The Gods We Made

by Blake Auden

The fifth full-length collection from award-winning poet Blake Auden, The Gods We Made, is a brutally honest and tender examination of the things that shape who we are, who we were, and who we might become.

Focusing on the concepts of grief, love, and time, the book examines the idea that we create our own gods, our own demons, and spend our lives in prayer to them—often hoping that they might spare us our suffering. Through a series of deeply personal, introspective poems, Auden reflects on the relationships, traumas, and anxieties that have molded the best and worst of him in the hope that the reader may take the same journey. The Gods We Made is simultaneously the hope that we might take control of who we are and the acceptance that we never will.

“Poetry at its strongest—a powerful exploration of coming to know one’s self.”William Bortz, author of Many Small Hungerings.

Genres: Poetry

Paperback

Published November 16, 2023

Reviews

[Christy]

This is a beautiful poetry collection, which I received through a Goodreads giveaway. The poems are sparse and some are haunting. They are blunt, brief images of grief and trauma, but also some uplift and hope. The illustrations by Mine Hyde add needed pauses. I think there are some truly clever poems in this collection as well. Definitely a volume worth adding to my poetry library.