compassion。 I forgive you。 I forgive you。 I forgive you。 For growing a capacity for love that is great but matched only， perhaps， by your loneliness。 For being unableto forgive yourself first so you could then forgive others and at last find a way to become the love that you want in this world。 Compassion is more creative than contempt。 Forgiveness – at its best – seeks to make space for surprise and the unexpected。 That’s what Dilruba Ahmed is offering herself: space…Forgiveness isn’t the destination of the poem， life is， and the poet is aching for the capacity to forgive herself enough in order to be present for life… 。。。more
Michaela Daly
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Great podcast， great book。
Sharon
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I struggle with modern poetry， and much prefer the older poetry。 Having said that， I did enjoy Tuama's reflections throughout the book。 Those point us to the humanity found within each of us。 I received an e-ARC from NetGalley and W。W。 Norton & Company in exchange for a review。 I struggle with modern poetry， and much prefer the older poetry。 Having said that， I did enjoy Tuama's reflections throughout the book。 Those point us to the humanity found within each of us。 I received an e-ARC from NetGalley and W。W。 Norton & Company in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Faith
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Padraig O Tuama， himself a poet and author， worked alongside Krista Tippett to develop the Poetry Unbound podcast， and after that success， it was natural to publish a book following the same format。 In Poetry Unbound， fifty poems are shared。 Each poem opens with a related teaser by O Tuama， then the poem is shared， and then O Tuama returns to talk specifically about the impact the poem makes， drawing attention to how the visual layout， word choice， or other determinations help the poem be effect Padraig O Tuama， himself a poet and author， worked alongside Krista Tippett to develop the Poetry Unbound podcast， and after that success， it was natural to publish a book following the same format。 In Poetry Unbound， fifty poems are shared。 Each poem opens with a related teaser by O Tuama， then the poem is shared， and then O Tuama returns to talk specifically about the impact the poem makes， drawing attention to how the visual layout， word choice， or other determinations help the poem be effective。The audiobook is a delight to listen to， as O Tuama reads it himself and his lilt and inflections are captivating。 My small quibble about the audiobook format， though， is that it can be difficult to realize when the transitions are occurring （this may have been addressed already， and even if not， it's not worth avoiding the audiobook for this minor issue）。 I enjoy reading poetry but sometimes worry I'm not picking up all that is available to be grasped， so this book is a welcome guide to reflect on a wide range of poems and poets， and O Tuama makes this approach seem as if it's a conversation between friends。（I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。） 。。。more
Danielle McClellan
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I am a big fan of Pádraig Ó Tuama’s podcast， Poetry Unbound， and this beautiful collection is an extension of that work。 Here， Ó Tuama introduces a diverse range of poems， mostly written by an international group of contemporary poets， and then unpacks them and comments on their content and structure， while bringing in his own life experiences and ways in which those affect his own engagement with the poems。 The book is somehow both accessible and intelligent--a true gift。 The newly released aud I am a big fan of Pádraig Ó Tuama’s podcast， Poetry Unbound， and this beautiful collection is an extension of that work。 Here， Ó Tuama introduces a diverse range of poems， mostly written by an international group of contemporary poets， and then unpacks them and comments on their content and structure， while bringing in his own life experiences and ways in which those affect his own engagement with the poems。 The book is somehow both accessible and intelligent--a true gift。 The newly released audio version is the only way to go as Ó Tuama’s distinctive Irish accent reading these poems aloud deepens the experience。 I highly recommend this book。 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy of this audiobook。 。。。more
Justin Wiggins
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I found a signed edition of this incredible book by the Irish poet Pádraig Ó。 Tuama recently while on holiday in Scotland at Blackwell's in Edinburgh。 These poems， by a wide variety of poets from around the world， is brilliantly compiled， and the essays by Pádraig are fascinating and incredibly moving。 My favorite poem from this volume is Consider the Hands That Write This Letter by Aracelis Girmay， which is posted below。 I highly recommend this book。 Consider the Hands that Write this LetterBY I found a signed edition of this incredible book by the Irish poet Pádraig Ó。 Tuama recently while on holiday in Scotland at Blackwell's in Edinburgh。 These poems， by a wide variety of poets from around the world， is brilliantly compiled， and the essays by Pádraig are fascinating and incredibly moving。 My favorite poem from this volume is Consider the Hands That Write This Letter by Aracelis Girmay， which is posted below。 I highly recommend this book。 Consider the Hands that Write this LetterBY ARACELIS GIRMAYafter Marina WilsonConsider the handsthat write this letter。Left palm pressed flat against paper，as we have done before， over my heart，in peace or reverence to the sea，some beautiful thingI saw once， felt once: snow fallinglike rice flung from the giants' wedding，or strangest of strange birds。 & consider， then，the right hand， & how it is a fist，within which a sharpened utensil，similar to the way I've held a spade，the horse's reins， loping， the very fistsI've seen from roads through Limay & Estelí。For years， I have come to sit this way:one hand open， one hand closed，like a farmer who puts down seeds & gathers up;food will come from that farming。Or， yes， it is like the way I've dancedwith my left hand opened around a shoulder，my right hand closed insideof another hand。 & how I pray，I pray for this to be my way: sweetwork alluded to in the body's position to its paper:left hand， right handlike an open eye， an eye closed:one hand flat against the trapdoor，the other hand knocking， knocking。 。。。more
Kat Rahmat
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Padraig’s beautiful reflections on poetry kept me company throughout the pandemic lockdown。 I knew the collection would not disappoint。 There are some truly moving entries in here that I will treasure for a long time。 I brought it with me on holiday as a companion for end-of-year reflection。 Rewarding。 Thank you， Padraig for inspiring me and expanding my sense of what paying attention to life can mean。
Steph Lovelady
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I enjoy the Poetry Unbound podcast very much。 The format is just perfect: the poem is read， analyzed， and then read again。 It's a tribute to O Tuama's analysis that they often seems different on the second reading。 I got the book for my mother-in-law for Christmas because I thought she would enjoy it but I had to read it myself before I wrapped it。 I wasn't disappointed。 The poems are mostly modern and very diverse。 In a collection， of course， not every poem is going to hit home， but I remembere I enjoy the Poetry Unbound podcast very much。 The format is just perfect: the poem is read， analyzed， and then read again。 It's a tribute to O Tuama's analysis that they often seems different on the second reading。 I got the book for my mother-in-law for Christmas because I thought she would enjoy it but I had to read it myself before I wrapped it。 I wasn't disappointed。 The poems are mostly modern and very diverse。 In a collection， of course， not every poem is going to hit home， but I remembered many of them fondly from having heard them on the podcast。 This one is my absolute favorite:What You Missed That Day You Were Absent from Fourth Gradeby Brad Aaron ModlinMrs Nelson explained how to stand still and listento the wind， how to find meaning in pumping gas，how peeling potatoes can be a form of prayer。 She tookquestions on how not to feel lost in the dark。After lunch she distributed worksheetsthat covered ways to remember your grandfather'svoice。 Then the class discussed falling asleepwithout feeling you had forgotten to do something else--something important-- and how to believethe house you wake in is your home。 This promptedMrs Nelson to draw a chalkboard diagram detailinghow to chant the Psalms during cigarette breaks，and how not to squirm for sound when your own thoughtsare all you hear; also that you have enough。The English lesson was that I amis a complete sentence。And just before the afternoon bell， she made the math equation look easy。 The one that proves that hundreds of questions，and feeling cold， and all those nights spent lookingfor whatever it was you lost， and one personadd up to something。 。。。more
Nicole K
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I generally enjoyed the selection of very contemporary poems in this collection。 While the commentary was on the humanist side of things， it was still accessible for people who do not usually read poetry。 Tbh， I think this would make a great gift for people who are intimidated by poetry。
alej
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Pádraig Ó Tuama is a gorgeous reader and writer。 This collection speaks to so many aspects of humanity and human-ness。 I love the reflections and connections Pádraig pieces together。 Poetry Unbound is such an incredible project。 Grateful for this and On Being。
Vonnie
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3。5While I enjoyed his analysis of the poems， and thought they were very just — there were too many religion themed poems for me in here。
Stacy
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In Poetry Unbound， Pádraig Ó。 Tuama shares 50 contemporary poems from a variety of authors。 He analyzes the poems in a way that makes them feel accessible to the reader and shares how they affected him personally。 This book was inspired by a podcast he leads， and after reading the book， I am interested in checking out the podcast！ The poems he selected for this book cover a variety of topics and from all different viewpoints; I think he made great selections。 I enjoyed listening to the audiobook In Poetry Unbound， Pádraig Ó。 Tuama shares 50 contemporary poems from a variety of authors。 He analyzes the poems in a way that makes them feel accessible to the reader and shares how they affected him personally。 This book was inspired by a podcast he leads， and after reading the book， I am interested in checking out the podcast！ The poems he selected for this book cover a variety of topics and from all different viewpoints; I think he made great selections。 I enjoyed listening to the audiobook， especially with Tuama’s accent。 My only complaint with that format was that there was nothing to indicate when we were moving on from one poem to the next – not a longer break or title to indicate we have moved to a new chapter。 I think that would have been helpful。Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book。 。。。more
Debbie
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Disclaimer: I was provided with an audio version of the book， courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher， in return for a fair and honest review。Ok， I will take a chunk of the blame here。 My expectations were of dramatic readers of poetry。 I should have read more deeply and researched this book for taking it on。I love poetry read by it’s author， with the pacing and emphasis intended。 This was NOT what I got。 This audiobook should not be played in the car。 It reminded me of one of my meditation apps Disclaimer: I was provided with an audio version of the book， courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher， in return for a fair and honest review。Ok， I will take a chunk of the blame here。 My expectations were of dramatic readers of poetry。 I should have read more deeply and researched this book for taking it on。I love poetry read by it’s author， with the pacing and emphasis intended。 This was NOT what I got。 This audiobook should not be played in the car。 It reminded me of one of my meditation apps with a soft， monotone voice that lulled me into a sleepy trance。40% of this was all I could bear。 I wanted to hear poetry， not the dissection of it。 Next time I will be certain it is a book of poems， not an analysis of them。 。。。more
Aurelie Richards
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Poetry Unbound is an incredible Podcast and I'm thrilled to see Pádraig's unique take on poetry in print， bound， and in my lap。 I feel nourished by each of these poems and there are even moments with a poem or essay， I have the sense Pádraig picked the poem and wrote the essay just for me， for this moment in my life。 It's a delight to read and one of those books that becomes an orientation-point on the bookshelf， yes because of its meaning， but also because of its satisfyingly large stature。 "Th Poetry Unbound is an incredible Podcast and I'm thrilled to see Pádraig's unique take on poetry in print， bound， and in my lap。 I feel nourished by each of these poems and there are even moments with a poem or essay， I have the sense Pádraig picked the poem and wrote the essay just for me， for this moment in my life。 It's a delight to read and one of those books that becomes an orientation-point on the bookshelf， yes because of its meaning， but also because of its satisfyingly large stature。 "The orange book next to 'Poetry Unbound' is Todesfuge by Paul Celan" are words that literally came out of my mouth yesterday）。 。。。more
Ben Rogers
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Poetry To Open My World， Sign Me UpThis was a fine enough collection of poetry。 I felt that some of the poems were okay， and some were not particularly for me。 I believe I just am not a huge poetry fan now that I come to think of it， but I still can appreciate the artform。 Thought I would give it a try！ Still happy to have read it all-in-all3。1/5
Amy Jane
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I love Pádraig Ó Tuama on the Poetry Unbound podcast for the way he offers multiple interpretations of the poems he picks。 I’m not very good at reading poetry and I’m very selective about what I read， so it’s great to be forced to read things I wouldn’t normally。 However， I did find selection a bit the modern and the dominant themes a bit… topical。 I think I’ll stick to the podcast to I can hear his lovely Irish voice。
Cliff Moyce
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An overwrought， idealogical， guilt-ridden， hand-wringing collection of modern poetry in which anyone who isn’t non-white and dying in a ditch is portrayed as privileged， racist， imperial， homophobic， colonial， and capitalist。 The problem with this collection is not the poems， though they are not great。 The problem is you get an awful lot of Padraig O’Tuama’s analysis and ideology （plus his dreary misrerabilist voice if you listen to the audiobook version on Audible） for not very much poetry。It w An overwrought， idealogical， guilt-ridden， hand-wringing collection of modern poetry in which anyone who isn’t non-white and dying in a ditch is portrayed as privileged， racist， imperial， homophobic， colonial， and capitalist。 The problem with this collection is not the poems， though they are not great。 The problem is you get an awful lot of Padraig O’Tuama’s analysis and ideology （plus his dreary misrerabilist voice if you listen to the audiobook version on Audible） for not very much poetry。It would be easy to think of O’Tuama as some harmless， well-meaning， under-employed， middle-class， beardie sitting in a yurt in his back garden， crying at every sad story he reads on his iPhone， but I think that would be too generous。 Myopic worldviews are dangerous regardless of which side of the ‘debate’ they come from， and this collection definitely comes from an entrenched political position of victimhood。 Not for me。 。。。more
whiskeywhisper
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Cute concept but not what I thought。 I was going to be reading when I requested it。 But also a pleasure to see something like this in the poetry literature community。
Dani
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Thank you to the publisher， author， and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy。 As an AP Literature teacher， this book is a treasure！ I listen to Tuama's podcast and so have heard his episodes/essays before， but having his thoughts written down after each poem offers a wonderful learning resource for AP students who are new to analyzing poetry。 This is accessible and fun because the poem choices are so vast。 A must read for a poetry lover！ Thank you to the publisher， author， and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy。 As an AP Literature teacher， this book is a treasure！ I listen to Tuama's podcast and so have heard his episodes/essays before， but having his thoughts written down after each poem offers a wonderful learning resource for AP students who are new to analyzing poetry。 This is accessible and fun because the poem choices are so vast。 A must read for a poetry lover！ 。。。more
Abby
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This man’s existence is just profound。 It was a delight to hear him explain how he reads 50 poems。 It brought me back to high school English， but with the maturity to be able to sincerely appreciate it。
AJ
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Drawn in by the podcast， I have found reading the book almost like a spiritual experience of close reading a text and meditating on each word in the context of lived experience。 This is a genre that should have more books in it。
Tom Mooney
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I've enjoyed reading this collection over the past few weeks， in between other books。 Well chosen and with accompanying essays， perfect for poetry novices like myself。 I've enjoyed reading this collection over the past few weeks， in between other books。 Well chosen and with accompanying essays， perfect for poetry novices like myself。 。。。more
Heather Jones
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