How to Love the World - by James Crews (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

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 World: 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.

From the Back Cover

From humorous and uplifting to meditative and moving, these poems provide something for every mood and moment. One hundred of our best-loved and emerging writers offer these relatable reminders to slow down, rediscover the beauty and gifts of ordinary life, and reconnect with the things that matter most. Includes poems from:

Tracy K. Smith
Ross Gay
Naomi Shihab Nye
Ellen Bass
Joy Harjo
Mark Nepo
Jane Hirshfield
Ted Kooser
Amanda Gorman
January Gill O'Neil
Danusha Lameris
Alberto Rios

Accompanied by prompts for reflection, these are poems you'll return to often for inspiration and creative exploration of life's daily gifts.

Review Quotes

"How to Love the World is for every one of us who welcomes or misses the fullness of joy and the wholeness of days." -- Naomi Shihab Nye, Young People's Poet Laureate, Poetry Foundation

"You'll find lots of poets to love within these pages... this book is exactly what we need in these times - or in any." -- Elizabeth Berg, author of I'll Be Seeing You and The Story of Arthur Truluv

"The anthology represents a wide range of poetic voices revealing gratitude as an essential emotion that is simple and complex, all around us but also elusive." -- The Boston Globe

"This uplifting collection of poems from masterful poets (Amanda Gorman, Joy Harjo, Naomi Shihab Nye, and more) will not only move you but also remind you that joy can be found during times that feel dark. There are some that are tinted in longing (like "Bus Stop" by Laure-Anne Bosselaar) and some that serve as a beautiful reminder of appreciation ("Thankful For Now" by Todd Davis). The visceral, weighty words from these poets invoke meaning in things that may seem meaningless, pushing us to slow down and reflect." -- BuzzFeed