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Poetry Will Save Your Life
Poetry Will Save Your Life: A Memoir | Jill Bialosky
15 posts | 8 read | 1 reading | 33 to read
An unconventional and inventive coming-of-age memoir organized around forty-three remarkable poems by poets such as Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Wallace Stevens and Sylvia Plath, from a critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author and poet. For Jill Bialosky, certain poems stand out like signposts at pivotal moments in a life: the death of a father, adolescence, first love, leaving home, the suicide of a sister, marriage, the birth of a child, the day in New York City the Twin Towers fell. As Bialosky narrates these moments, she illuminates the ways in which particular poems offered insight, compassion, and connection, and shows how poetry can be a blueprint for living. In Poetry Will Save Your Life, Bialosky recalls when she encountered each formative poem, and how its importance and meaning evolved over time, allowing new insights and perceptions to emerge. While Bialoskys personal stories animate each poem, they touch on many universal experiences, from the awkwardness of girlhood, to crises of faith and identity, from braving a new life in a foreign city to enduring the loss of a loved one, from becoming a parent to growing creatively as a poet and artist. In Poetry Will Save Your Life, Bialosky has crafted an engaging and entirely original examination of a life while celebrating the enduring value of poetry, not as a purely cerebral activity, but as a means of conveying personal experience and as a source of comfort and intimacy. In doing so she brilliantly illustrates the ways in which poetry can be an integral part of life itself and can, in fact, save your life.
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review
megnews
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Pickpick

I like a lot of novels in verse but am not a huge poetry fan. I try to expand my horizons and read some from time to time though. This was an enjoyable memoir of a poet and the poetry that has impacted her life. Reading it made me want to read her “History of a Suicide.” All in all, I give this ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫.

Bonus: #HometownAuthor. I didn‘t realize when I picked this up, the author is originally from Cleveland which I live in a suburb of.

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kspenmoll
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This book has been on my bedside table for ages. All the poetry on Litsy has inspired me to pick it up to read. Thanks to @TheSpineView @TheBookHippie @EadieB @Eggs and all other Littens you have posted poetry. #poetry #memoir

Cathythoughts What a cosy situation ✨ 4y
Josee.lit.a.lu.et.lira I‘m poetry challenged, getting better though. I might give this a try. Thanks for highlighting ✨ it. 📚add 😊 4y
TheSpineView Awesome! 😊👍😍📚💙 4y
See All 8 Comments
Eggs Cover Love💕💕💕 4y
TheBookHippie 🥰❤️❤️❤️ 4y
EadieB @Kspenmoll You‘re welcome! (edited) 4y
megnews Did you finish it? Like it? I‘m starting it. 4y
kspenmoll @megnews I have not finished it but lime it very much. 💕 4y
60 likes1 stack add8 comments
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BookishMe
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this is actually a book cover with the design of a spine #poetry
Cheating for the spine poetry (1) prompt for #AcrossApril
😁😉😆

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GatheringBooks
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Panpan

#GratefulReads Day 17: #ThoughtYouWouldLikeButDidnt. The whole book felt more like a poetry lecture, which felt prescriptive for me, as the author interpreted each poem‘s meaning, and it seemed like the only possible truth that can be discerned from the poem. Perhaps that was not the author‘s intention, but as a reader I felt like I was being lectured at, rather than being invited in to a reading experience. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-l4F

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Great pic of you!! 5y
Velvetfur I love this photo of you 😊 5y
OriginalCyn620 🙌🏻📚😊 5y
68 likes3 comments
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GatheringBooks
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#SelfImprovementSept Day 20: Thrilled that our #FavoriteFood is available here in Al Ain! Jollibee is everywhere! Whee!

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yay!!!!! 🎉🎉🎊🎊 5y
Crazeedi Yummy food! 5y
OriginalCyn620 Looks yummy! 5y
62 likes3 comments
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GatheringBooks
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#SelfImprovementSept Day 8: So Sunday is the first official day of the week here at the UAE, hence this photo was taken yesterday, Saturday, what now stands for my #SelfCareSunday, and spent it at this coffeeshop - NOT the bookstore. Interesting, right?

OriginalCyn620 Gorgeous place! 😊 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 💗💗💗 5y
Smrloomis 👏🏽 Are you staying or just visiting? It‘s crazy hot but it‘s also nice (in ways that don‘t relate to the weather of course right now 🥵) 🇦🇪 5y
See All 7 Comments
GatheringBooks @Smrloomis my family and i have moved from singapore to al ain. i have been offered an associate professor position at the united arab emirates university. so we are in this for the long haul! do you live nearby? 5y
Smrloomis @GatheringBooks welcome! We‘re originally from the US but live in Dubai. Sort of close 🤔 5y
GatheringBooks @Smrloomis awesome! yes, dubai is only 90 minutes away thereabouts- we are planning on making a trip once we all get our emirati ids, and we can breathe. 😘 if you have recommended bookish places, i am all ears! 5y
Smrloomis @GatheringBooks I really like Kinokuniya in Dubai Mall although it‘s pricey. For used books, there‘s House of Prose and the Times Square location seems to have a reasonable selection. Hope you get your Emirates IDs soon! There is always so much to do when you move. 5y
82 likes7 comments
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GatheringBooks
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Started reading this last night. An ode to poetry, but so far, it has not moved me as much as I thought it would. But maybe it is just my exhaustion with our international move that can chip away at one‘s spirit. But I shall shoulder on. Paired with super yummy chocolate crepe and Spanish latte. At Shakespeare & Co. here in Al Ain. And no, it is not the bookstore, but a fancy coffeeshop. 😱
#WomenReadWomen2019

67 likes1 stack add
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SW-T
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Pickpick

A blend of poetry, poet bio, and memoir. I like that the poems selected suit the chapter headings and aren‘t just random picks. Some old favorites and other poems I wasn‘t familiar with made it an interesting read.

#poetry #poetrymatters #memoir

Weaponxgirl I was hoping to read this one this month and then all my library holds came in at once! 6y
SW-T @Weaponxgirl 🤣🤣🤣 6y
15 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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WanderingBookaneer
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First attempt at drawing a “Gemma Correll” bookshelf to keep track of the #PoetryReadingChallenge . #MyChallengingYear #Bujo

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kspenmoll
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#HumpDayPost
🎄Photo of books received from family for Christmas
🎄NYE-up until 2 yrs ago celebrated at the Cape with my parents, son, husband-so special. Now they are both gone,so we carry on the “hors d‘oeuvery dinner” tradition at our house.
🎄holiday treat: champagne for NYE
🎄shells, rocks, xmas ornaments when travel
🎄”Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind...”

JaclynW ...🎶Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne? For auld lang syne, my jo,
for auld lang syne, we‘ll tak' a cup o‘ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely ye‘ll be your pint-stoup!
and surely I‘ll be mine!
And we‘ll tak' a cup o‘ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne🎶...
7y
kspenmoll @JaclynW 👏🏻👏🏻🎉🎉🥂🍾 7y
Cathythoughts Great choice of song 🎼🎹🎉✨ 7y
51 likes3 comments
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Augustdana
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I‘ve been really busy at work for the last month, and the first things to suffer are my hobbies. So I haven‘t been reading as much, and this just became available from the library, so maybe I‘ll do some prep...but maybe I‘ll catch up on some reading.

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balletbookworm
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Pickpick

A surprising blend of memoir and literary analysis. Bialosky illustrates the story of her life - her father‘s early death, growing up with her widowed mother and sisters, becoming a working woman, marriage, losing her sister and two children - with poems that found her over her life. She provides basic analysis or interpretation of each poem so even those new to reading poetry don‘t have to worry. A lovely book about the power of words.

Tanzy13 🐱 7y
Bookgirl Love it, this could be my cat. He is also extremely laid back! 7y
Lissa00 I actually have this book but haven't read it yet. I'll have to read it soon. It sounds lovely! 7y
36 likes7 stack adds3 comments
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chowmeyow
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Saturday morning, new book.

BookBabe Yay! 👏🏻👏🏻 @MrBook and I just saw this one at the bookstore the other day. It caught the eye of both of us! Hope you enjoy it! 😊 7y
chowmeyow @BookBabe it's really lovely so far! 😀 7y
12 likes1 stack add2 comments
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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post 8! This cover, I'm loving it! Just released. This is a coming-of-she memoir set around 43 remarkable poems that gave her insight, courage, compassion, and connection. They've contributed to her development as an author and poet herself. The dynamism of the personal story-universal experience should make for fascinating commentary and understanding. I'll be getting this one! 😁👏🏻👏🏻 #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

Graciouswarriorprincess I just got this at B&N yesterday. 7y
Peddler410 I have the ARC sitting on a shelf. I'll get to it... 7y
80 likes16 stack adds2 comments
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WanderingBookaneer
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silentrequiem What a fun cover! 7y
67 likes2 stack adds1 comment