Tell the World I'd Hoped to See It With You

by Kristina Mahr

A collection of over 400 poems spanning five years of love and loss, heartbreak and healing.

You could call these Kristina Mahr's greatest hits, and it would be true in more than one way —

these are the greatest hits
a heart can take.

Genres: Poetry

462 pages, Paperback

Published November 22, 2022

About the author

Kristina Mahr is a Chicago-based author and poet known for her ability to capture raw emotion in prose. With four published novels and an extensive collection of poetry to her name, she has built a reputation for distilling complex feelings into words that resonate. Her greatest reward as a writer is creating those moments of profound connection - when readers find their own unspoken truths reflected in her words, transforming solitary feelings into shared experiences. When not writing, she enjoys drinking tall glasses of iced tea, reading, and waking up at the crack of dawn every weekend to watch the Premier League.

Kristina is represented by Kaitlyn Katsoupis at Belcastro Agency.

Reviews

[Dani Ringrose · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNFed at 80%. I loved the concept of the collection - processing a separation and ordering them in chronological order. There were some beautiful lines and concepts in a few poems, but this collection really could have done with both an edit and cull. After the halfway point, most of these felt like first draft scratchings rather than completed poems. I wish the author had sifted through this collection and seen where the threads and connections were, to really flesh out some of the half-formed ideas and give them some finer poetic craft. And then, passed them to an editor who could then cull this down to around 40 of the best. Then I would be treasuring this gorgeously-published and titled collection rather than finding a street library to contribute it to.

"We may make sense apart,
but oh,
we also make
less joy."

[Jenna Brine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Halfway through the 440 odd pages of poems. Another bedside poetry book 📖 whilst waiting for the lights to get turned off. Still going through her heartbreak stage and looking forward to the next part. Have earmarked a few of my favourites so far:

'These Words' - These words are still about you but they're no longer for you. They are pulled from my bones, and you cannot have them.

'Your ghosts'
'If it could'
'Razed'
'For you'

'Coming to terms'- there will always be a knot in the middle of this necklace, in the same way there will always be knots in my veins and arteries, where the blood doesn't flow quite right, where my pulse scatters and scrambles, where missing you has made a mess of my insides'.

'I smile like this'
'Bent'
'All I take back'
'Bittersweet'

To name a few...but there are loads and I will continue to read them all over time.

[Rachel Iuliucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in love with this poetry. Kristina kept popping up on my Facebook and I was saving almost all of the poems I came across. Finally, I saw she was releasing this collection of poems and bought it right away. It took everything in me to not highlight 75% of the poems in here. These words cut DEEP. Took me back to heartbreak from 9 years ago😅 But I loved every second of it. Her words are intoxicating - I think this is my sign to read more by her. Bravo

[Cat Speranzini · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually love Mahr’s poetry. But so far, this is my least favorite book. The poems didn’t hit as hard as her other work. Something was lacking. I didn’t feel the pain and longing her other work evokes. If you’re a long time fan of hers, it’s worth a read. But definitely don’t start with this one if you’re just discovering her work.

[Brielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection for anyone who enjoys Kristina Mahr’s poetry!

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relatable poetry but nothing incredibly moving or profound.