Turning Toward Grief - by James Crews (Hardcover)

About the Book

Turning Toward Grief presents a collection of highly accessible and comforting poems by beloved poet and editor James Crews. Brief prose reflections and invitational writing prompts support readers seeking new outlets for wisdom, ritual, and creativity to help them express their collective grief, both global and personal.

Book Synopsis

Poetry offers potent medicine for healing the heart.

As a teacher of mindfulness and writing courses, retreats, and webinars for more than a decade, beloved poet, editor, and writer James Crews has seen again and again how poems can initiate a deep dive into our own experience, and how reflecting on poetry can open the floodgates of feeling. More and more people are turning to poetry as a source of comfort in times of grief, loss, and uncertainty, especially as our society moves away from organized religion. People are seeking new outlets for wisdom, ritual, and creativity to help them express their collective grief, both global and personal. Poetry is a unique tool for healing because it is rooted in the everyday material of our lives, helping us to stay embodied and in touch with the physicality of ourselves and the world.

Turning Toward Grief presents a collection of highly accessible and comforting poems, many of which have been shared by thousands of people across social media, in newsletters, on podcasts and radio shows, and in meditation and yoga classes throughout the world.

Recognizing that poetry can sometimes feel intimidating, Crews includes brief prose reflections after each poem, followed by inviting and welcoming writing prompts. These elements encourage and support readers as they explore the personal images, memories, and emotions sparked by each entry.

Turning Toward Grief invites us back into the senses to find even a few brief instances of relief from the often-overwhelming suffering. By paying attention to our grief, we can learn to see it as less threatening, and although it's terribly difficult, we can turn toward our grief in gentle ways each day.

Review Quotes

"I can think of no better guide into the intimate landscapes of loss than James Crews. With his signature gentleness, wisdom, clarity, and compassion, he gives voice to the nuances of grief, shares his own healing process, and invites the reader to explore their own tender experiences of grief and love." --Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, author of The Unfolding and host of The Poetic Path

"James Crews offers us a wealth of model poems and short essays, followed by an invitation to write our own, imploring us to discover our complex responses to various aspects of loss and grief. But he also includes encouragement to write about themes of love and appreciation, making this a book that feels balanced and whole, a book unique in its approach to making sense of ourselves in the face of the unknowable, as well as in its sense of understanding and appreciation for the mysteries and poetry of being human." --Dorianne Laux, author of Life on Earth and Pulitzer Prize finalist

"As a bereavement and end-of-life therapist, I have long waited for a book like Turning Toward Grief to be written. Filled with poems and invitations to reflect or write, Turning Toward Grief will offer you, in accessible language, the solace, deep companionship, and wisdom you need for your journey." --Claire Willis, author of Lasting Words and Opening to Grief

"This book is gentle, affirming company on the path of grieving. It doesn't shy away from the pain, the work, the time that grief requires of us, but it does remind us that we have power and agency on our journey toward healing." --Jarod K. Anderson, author of Something in the Woods Loves You

"Opening this book is a gentle way to tend to our wounds, soothe our soul, and remind us that grief, too, nourishes and feeds us. Perhaps most importantly, the words on these pages remind us that we are not alone in our grief." --Meryl Arnett, meditation teacher, and the creator of Our Mindful Nature podcast

"In Turning Toward Grief, James Crews tenderly invites his fellow grievers in for a slow softening of the heart. Each poem and prompt is an outstretched hand that offers an 'of course . . .' His words--so personal and universal--inspire inner wisdom and offer the medicine of witness, a potent salve to loss." --Tracy Chalmers and Willow Meili, cofounders of The Grief Well

"A gentle invitation to face heartbreak and to wrestle with adversity. James Crews invites readers to approach even further: to see grief as an opportunity for growth, creativity, and action. His poems are rich, real, and raw. And he incorporates short essays and writing prompts that inspire us to craft our own narratives of love and loss." --Andrew Ingall, director of virtual public programs, Reimagine

"This book is not only a companion in grief, but a testament to the beauty that persists even in the face of unimaginable loss." --Alix Klingenberg, author of Quietly Wild: Poems, Photographs, and Rituals to Mark the Seasons

"A warm invitation inviting us to write and reflect on the messiness--and complexity--that grief demands. With deep love, Crews weaves the brokenness, searching, yearning, and need for connection that shadow our daily lives in the aftermath of loss. He braids these threads with glimmers of light, softening yesterday's pain, all the while reminding us that we are not alone." -- Joyal Mulheron, founder and executive director of Evermore

"James Crews has long consoled us with his poems and anthologies to companion our troubles and joys. In this book he turns toward grief to offer a triple gift: poems, meditations, and prompts for healing." --Kim Stafford, author of As the Sky Begins to Change