What do you think?
Rate this book
The Cancer Poetry Project: Poems by Cancer Patients and Those Who Love Them
A single poem -- heart-rending, fearful, raging, beautiful, grotesque, even hilarious -- lets us know we're not alone in dealing with cancer. This was the idea that launched The Cancer Poetry Project and drew more than 1,200 submissions from published poets, first-time poets and everyone in between. The award-winning result is a national anthology of 140 poems, plus the story and people behind each.
Hailed by critics and readers alike, The Cancer Poetry Project offers not lofty verse, but accessible, extraordinary poetry. From the hopeful Farewell to Hair (Terri Hanson) to the poignant Slow Dancing at the Med-Inn (F. Richard Thomas) to the laugh-out-loud Empathetic Ode (Dorothy Stone), there is a poem for everyone in this powerful collection. These are the words we long to say when someone we love is diagnosed. Cancer survivors find solace in its pages. And it is frequently used by cancer support groups. Truly, The Cancer Poetry Project is for anyone affected by cancer.
Hailed by critics and readers alike, The Cancer Poetry Project offers not lofty verse, but accessible, extraordinary poetry. From the hopeful Farewell to Hair (Terri Hanson) to the poignant Slow Dancing at the Med-Inn (F. Richard Thomas) to the laugh-out-loud Empathetic Ode (Dorothy Stone), there is a poem for everyone in this powerful collection. These are the words we long to say when someone we love is diagnosed. Cancer survivors find solace in its pages. And it is frequently used by cancer support groups. Truly, The Cancer Poetry Project is for anyone affected by cancer.
- GenresPoetry
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 21, 2013
This anthology was conceived and edited by Karin Miller following her husband’s cancer diagnosis. The collection is grouped into 4 sections: Poems by cancer patients, Poems by spouses, partners, lovers, Poems by family members, and Poems by friends and health advisors.
As with any open call for a themed anthology, there is a range of skill, but the majority of these poems are well-constructed. There are well-published poets, as well as first publication credits. Each poem is followed by a brief bio and explanation by the poet.
The poems are poignant and honest. It’s difficult to select a few to quote, because this is a book I’ve re-visited many times, finding a new gem with each reading.
Ruthann Robson tells of going for a second opinion after being told her situation was hopeless.
It’s snowing, of course, as I leave New York,
ice on the highway north.
Call it a second opinion I’m traveling for,
but it’s more like salvation.
(The Good Doctors)
In “Diagnosis,” Natalie Olsen talks about her husband’s reaction to finding out he had prostate cancer.
When the “C” word had been spoken
and we knew for sure,
he wanted things in order.
Tiller blades sharpened,
fence posts checked,
the garden planted.
Florence Weinberger doesn’t hesitate to tell us how she felt when her husband died.
It is hard to give up after months of making lists,
phoning doctors, fighting entropy. But when the end comes,
a bending takes over, empties the blood of opposition
and with a gentle skill, injects a blessed numbness.
(Numb)
In “Five Year Diagnosis,” Kymberly Stark Williams takes a somewhat different point of view in writing about her mother’s breast cancer. She tells how her father handled it, by celebrating the day of cancer surgery as an anniversary.
He remembers the day with roses,
one for each healthy year, five pink buds,
not red. Red reminds too much
of blood, the counting of cells,
One of my favorites is a poem Jeffrey L. Stangl wrote after his father’s death from colon cancer. The final stanza resonates deeply. We are never prepared to say goodbye, even when we have been told death is approaching.
Everything I knew about saying goodbye
Was as shallow and grating
As the sandy-bottomed Chippewa River
We had so often scraped down
And assumed we’d all wake up tomorrow,
Disheveled, but safe inside the tent.
(Practicing My Goodbye After He’s Gone)
This collection would be an excellent gift to anybody touched by cancer, as the poems are diverse, and there are poems by and for survivors as well as those who died.
As with any open call for a themed anthology, there is a range of skill, but the majority of these poems are well-constructed. There are well-published poets, as well as first publication credits. Each poem is followed by a brief bio and explanation by the poet.
The poems are poignant and honest. It’s difficult to select a few to quote, because this is a book I’ve re-visited many times, finding a new gem with each reading.
Ruthann Robson tells of going for a second opinion after being told her situation was hopeless.
It’s snowing, of course, as I leave New York,
ice on the highway north.
Call it a second opinion I’m traveling for,
but it’s more like salvation.
(The Good Doctors)
In “Diagnosis,” Natalie Olsen talks about her husband’s reaction to finding out he had prostate cancer.
When the “C” word had been spoken
and we knew for sure,
he wanted things in order.
Tiller blades sharpened,
fence posts checked,
the garden planted.
Florence Weinberger doesn’t hesitate to tell us how she felt when her husband died.
It is hard to give up after months of making lists,
phoning doctors, fighting entropy. But when the end comes,
a bending takes over, empties the blood of opposition
and with a gentle skill, injects a blessed numbness.
(Numb)
In “Five Year Diagnosis,” Kymberly Stark Williams takes a somewhat different point of view in writing about her mother’s breast cancer. She tells how her father handled it, by celebrating the day of cancer surgery as an anniversary.
He remembers the day with roses,
one for each healthy year, five pink buds,
not red. Red reminds too much
of blood, the counting of cells,
One of my favorites is a poem Jeffrey L. Stangl wrote after his father’s death from colon cancer. The final stanza resonates deeply. We are never prepared to say goodbye, even when we have been told death is approaching.
Everything I knew about saying goodbye
Was as shallow and grating
As the sandy-bottomed Chippewa River
We had so often scraped down
And assumed we’d all wake up tomorrow,
Disheveled, but safe inside the tent.
(Practicing My Goodbye After He’s Gone)
This collection would be an excellent gift to anybody touched by cancer, as the poems are diverse, and there are poems by and for survivors as well as those who died.
May 15, 2016
Touching and tear jerking. Cancer Poetry Project shows you inside of friends, family, spouses, and cancer patients experiences with cancer. This book gave me a up close picture of how cancer effects everyone. It gave me a picture on how emotionally and mentally damaging it is.
I found this book to be touching, but I couldn't really connect well with the poetry. I think it's because it's a collection of poetry from various people, and not just one author. I didn't exactly love this book but I didn't dislike it. 3.4/5 stars!
I found this book to be touching, but I couldn't really connect well with the poetry. I think it's because it's a collection of poetry from various people, and not just one author. I didn't exactly love this book but I didn't dislike it. 3.4/5 stars!
May 15, 2012
Extremely moving and real. I use this book for my class on metaphor in cancer, but it is so much more than that.
August 4, 2016
I love this collection!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews