The Path to Kindness by

The Path to Kindness

Following the success and momentum of his anthology How to Love the World (93,000 copies in print), James Crews's new collection, The Path to Kindness, offers more than 100 deeply felt and relatable poems from a diverse range of voices including well-known writers Julia Alvarez, Marie Howe, Ellen Bass, Naomi Shihab Nye, Alberto Ríos, Ross Gay, and Ada Limón, as well as new and emerging voices. Featured Black poets include January Gill O’Neil, Tracy K. Smith, and Cornelius Eady. Native American poets include Kimberly Blaeser, Joy Harjo (current U.S. Poet Laureate), and Linda Hogan. The collection also features international voices, including Canadian poets Lorna Crozier and Susan Musgrave. Presented in the same perfect-in-the-hand format as How to Love the World, the collection includes prompts for journaling and exploration of selected poems, a book group guide, bios of all the contributing poets, and stunning cover art by award-winning artist Dinara Mirtalipova. A foreword by Danusha Laméris, along with her popular poem "Small Kindnesses," is also included.

Reviewed by bookstagramofmine on

4 of 5 stars

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Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC!

 

This is not the first collection by James Crews that I’ve read, and it won’t be the last! This is not to say I loved every poem, I did not, or I appreciate the exercises, I skip those. I love the warmth that Crews is able to embed in his curations; he clearly loves each poem, and doesn’t reserve that love for the more well known pieces, but for all of them.

 

That being said, I did love every other poem so I shouldn’t complain too much!

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Reading updates

  • 21 November, 2021: Started reading
  • 14 December, 2021: Finished reading
  • 13 December, 2021: Reviewed