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How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope
An Indie Poetry Bestseller! Featured in People Magazine, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and Buzzfeed.
What the world needs now - featuring poems from inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, Ross Gay, Tracy K. Smith and more.
More and more people are turning to poetry as an antidote to divisiveness, negativity, anxiety, and the frenetic pace of life. How to Love the Poems of Gratitude and Hope offers readers uplifting, deeply felt, and relatable poems by well-known poets from all walks of life and all parts of the US, including inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, Joy Harjo, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ross Gay, Tracy K. Smith, and others. The work of these poets captures the beauty, pleasure, and connection readers hunger for. How to Love the World , which contains new works by Ted Kooser, Mark Nepo, and Jane Hirshfield, invites readers to use poetry as part of their daily gratitude practice to uncover the simple gifts of abundance and joy to be found everywhere. With pauses for stillness and invitations for writing and reflection throughout, as well as reading group questions and topics for discussion in the back, this book can be used to facilitate discussion in a classroom or in any group setting.
What the world needs now - featuring poems from inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, Ross Gay, Tracy K. Smith and more.
More and more people are turning to poetry as an antidote to divisiveness, negativity, anxiety, and the frenetic pace of life. How to Love the Poems of Gratitude and Hope offers readers uplifting, deeply felt, and relatable poems by well-known poets from all walks of life and all parts of the US, including inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, Joy Harjo, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ross Gay, Tracy K. Smith, and others. The work of these poets captures the beauty, pleasure, and connection readers hunger for. How to Love the World , which contains new works by Ted Kooser, Mark Nepo, and Jane Hirshfield, invites readers to use poetry as part of their daily gratitude practice to uncover the simple gifts of abundance and joy to be found everywhere. With pauses for stillness and invitations for writing and reflection throughout, as well as reading group questions and topics for discussion in the back, this book can be used to facilitate discussion in a classroom or in any group setting.
208 pages, Paperback
Published March 23, 2021
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2162 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 285 reviews
November 16, 2021
An anthology of contemplative and mindful contemporary US (mostly) poems. They were collected and published during the Covid pandemic, though it’s not explicitly mentioned. It’s intended to inspire gratitude and hope, especially through connection with the natural world and loved ones. It aims to encourage readers to live in the moment, and find a path, without fear of not knowing the destination. Nevertheless, not all the poems are upbeat. Subjects include estrangement, dementia, end of life, and fears for one’s children, including a non-verbal autistic boy, and another who is wearing a hoodie and is “the darkest child on our street”.
It has a beautiful cover, is printed on thick paper, with softly tufted edges, has biographies of each poet, includes many women and POC, and is deliciously fragrant, nearly a year after it was given to me. But it took me half a year to get through it, with decreasing enjoyment.
It’s not the fault of the individual poets or poems, some of which are lovely. But framing each section with little essays like “The Necessity of Joy”, and interspersing poems with “reflective pauses” on themes like gratitude lists and “pieces of heaven” is not my thing. Even though I largely skipped and skimmed those bits, something of their mood and message seeped into the poems and gradually tainted my enjoyment.
Image: The cover by Alethea Morrison, but rotated and without the words.
Amanda Gorman
This book was a thoughtful gift, just after Amanda Gorman’s extraordinary performance of The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country at Biden’s inauguration, because an earlier poem of hers is included. I’d like to think that even if I’d never heard of Gorman, hers would be the standout poem in this collection: At the Age of 18 – Ode to Girls of Color. She explains her evolving understanding of colour from age five though twelve to eighteen: literal, symbolic, and personal, though puzzlement and hurt, to emerge triumphant.
Read the whole poem, HERE.
Woodland escape
Since the first Covid lockdown in March 2020 (it’s now November 2021), I’ve become far more appreciative of the gently rolling hills and woods on my doorstep. I prefer the quieter paths, and mostly go alone. I’ve discovered that late autumn is my favourite season and that I prefer sunny skies dappled with light cloud. Taking photographs makes me observe more carefully in the moment, and solidifies my memories for the future.
Image: Looking up at the crowns of beech trees on a bright autumn day, November 2021
Thus, Margaret Hasse’s poem, “With Trees”, is the one I empathised with the most. Here’s a bit of it:
Selected excerpts
“I walk up the darkening path,
my mind knitting something warm
out of the evening’s words.”
- From Astral Chorus by Laura Grace Weldon
“Dusk stains the sleet, minutes
Slush by.”
- From “Bus Stop” by Laure-Anne Bosselaar
“Simply to breathe
next to a stream that slips into the gutter
near your house
would be enough…
Now the late sun rims a cloud.
You, who watch that cloud:
Inhale. Exhale.”
- From “There Doesn’t Need to be a Poem” by Tess Taylor
“How does it creep into arteries…
revise and revise
until the story changes shape
and you, no longer the jailor,
have learned to love
what is left.”
- From “Forgiveness” by Mary McCue
“Language is no more than the impressions
left by birds nesting in the snow.”
- From “Language, Prayer, and Grace” by Mark Nepo
“There is a fish
that stitches
the inner water
and the outer water together.
Bastes them
with its gold body’s glowing.”
- From “The Fish” by Jane Hirshfield
“the newborn babies cry, bewildered,
between worlds, like new arrivals anywhere,
unacquainted with the names of things.”
- From “The Newborns” by Kathryn Hunt
“The adults we call our children will not be arriving
with their children in tow for Thanksgiving.
We must make our feast together.”
- From “Thanksgiving for Two” by Marjorie Saiser
Image: Bright winter day, in one wood, looking across to the sunkissed larches (deciduous conifers) in another wood. December 2020
Leaves again
Autumn is beginning here, so “the lesson of the leaves” by Lucille Clifton was timely. Here's the whole poem:
Image: Autumn leaves on a hedge, November 2021
It has a beautiful cover, is printed on thick paper, with softly tufted edges, has biographies of each poet, includes many women and POC, and is deliciously fragrant, nearly a year after it was given to me. But it took me half a year to get through it, with decreasing enjoyment.
It’s not the fault of the individual poets or poems, some of which are lovely. But framing each section with little essays like “The Necessity of Joy”, and interspersing poems with “reflective pauses” on themes like gratitude lists and “pieces of heaven” is not my thing. Even though I largely skipped and skimmed those bits, something of their mood and message seeped into the poems and gradually tainted my enjoyment.
Image: The cover by Alethea Morrison, but rotated and without the words.
Amanda Gorman
This book was a thoughtful gift, just after Amanda Gorman’s extraordinary performance of The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country at Biden’s inauguration, because an earlier poem of hers is included. I’d like to think that even if I’d never heard of Gorman, hers would be the standout poem in this collection: At the Age of 18 – Ode to Girls of Color. She explains her evolving understanding of colour from age five though twelve to eighteen: literal, symbolic, and personal, though puzzlement and hurt, to emerge triumphant.
At the age of 18
I am experiencing how black and brown can glow.
And glow I will, glow we will, vibrantly, colorfully;
not as a warning, but as promise,
that we will set the sky alight with our magic.
Read the whole poem, HERE.
Woodland escape
Since the first Covid lockdown in March 2020 (it’s now November 2021), I’ve become far more appreciative of the gently rolling hills and woods on my doorstep. I prefer the quieter paths, and mostly go alone. I’ve discovered that late autumn is my favourite season and that I prefer sunny skies dappled with light cloud. Taking photographs makes me observe more carefully in the moment, and solidifies my memories for the future.
Image: Looking up at the crowns of beech trees on a bright autumn day, November 2021
Thus, Margaret Hasse’s poem, “With Trees”, is the one I empathised with the most. Here’s a bit of it:
Something I’ve forgotten calls me away
from the picnic table to tall trees…
Now like a child, I sit down, lie back,
look up at the crowns of maple,
Needled spruce and a big-hearted boxwood.
Fugitive birds dart in and out…
Clouds range in the blue sky
above earth’s great geniuses
of shelter and shade.
Selected excerpts
“I walk up the darkening path,
my mind knitting something warm
out of the evening’s words.”
- From Astral Chorus by Laura Grace Weldon
“Dusk stains the sleet, minutes
Slush by.”
- From “Bus Stop” by Laure-Anne Bosselaar
“Simply to breathe
next to a stream that slips into the gutter
near your house
would be enough…
Now the late sun rims a cloud.
You, who watch that cloud:
Inhale. Exhale.”
- From “There Doesn’t Need to be a Poem” by Tess Taylor
“How does it creep into arteries…
revise and revise
until the story changes shape
and you, no longer the jailor,
have learned to love
what is left.”
- From “Forgiveness” by Mary McCue
“Language is no more than the impressions
left by birds nesting in the snow.”
- From “Language, Prayer, and Grace” by Mark Nepo
“There is a fish
that stitches
the inner water
and the outer water together.
Bastes them
with its gold body’s glowing.”
- From “The Fish” by Jane Hirshfield
“the newborn babies cry, bewildered,
between worlds, like new arrivals anywhere,
unacquainted with the names of things.”
- From “The Newborns” by Kathryn Hunt
“The adults we call our children will not be arriving
with their children in tow for Thanksgiving.
We must make our feast together.”
- From “Thanksgiving for Two” by Marjorie Saiser
Image: Bright winter day, in one wood, looking across to the sunkissed larches (deciduous conifers) in another wood. December 2020
Leaves again
Autumn is beginning here, so “the lesson of the leaves” by Lucille Clifton was timely. Here's the whole poem:
the leaves believe
such letting go is love
such love is faith
such faith is grace
such grace is god
i agree with the leaves
Image: Autumn leaves on a hedge, November 2021
December 13, 2020
(I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
GETTING INTO BED ON A DECEMBER NIGHT
“When I slip beneath the quilt and fold into
her warmth, I think we are like the pages
of a love letter written thirty years ago
that some aging god still reads each day
and then tucks back into its envelope.”
What a lovely, heart-warming collection of poems! This is exactly what we need at the moment, the world’s going crazy, everybody’s under quarantine or away from their loved ones, everything’s sour and going south. These poems of hope and being in the moment remind us of simple things that we take for granted in our daily lives. In a time when we have lost hope and overly-focus on the bleak future; these poems slow the time and help us stop and smell the flowers. The collection consists of poems from various authors and they have one thing in common: they enliven something inside and awaken warm feelings. I especially enjoyed the reflective pauses after some of the poems that stop the reader and help us appreciate the now. One of my favorite poems here was “How quickly I lose my love of all things”, it’s almost a shocking revelation that we are not usually in the moment and lose our love for the basic things we are lucky to have in our lives.
Even though I did not relate to some of the selection, my overall impression was positive and I’m happy to have come across it.
GETTING INTO BED ON A DECEMBER NIGHT
“When I slip beneath the quilt and fold into
her warmth, I think we are like the pages
of a love letter written thirty years ago
that some aging god still reads each day
and then tucks back into its envelope.”
What a lovely, heart-warming collection of poems! This is exactly what we need at the moment, the world’s going crazy, everybody’s under quarantine or away from their loved ones, everything’s sour and going south. These poems of hope and being in the moment remind us of simple things that we take for granted in our daily lives. In a time when we have lost hope and overly-focus on the bleak future; these poems slow the time and help us stop and smell the flowers. The collection consists of poems from various authors and they have one thing in common: they enliven something inside and awaken warm feelings. I especially enjoyed the reflective pauses after some of the poems that stop the reader and help us appreciate the now. One of my favorite poems here was “How quickly I lose my love of all things”, it’s almost a shocking revelation that we are not usually in the moment and lose our love for the basic things we are lucky to have in our lives.
Even though I did not relate to some of the selection, my overall impression was positive and I’m happy to have come across it.
December 22, 2020
This is a nice uplifting, accessible book of poetry for those who want poems that are easy to read and understand. I agree with another reviewer that they lack the subtlety of good poetry (i.e. symbolism, alliteration, hidden meanings and other poetic devices) but some people prefer that. I didn't know any of the poets but I don't follow many modern poets. You can tell this was quickly compiled, as many of the poems mention covid-19 and the lockdown. Some of the poems did move me or speak to me, while others seemed more amateurish. Still a nice compilation, especially if you are looking for poems to connect to others in these challenging times.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review.
February 7, 2021
This is a shortish anthology of poems that bring hope, comfort and remind you of the things to be grateful for.
Poems are presented at the beginning of the book with short sections for reflection. At the end of the book is questions posed about each question to generate discussion which would be great for a reading group or equally to ponder alone. I appreciated the short biography of each poet, bringing their words even more to life.
I liked this collection. It is definitely a perfect read for these uncertain and difficult times. It gives you chance to step away from the day to day and take a few minutes to read something uplifting and reflect.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Poems are presented at the beginning of the book with short sections for reflection. At the end of the book is questions posed about each question to generate discussion which would be great for a reading group or equally to ponder alone. I appreciated the short biography of each poet, bringing their words even more to life.
I liked this collection. It is definitely a perfect read for these uncertain and difficult times. It gives you chance to step away from the day to day and take a few minutes to read something uplifting and reflect.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 10, 2021
Such a pretty cover on this one! 💐
I'll start by admitting I rarely read much poetry. However, one of my goals for 2021 was to read more books outside my wheelhouse. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. We all could use a bit more hope and gratitude in our lives, and the poems in this book provided that. They applied to our times. Were easy to relate to. Easy to read and understand. The only minor issue I had with it was it was sometimes got bogged down with extra stuff like biographies of the writers.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
I'll start by admitting I rarely read much poetry. However, one of my goals for 2021 was to read more books outside my wheelhouse. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. We all could use a bit more hope and gratitude in our lives, and the poems in this book provided that. They applied to our times. Were easy to relate to. Easy to read and understand. The only minor issue I had with it was it was sometimes got bogged down with extra stuff like biographies of the writers.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
June 29, 2021
When I picked up this compilation of poems, I decided to read one every morning — and it had been lovely. I think everyone should start their day with poetry now. The end.
August 7, 2022
Reading books outside of my usual genre like poetry has been an experience. The covers tend to be stunning and the poems can be very good or not that great. This collection has been better than another book I read, so I’m glad I read it. I liked that there were parts called “reflective thoughts” that also inspired writing prompts. It definitely added something to me for the book the only thing was that I started losing interest in the book after a bit. Most of the poems were super short and I guess I thought there would be a few drawings or something to help inspire in the book. Maybe I would have been better off listening to an audio version of this book with multiple narrators alternating reading the poems. The book seems short compared to other books but it felt very long after a while. #mixedtapereadathon
May 13, 2021
You know how we are always saying how negative poems are...Well, not these poems.
Take a look at these if you are in need of a bit of gratitude and hope.
Take a look at these if you are in need of a bit of gratitude and hope.
December 24, 2020
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
3.5 Stars.
How to love the world is a book of modern day poetry from numerous different authors (non of which I've heard of before) writing about gratitude and hope. Some of the poems mention covid19.
I didn't overly enjoy this book - it wasn't as endearing in quality to myself as other poetry books I have read. The cover is absolutely gorgeous but the poems fell flat for me sadly. Don't let this put you off though as poetry is often a matter of taste, and just because it didn't appeal to me doesn't mean it won't to you.
The back of the book gives information about each author who has written in the book which I enjoyed reading.
3.5 Stars.
How to love the world is a book of modern day poetry from numerous different authors (non of which I've heard of before) writing about gratitude and hope. Some of the poems mention covid19.
I didn't overly enjoy this book - it wasn't as endearing in quality to myself as other poetry books I have read. The cover is absolutely gorgeous but the poems fell flat for me sadly. Don't let this put you off though as poetry is often a matter of taste, and just because it didn't appeal to me doesn't mean it won't to you.
The back of the book gives information about each author who has written in the book which I enjoyed reading.
October 5, 2022
There were some lovely poems in this collection, although I personally preferred James Crews' The Path to Kindness, which kept me enthralled to the constant ability of the poets to touch my soul. A general theme of this group is the importance of being in the 'Now' and staying present in your own life.
Many of the poems juxtaposed a present moment with a sense of longing or regret, for past times, for future changes. I think of Rosemary Wahtola Trommer's 'Fifteen Years Later, I See How it Went' with her memories of her son's birth and growing up days, the constant growth of her love for him: 'Until I couldn't imagine being without him.
Until I was the one being born.'
Nature is a prominent theme and metaphor for the quest on how to love the world. Cynthia White's 'Quail Hollow' speaks of a walk in the woods and suggest:
"consider with what ease / the rise and fall of the robin song / can erase a certain ache / the day's gathering premonition.' I think it's impossible to hold anger in your heart when you listen to birdsong on a summer morning; that line really touched me.
Laura Grace Weldon's poem 'Compost' holds the contemporary wisdom of recycling against the primeval wisdom that 'Nature teaches nothing is lost. / It's transmuted.' She ends with the most beautiful lines in the book:
'Surely our shame and sorrow
also return,
composted by years
into something generative as wisdom.'
I give the last word to the late, great Lucille Clifton in 'the lesson of falling leaves"
the leaves believe
such letting go is love
such love is faith
such faith is grace
such grace is god
I agree with the leaves
Many of the poems juxtaposed a present moment with a sense of longing or regret, for past times, for future changes. I think of Rosemary Wahtola Trommer's 'Fifteen Years Later, I See How it Went' with her memories of her son's birth and growing up days, the constant growth of her love for him: 'Until I couldn't imagine being without him.
Until I was the one being born.'
Nature is a prominent theme and metaphor for the quest on how to love the world. Cynthia White's 'Quail Hollow' speaks of a walk in the woods and suggest:
"consider with what ease / the rise and fall of the robin song / can erase a certain ache / the day's gathering premonition.' I think it's impossible to hold anger in your heart when you listen to birdsong on a summer morning; that line really touched me.
Laura Grace Weldon's poem 'Compost' holds the contemporary wisdom of recycling against the primeval wisdom that 'Nature teaches nothing is lost. / It's transmuted.' She ends with the most beautiful lines in the book:
'Surely our shame and sorrow
also return,
composted by years
into something generative as wisdom.'
I give the last word to the late, great Lucille Clifton in 'the lesson of falling leaves"
the leaves believe
such letting go is love
such love is faith
such faith is grace
such grace is god
I agree with the leaves
December 9, 2020
Ich habe Gedichte schon immer geliebt und lese auch sehr viele Bücher, in denen Lyrik eine große Rolle spielen, von daher habe ich mich sehr gefreut, dass ich "How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope" bereits vorab lesen durfte.
Hier erwarten einen so viele wunderschöne Texte, die nicht nur Mut machen, sondern auch vor allem zum Nachdenken anregen. James Crews, der diese wunderschöne Ausgabe herausgibt, hat viele tolle Autoren und Poeten für das Werk gewinnen können, sodass man hier nicht nur viele verschiedene Stile erleben kann, sondern auch von jedem ein gewisses Statement und Gedankengänge erhält, die interessant sind, die berühren können und vor allem Eindruck hinterlassen.
Eine ausführliche Rezension erfolgt am Erscheinungstag.
Hier erwarten einen so viele wunderschöne Texte, die nicht nur Mut machen, sondern auch vor allem zum Nachdenken anregen. James Crews, der diese wunderschöne Ausgabe herausgibt, hat viele tolle Autoren und Poeten für das Werk gewinnen können, sodass man hier nicht nur viele verschiedene Stile erleben kann, sondern auch von jedem ein gewisses Statement und Gedankengänge erhält, die interessant sind, die berühren können und vor allem Eindruck hinterlassen.
Eine ausführliche Rezension erfolgt am Erscheinungstag.
May 12, 2021
This is a beautiful poetry collection. At first, I thought this would be a book with sappy love poetry. But this collection has a deeper message – how do you find joy in this world? This poetry collection looks at the small moments of joy, of being present, of happiness in these dark times. The collection includes poems from many well-known poets such as Amanda Gorman, Ross Gay, and Joy Harjo.
Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite poems, “The Word,” by Tony Hoagland.
Down near the bottom
of the crossed-out list
of things you have to do today,
between “green thread”
and “broccoli” you find
that you have penciled “sunlight.”
Resting on the page, the word is
beautiful. It touches you
as if you had a friend
and sunlight were a present.
I still consider myself a beginner when it comes to reading poetry. I found this collection to be very approachable to newbies like me. The end of each chapter has a short discussion about the poems and a writing prompt for you to reflect on the poems. There are also discussion questions for many of the poems. I loved that some of the poems included COVID as elements in their poems which makes them feel so relatable.
I would recommend this book for anyone who needs help finding joy in the darkness. And isn’t that all of us? If you’re new to poetry, this collection is relatable and approachable.
ARC provided to me by Berrett-Koehler Publishers, in exchange for an honest review.
Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite poems, “The Word,” by Tony Hoagland.
Down near the bottom
of the crossed-out list
of things you have to do today,
between “green thread”
and “broccoli” you find
that you have penciled “sunlight.”
Resting on the page, the word is
beautiful. It touches you
as if you had a friend
and sunlight were a present.
I still consider myself a beginner when it comes to reading poetry. I found this collection to be very approachable to newbies like me. The end of each chapter has a short discussion about the poems and a writing prompt for you to reflect on the poems. There are also discussion questions for many of the poems. I loved that some of the poems included COVID as elements in their poems which makes them feel so relatable.
I would recommend this book for anyone who needs help finding joy in the darkness. And isn’t that all of us? If you’re new to poetry, this collection is relatable and approachable.
ARC provided to me by Berrett-Koehler Publishers, in exchange for an honest review.
January 10, 2023
I loved reading this and it made me want to read more poetry collections. It makes you feel better about the world and think about all the things there are to appreciate. There are a fair amount of sad ones, but they're sad in a way that reminds you of everything you have.
"Bus Stop" will never leave my mind, and was definitely the most memorable for me. "My Daughter's Singing," "Radiance," and "The Cardinal Reminds Me" also stand out, but there are lots of good ones.
(I kept humming Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell while reading this. It was just stuck in my head for some unrelated reason, but looking back, that makes a lot of sense with these poems.)
"Bus Stop" will never leave my mind, and was definitely the most memorable for me. "My Daughter's Singing," "Radiance," and "The Cardinal Reminds Me" also stand out, but there are lots of good ones.
(I kept humming Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell while reading this. It was just stuck in my head for some unrelated reason, but looking back, that makes a lot of sense with these poems.)
July 29, 2021
3.5 stars!
Some of the poems in here really hit home for me. Others fell a little flat. But overall I enjoyed the ever changing themes throughout the poetry in the book. I could see myself going back and reading a few.
My two favorites were Summer Apples by Cathryn Essinger (this one hurt) and At the Age of 18 - Ode to Girls of Color by Amanda Gorman.
Some of the poems in here really hit home for me. Others fell a little flat. But overall I enjoyed the ever changing themes throughout the poetry in the book. I could see myself going back and reading a few.
My two favorites were Summer Apples by Cathryn Essinger (this one hurt) and At the Age of 18 - Ode to Girls of Color by Amanda Gorman.
August 13, 2023
“This is the time
of loaves
and fishes.
People are hungry
and one good word is bread
for a thousand.”
— David Whyte, ‘The House of Belonging’
‘How to Love the World’ has a heartbeat. It is a passionate anthology which will leave those who read or hear a poem from it feeling less alone and more alive. These are strong, lucid poems which show us how poetry is relevant to our lives and to our experiences of the world, on an everyday as well as a more spiritual level.
Showing the power of poetry in celebrating the ordinary miracle, this poignant and evocative anthology takes the reader on a journey around many different aspects of life explored in poems.
These poems enact an interplay between thought and feeling, challenging the intellect at the same time as they draw on emotion. The editor, James Crews, writes: “The poems gathered in this book each ask, in their own ways, ... [a] question, which has more relevance now than ever: Are you happy to be alive?”
Here we find uplifting, deeply felt, and relatable poems by well-known poets from all walks of life and all parts of the United States, including inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, Joy Harjo, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ross Gay, Tracy K. Smith and others, as well as new works by Ted Kooser, Mark Nepo, and Jane Hirshfield.
I have discovered many startling and powerful poets unknown to me (having recently moved to Canada from South Africa) and what I find remarkable is the consistency of excellence throughout the anthology. Stay home and order copies (from independent stores) for everyone you love.
A huge thank you to @NetGalley and @StoreyPublishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
of loaves
and fishes.
People are hungry
and one good word is bread
for a thousand.”
— David Whyte, ‘The House of Belonging’
‘How to Love the World’ has a heartbeat. It is a passionate anthology which will leave those who read or hear a poem from it feeling less alone and more alive. These are strong, lucid poems which show us how poetry is relevant to our lives and to our experiences of the world, on an everyday as well as a more spiritual level.
Showing the power of poetry in celebrating the ordinary miracle, this poignant and evocative anthology takes the reader on a journey around many different aspects of life explored in poems.
These poems enact an interplay between thought and feeling, challenging the intellect at the same time as they draw on emotion. The editor, James Crews, writes: “The poems gathered in this book each ask, in their own ways, ... [a] question, which has more relevance now than ever: Are you happy to be alive?”
Here we find uplifting, deeply felt, and relatable poems by well-known poets from all walks of life and all parts of the United States, including inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, Joy Harjo, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ross Gay, Tracy K. Smith and others, as well as new works by Ted Kooser, Mark Nepo, and Jane Hirshfield.
I have discovered many startling and powerful poets unknown to me (having recently moved to Canada from South Africa) and what I find remarkable is the consistency of excellence throughout the anthology. Stay home and order copies (from independent stores) for everyone you love.
A huge thank you to @NetGalley and @StoreyPublishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 23, 2024
I fell very privileged when I feel love for the world. It's too easy for me in my comfortable existence.
February 24, 2021
This small anthology of poems was a welcome addition to my shelf. Full of positivity, the anthology explores poems and varying topics from nature to love, birth to death, simplicity and overload.
Although I didn’t necessarily connect with all of the poems, I was certainly move by some of them and will be re-visiting those that I have identified as significant to me.
For me, that is the beauty of picking up an anthology; it’s one book that can connect with so many in so many different ways.
As an English teacher, I envision some poems from this anthology making their way into my classroom at some point, particularly those which have reading/discussion prompts attached to them.
What I particularly like about the collection is the way in which Crews actively encourages participation with a number of poems, providing short reflection points throughout the anthology with an exploration of the poems. These reflection points are also accompanied by an activity to assist with mindfulness, self reflection or gratitude.
Overall, this is a lovely little book to dip into during such turbulent times.
Although I didn’t necessarily connect with all of the poems, I was certainly move by some of them and will be re-visiting those that I have identified as significant to me.
For me, that is the beauty of picking up an anthology; it’s one book that can connect with so many in so many different ways.
As an English teacher, I envision some poems from this anthology making their way into my classroom at some point, particularly those which have reading/discussion prompts attached to them.
What I particularly like about the collection is the way in which Crews actively encourages participation with a number of poems, providing short reflection points throughout the anthology with an exploration of the poems. These reflection points are also accompanied by an activity to assist with mindfulness, self reflection or gratitude.
Overall, this is a lovely little book to dip into during such turbulent times.
June 1, 2024
Honestly, such an earnest, wholesome, and uplifting collection. If you’re ever feeling down, this book will have a poem for you that will bring a smile to your face and remind you that there’s so much to be grateful for. I had a handful of personal favs, but my top favorite definitely has to be “What Matters” by Terri Kirby Erickson. That poem is a hell of a reminder of what really matters in life, so good, will deff go back to reread when needed.
April 4, 2024
Right now my flitting mind can’t handle non-fiction or novels. I’ve turned to poems to fill the little gaps between racing thoughts.
Some of these little gaps sink me into spacious moments and deeper feeling.
Tender is the balm of poetry. Thanks be.
Some of these little gaps sink me into spacious moments and deeper feeling.
Tender is the balm of poetry. Thanks be.
May 27, 2023
I loved this collection of poems!
February 5, 2023
Beautiful poems from a variety of poets of how to love the world as things get worse and more dire. How to focus on nature, those we love, and everyday angels. Pause for reflection sections and writing prompts were really nice as well. I loved it.
April 28, 2021
I first saw this book on the Facebook and was so charmed by the beautiful cover (“a great gift book,” I thought) that I checked the listing on Amazon. When I saw a list of contributors, I knew I wanted to read it NOW. After the year we’ve been through, everyone can use some warm feelings of gratitude and hope. Many of my favorite poets are in this volume, including George Bilgere, Jane Kenyon, Li-Young Lee, Jane Hirshfield, Ted Kooser, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Marjorie Saiser. I knew from these names that I could expect not only great writing, but great variety.
Are some of the poems a bit preachy? A bit too obvious? You may think so, but we all have different tastes. Taken as a whole, most readers will find favorite poems to return to, poems they can’t wait to share, and will finish the book feeling lighter in heart. It doesn’t take perfection to achieve that. As Terri Kirby Erickson says in “What Matters,”
“….Lift a spoon,
a cup, things that fit in your hand.
Carry on a conversation,
pick up a baby. Listen to the wind
when it whispers, nothing else.
There is no one watching you,
no one straining to hear what
you say. The present has arrived
and you are in it….”
What I especially loved about this poem was that I first took it mean that the “present” I am in is a gift, not a measure of time. Perhaps both things are true.
Are some of the poems a bit preachy? A bit too obvious? You may think so, but we all have different tastes. Taken as a whole, most readers will find favorite poems to return to, poems they can’t wait to share, and will finish the book feeling lighter in heart. It doesn’t take perfection to achieve that. As Terri Kirby Erickson says in “What Matters,”
“….Lift a spoon,
a cup, things that fit in your hand.
Carry on a conversation,
pick up a baby. Listen to the wind
when it whispers, nothing else.
There is no one watching you,
no one straining to hear what
you say. The present has arrived
and you are in it….”
What I especially loved about this poem was that I first took it mean that the “present” I am in is a gift, not a measure of time. Perhaps both things are true.
December 16, 2020
How to Love the World is a beautiful collection of poems I've been reading that have lifted my heart and brought gratitude and hope to my soul.
If there is anything you can say about the world right now is we need love. Love for Ourselves, Love for Each other, Love for the World. I'm part way through this book and these poems are SO powerful and exactly what our world needs to heal right now.
They're broken, raw, vulnerable poems that are relatable and uplifting. Also that cover gives me all the feels 😍
F A V. Q U O T E:
If we are fractured
we are fractured
like stars
bred to shine
in every direction.
If there is anything you can say about the world right now is we need love. Love for Ourselves, Love for Each other, Love for the World. I'm part way through this book and these poems are SO powerful and exactly what our world needs to heal right now.
They're broken, raw, vulnerable poems that are relatable and uplifting. Also that cover gives me all the feels 😍
F A V. Q U O T E:
If we are fractured
we are fractured
like stars
bred to shine
in every direction.
Read
December 23, 2022Readers looking for poetic antidotes to today’s chronic anxiety and frenetic news cycle might enjoy turning to this new and highly readable collection. Spend some time with joy and gratitude through deeply felt work from some of poetry’s most trusted voices including inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, Joy Harjo, Tracy K. Smith, Ellen Bass, Ted Kooser, Naomi Shihab Nye, Jane Hirschfield, and others often featured in the pages of Orion. Interspersed with invitations to write and reflect, this book is designed for discussion and is classroom-ready.
Review published originally with Orion Magazine:https://orionmagazine.org/2021/08/ele...
Review published originally with Orion Magazine:https://orionmagazine.org/2021/08/ele...
September 4, 2021
There are some quite lovely gems in here. I resonated with the second half of the poems more than the first. I will definitely come back to this one in times of need (or every day).
March 21, 2021
I received an eARC copy from Storey Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating 3.5 ⭐
Praise to the book cover's designer; it looks marvellous! It matches the gratitude this book offers, the hope, and the simple daily appreciation of the things we find everywhere around us. I felt invited to read and absorb the words of this anthology.
This collection introduced me to some new names, new poets I haven't come across yet. For that reason, among many others, I took my time reading it. I wanted to read each poem slowly and get into its depths. I wanted to let it show me its world, let me explore it and hear it the way I should.
How to Love the World speaks about the most tender feelings we so often overlook: hope, comfort, love, compassion, and appreciation, especially in these challenging times (COVID-19, lockdown, loss of the loved one(s)). Sharing here a few poems that spoke to me, spoke loudly:
There are a few very thoughtful details in this anthology too. The editor included a few very interesting "Reflective Pause" moments, and honestly, I think each came at the right time. Each reflective pause brought to my attention detail in a poem I haven't noticed or analysed from a perspective I didn't catch. Also, I felt like each of them gave more life essence to a poem it followed, connecting it to the questions, thoughts, anxieties, etc., we have and face every day.
Then comes the "Invitation for Writing and Reflection". This section is compelling too, as it invites us to "write our own celebration of our 'small victories,' things we managed to accomplish no matter how slight they might seem." These invitations are inspiring; they prompt us to put our minds into written words, to write a line or two, and to take part in spreading the gratitude, hope, love, and affection.
Poets' biographies at the end of this anthology are a detail I appreciate the most. As previously mentioned, some of the poets included in this collection I was not familiar with, so having read their short biographies gave me the chance to learn a bit about them, their backgrounds, and their works.
However, some of the poems felt odd and somehow misplaced, like a wild card of a sort. Some lacked depth, encouragement, or expression, making the theme's concept inconsistent. They didn't emanate that gratitude, positive energy, vulnerability even that connects the rest of the poems to our daily life experiences. All these reasons made me think that the collection was hastily compiled.
To all the poetry lovers, do give this lovely collection a read. Every time I read a poem, I learn something new about it, and the same could happen with this anthology.
Actual rating 3.5 ⭐
Praise to the book cover's designer; it looks marvellous! It matches the gratitude this book offers, the hope, and the simple daily appreciation of the things we find everywhere around us. I felt invited to read and absorb the words of this anthology.
This collection introduced me to some new names, new poets I haven't come across yet. For that reason, among many others, I took my time reading it. I wanted to read each poem slowly and get into its depths. I wanted to let it show me its world, let me explore it and hear it the way I should.
How to Love the World speaks about the most tender feelings we so often overlook: hope, comfort, love, compassion, and appreciation, especially in these challenging times (COVID-19, lockdown, loss of the loved one(s)). Sharing here a few poems that spoke to me, spoke loudly:
Naomi Shihab Nye
Over The Weather
We forget about the spaciousness above the clouds
but it's up there. The sun's up there too.
When words we hear don't fit the day,
when we worry
what we did or didn't do,
what if we close our eyes,
say any word we love
that makes us feel calm,
slip it into the atmosphere
and rise?
Creamy miles of quiet.
Giant swoop of blue.
Danusha Laméris
Improvement
The optometrist says my eyes
are getting better each year.
Soon he'll have to lower my prescription.
What's next? The light step I had at six?
All the gray hair back to brown? Skin
taut as a drum?
My improved eyes and I
walked around town and celebrated.
We took in the letters
of the marquee, the individual leaves
filling out the branches of the sycamore,
an early moon.
So much goes downhill: joints
wearing out with every mile,
the delicate folds of the eardrum
exhausted from years of listening. I'm
grateful for small victories.
The way the heart still beats time in the
cathedral of the ribs.
And the mind, watching its parade of
thoughts, enter and leave,
begins to see them for what they are:
jugglers, fire swallowers, acrobats,
tossing their batons into the air.
Lahab Assef Al-Jundi
Moon
Companion of lonesome hearts.
Dreamy shepherd of starry-eyed lovers.
Cratered dusty-faced rock.
This night you shine through
is just a shadow.
Our smallness makes us believe
the whole universe is immersed in
darkness. Midday sun burns on the other
side. Daylight everywhere!
Moon,
perhaps you are here to illuminate
our illusion?
If all suns are extinguished,
all moons and planets collapsed
into black holes,
what tint would space be?
What are colors without eyes?
How do we sense a vibrating universe?
Go ahead and laugh, hanging moon, I
raise my cup to you—
patient teacher.
There are a few very thoughtful details in this anthology too. The editor included a few very interesting "Reflective Pause" moments, and honestly, I think each came at the right time. Each reflective pause brought to my attention detail in a poem I haven't noticed or analysed from a perspective I didn't catch. Also, I felt like each of them gave more life essence to a poem it followed, connecting it to the questions, thoughts, anxieties, etc., we have and face every day.
Then comes the "Invitation for Writing and Reflection". This section is compelling too, as it invites us to "write our own celebration of our 'small victories,' things we managed to accomplish no matter how slight they might seem." These invitations are inspiring; they prompt us to put our minds into written words, to write a line or two, and to take part in spreading the gratitude, hope, love, and affection.
Poets' biographies at the end of this anthology are a detail I appreciate the most. As previously mentioned, some of the poets included in this collection I was not familiar with, so having read their short biographies gave me the chance to learn a bit about them, their backgrounds, and their works.
However, some of the poems felt odd and somehow misplaced, like a wild card of a sort. Some lacked depth, encouragement, or expression, making the theme's concept inconsistent. They didn't emanate that gratitude, positive energy, vulnerability even that connects the rest of the poems to our daily life experiences. All these reasons made me think that the collection was hastily compiled.
To all the poetry lovers, do give this lovely collection a read. Every time I read a poem, I learn something new about it, and the same could happen with this anthology.
February 28, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
I’m not going to lie, what instantly grabbed my attention and made me want to read this poetry collection was the inclusion of a poem by the inaugural poet Amanda Gorman. As soon as I heard her deliver her extremely powerful inauguration poem (not the poem included here), I instantly knew this was a new poetic voice that I was inspired and awed by, and I wanted to find out anything else she had written- cue an internet rabbit hole! Anyway, I was therefore very excited to get to this collection and see what other poems may speak to me in the same way- it’s been a long time since I’ve been so excited about new poetry.
I found reading this collection such a comforting experience. I think it’s designed to re-ignite hope and gratitude in these very difficult times. Unless you have been living off grid and not had any contact with any other humans in the last year, you can not be unaware and unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic. I know the degrees of this will differ greatly from person to person and country to country, but I do know the colossal impact it has had on my life, and many of the people around me on health, wellbeing and livelihoods. If I ever needed a poetry collection to inspire hope and gratitude, now is certainly time.
As you would expect in any multiple author collections, there were some poems that spoke to me more, and I connected with more than others. I particularly liked the poem by Barbara Crooker entitled “Autism poem: the grid”. I am parent to 2 ASD children so that’s probably not surprising.
I also really liked the interspersed sections that paused the reader and asked them to think of certain things that relate to their own lives. They gave wonderful little opportunities for self reflection and made it feel to me like it was more of a working programme for inner wellbeing, rather than just a poetry collection for the authors to express themselves. There are also some good book group questions at the end as well, which again encourages discussion and connection. I have a feeling I will be returning to this collection again and again.
I’m not going to lie, what instantly grabbed my attention and made me want to read this poetry collection was the inclusion of a poem by the inaugural poet Amanda Gorman. As soon as I heard her deliver her extremely powerful inauguration poem (not the poem included here), I instantly knew this was a new poetic voice that I was inspired and awed by, and I wanted to find out anything else she had written- cue an internet rabbit hole! Anyway, I was therefore very excited to get to this collection and see what other poems may speak to me in the same way- it’s been a long time since I’ve been so excited about new poetry.
I found reading this collection such a comforting experience. I think it’s designed to re-ignite hope and gratitude in these very difficult times. Unless you have been living off grid and not had any contact with any other humans in the last year, you can not be unaware and unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic. I know the degrees of this will differ greatly from person to person and country to country, but I do know the colossal impact it has had on my life, and many of the people around me on health, wellbeing and livelihoods. If I ever needed a poetry collection to inspire hope and gratitude, now is certainly time.
As you would expect in any multiple author collections, there were some poems that spoke to me more, and I connected with more than others. I particularly liked the poem by Barbara Crooker entitled “Autism poem: the grid”. I am parent to 2 ASD children so that’s probably not surprising.
I also really liked the interspersed sections that paused the reader and asked them to think of certain things that relate to their own lives. They gave wonderful little opportunities for self reflection and made it feel to me like it was more of a working programme for inner wellbeing, rather than just a poetry collection for the authors to express themselves. There are also some good book group questions at the end as well, which again encourages discussion and connection. I have a feeling I will be returning to this collection again and again.
March 21, 2021
How to Love the World is a lovely and inspiring collection of poetry from various writers that opens our eyes and hearts to the power of gratitude and joy. I appreciated the way the book is divided into small selections of poems, with each grouping followed by a Reflective Pause that would invite the reader to write and reflect on a particular aspect of joy or gratitude. The poets' biographies are included at the end of the book for further review of their works.
I don't typically read poetry, let alone write it, and yet I found this book so refreshing and uplifting that it gave me the motivation to put pencil to paper and journal the small and endless joys in my life- and for that I am grateful. This is a book I will definitely enjoy revisiting from time to time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishers for sending me a digital ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I don't typically read poetry, let alone write it, and yet I found this book so refreshing and uplifting that it gave me the motivation to put pencil to paper and journal the small and endless joys in my life- and for that I am grateful. This is a book I will definitely enjoy revisiting from time to time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishers for sending me a digital ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
January 12, 2025
This is a beautiful and wholesome collection of poems. It features some poets that I already like, such as Tracy K. Smith and Ellen Bass, as well as dozens of others whose work I'm now very interested in reading. I would highly recommend this book for people who aren't too familiar with reading poems, because it showcases just how profoundly poems can touch your soul, and it includes questions for reflection that can shed light on what others get out of their favorite poems.
December 4, 2020
A lovely poetry collection, personally I enjoyed more of the poems towards the end of the book.
After a few poems you are giving a reflective pause and have an opportunity to write and have reflection. Which I think is great for giving us positive energy and making us feel a lot better about ourselves.
A great ready for anyone wanting to be uplifted.
After a few poems you are giving a reflective pause and have an opportunity to write and have reflection. Which I think is great for giving us positive energy and making us feel a lot better about ourselves.
A great ready for anyone wanting to be uplifted.
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