The Emergency Poet: An Anti-Stress Poetry Anthology by Deborah Alma

by Deborah Alma

A brilliant new anthology of poems that will help you to overcome stress, depression and other anxieties. Arranged by spiritual ailment, the sections include a range of verse, new and old, which may be of comfort to those in need of a pick-me-up for the soul. The collection has been carefully compiled by Deborah Alma, the world's first and only emergency poet, who travels to schools, libraries, festivals and other events in her 1970s ambulance to offer consultations and prescribe poems as cures for various maladies. This collection is designed to lift your mood and offers poetic help whenever it may be required.

Genres: Poetry, Mental Health, Self Help, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve already read one of these mini collections of poetry from Deborah Alma, the emergency poet, and so I kind of knew what I was in for. Alma does a great job of pulling together a huge variety of both classic and contemporary poetry and the result is this stunning little hardback collection that’s so aesthetically pleasing you won’t want to put it down.

I also like how Alma includes some further recommended reading at the end, as well as the fact that one of the poems she recommended was by Charles Bukowski. But I also found a bunch of classic poems that I now want to memorise, including one that it turns out my granddad also knows – and he’s a working class dude from a small town. I can’t vouch for whether these poems actually help you to beat stress, but I will say that I enjoyed reading it and would read more in this series if and when they came out. So yeah!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am generally not a big fan of poetry anthologies, having often bought them in the past and found them lacking. I picked this one up in my local Waterstones - partly because I liked the cover, and partly because I had visited The Emergency Poet at a poetry festival and she had prescribed me two excellent poems. I was not intending to buy it at all, just to have a look, I then decided to buy it intending to give it as a present as it is a beautiful thing - but when it came to it I found that I couldn't part with it. The poetry selections are excellent - I am familiar with quite a few of them as I use them in teaching, but it is rare to open an anthology and like pretty much every poem.

[Jule · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, poetry... Whether short or endless, poignant or round-about, obvious or puzzling, it is certainly a joy to read. I have recently fallen in love with poetry again, and this is a good collection. Sorted by topics, these poems address topics like grief, hope and courage and mean to help with these different emotions. The poems Deborah Alma collected show a wide variety across centuries and continents, and there ought to be one poem per category (at least!) that makes you go "Wow". Of course, collections are always a mixed bag, so there will be some less great poems in there for you, as well. For me, personally, it was the Bible passages. Though there were only two or three of them, and I do not mean to insult Christianity, but I think they simple have no place in a collection of poetry. Overall, this is a great book, though. Most of the poems are short and rather obvious, which makes this a great gift for a poetry-grump, as well. Maybe they will fall in love with the genre, too.

[Anne Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous selection of poetry and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Some poems were old friends and it was a pleasure to reacquaint myself with them; other poems were totally new and I am adding these poets to my reading list. I love the way the poems are gathered into key themes as this is very helpful if you want something for a particular crisis occasion. I thoroughly recommend this book.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

These poems really helped me get through my exam period. They are uplifting, interesting and make you stop and think. One of my favourite poems was Postscript by Seamus Heaney

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I must confess I much rather preferred the list of further suggestions at the end of the book ("Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver being one of my favorites), I still believe that "The Emergency Poet" is quite an extraordinary idea.

Each section focusing on a particular malady, the remedies come in many different flavors and forms. I would say that there is at least one poem in this anthology for every soul, one poem that will change the course of someone's day, someone's life.

Don't expect to fall in love with/at every page, but do dive in without fear of disappointment. Somewhere in this book there is a surprise for you, a poem that has been meaning to tell you something...

[Inga Pizāne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ļoti skaista dzejas izlase, ko uzdāvināja māsa Īrijas ceļojuma laikā. Laiku pa laikam to pārlasu, arvien atrodot kaut ko jaunu, ko iepriekš nebiju pamanījusi. Viens no vismīļākajiem šīs antoloģijas dzejoļiem ir Inessential things, kas ir par to, ko kaķi atceras par piedzīvotajām dienām.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something to pick up and put down. The power of words and the poetry of masters to soothe or at least explain how you are feeling. I will be purchasing this book. Enough said.

[Chelsea Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful mixture of poetry for hard times, this one is a must have for any poetry lover. It covers subjects from joy and hope through to grief, illness and depression, and has something for everyone with both modern and classic poets. Only one star less because the choice of poets seemed pretty limited with lots of poems by the same poet. But a great collection overall.

[TheGirlWhoReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poems really do touch the heart. Inspiring amd uplifting indeed. An absolutely genius selection!

[Giskin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alma is the world's first 'emergency poet'. She gives consultations in a vintage ambulance and dispenses poetry prescriptions. This is a collection of her favourite 'pick-me-up' poems.

[Mackenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthologies are always hard.

Someone shared the poem “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry in the poetry subreddit; and, they said it was from this anthology. I loved that poem and the name of this anthology, so I decided to read it.

It’s okay. The introductions are lacking. There are a lot of poems referencing the Christian God. There are even Bible verses. Just not for me.

I felt like about half of the poems I did like were ones I was already familiar with. But, hey, I got a few new pieces I enjoyed out of this.

Also, I realized my grandmother would really enjoy this so I bought her a copy for Christmas. So 3 stars for that, and for a handful of pieces being really lovely.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron
feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things...."

It's the lulling sound of a mother singing her baby to sleep,
the waves on the shore.

There's a poem in this book for all-things-scary-and horrible. Losing love. Getting older. Sickness. Dying. Loss.

Check it out.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely lovely book - I great collection of modern and classic poems, very accurately grouped within the book! A few an evening has felt so grounding and wholesome the last few months - some are obviously very deep and emotional but none are too melancholy, which has been a needed absence in these difficult months!
Highly recommend for anyone who’s interested in reading a variety of poems ❤️

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very comforting book that I think I’ll go back to when needed.

The different sections were excellent and very useful! A great collection of poets and poetry.

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

review to come

[Anna Dallaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I treasure this

[Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure I would recommend this as mental health support but I would recommend it as a beautiful and contemplative collection. Worth reading

[Joel Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I find it hard to rate poetry collections. Just like short story anthologies, you're not going to like every one in the bunch. Having said that this was one of those rare poetry books that I liked and got something from most of the works inside. In fact, my copy was a library book but I am going to buy it. A lot of poetry book editors often put too many classic poems to show off their intelligence and education. But Deborah Alma didn't do that, even though there was old poetry in there, she had chosen more accessible ones.

This book is here to remind us that whatever difficult emotions we're going through, nearly everyone before you and everyone after will experience those same things. Some of those people have captured those feelings well it makes you light up with familiarity. I found myself connecting strongly with ideas and stories penned 200 years before I was born.

It's split into easy sections so if you're feeling a certain way on a certain day then you can take a poetry pill and swallow a whole lot of meaningful metaphorical medicine.

[Isla Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked reading through this book, as it's an easy read, with the poems being mostly less than a page long, some only a couple of stanzas or so. The books covers a decent range of topics (including love, grief, old age, courage and hope) and has some nice introductions. At first (maybe 20 or 30 pages in) I thought it was ok but no particular poem jumped out at me as especially great but by the time I'd finished it, I'd put in place 12 index markers, noting pages with poems I particularly liked.

I enjoyed reading this overall and I'd say its a very accessible read, which I'd recommend to fans of poetry and those who perhaps struggle to concentrate on reading books, as this is quite a short and easy read, from that point of view.

[amaareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Emergency Poet by Deborah Alma is a beautiful poetic first aid kit, organized brilliantly by "spiritual ailment."

I was skeptical, but this anthology works. And I'll give credit where it's due: some gems absolutely shine in this collection. Gerard Manley Hopkins' Pied Beauty hit me like a gorgeous punch to the heart with its celebration of imperfection, while Wordsworth's The World is Too Much With Us felt painfully relevant in our digital age. As an Indian reader, I connected deeply with the inclusion of Kabir, but I felt the English translation didn't capture the power of the original Hindi:
"जो कुछ है सो यहीं है, जो अब है सो तब है। जो अब नहीं है, सो कुछ नहीं, खाली जाय निरासा॥"

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little book of poetry that you can dip into whenever you need to. The poems and extracts have been selected and categorised very well, and I have found some new favourites! I think this would be a great way of introducing poetry to those that don’t normally like it, because there is a practicality to the collection which may help to make poetry more accessible and relatable.
One little grumble: why was Fernando Pessoa’s ‘to be great, be whole’ translated from Romanian?! Would it not have been better to translate it directly from the author’s original Portuguese?! Or is this a typing error?

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big fan of the concept - Deborah Alma drives round in a refurbed 1970s ambulance and prescribes poetry to members of the public who bring her their griefs and maladies. THIS is what it's all about. I truly believe the best poetry is cathartic, restorative, medicinal.

The selection here is variable, though - some tired old tropes whose main benefit is that they're familiar (Rudyard Kipling's "If" is a prime, nauseating example). And Alma's introductions to each chapter are unnecessary and twee. But a few choice, startling items. Sydney Smith's 1820 list of 'advice for defeating low spirits' is razor-sharp and could have been written yesterday.

[Deborah Allin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really lovely anthology of poetry that will brighten up your days. The collection is divided into category sections addressing such issues as :

For Days When the World Is Too Much With Us

Talking to Grief

Getting Older

Courage and Inspiration

I'd defy you not to find several poems in each category which have the capacity to either lift you up, move you into a new place or provide empathic support as you deal with many of every day life's challenges. I have read many of the poems over and over and never get tired of them.

Well done Deborah Alma

[Calum Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb collection and brilliantly chosen. (Not that I loved every poem though, which is normal) A mixture of older, more classical writers and modern writers.

I love the idea of the ‘emergency poem’ - many times I’ve clung to pieces. My own pet-peeve is ‘If’ by Kipling which I really can’t stand…the other 99% made me smile lots though.

I loved the part at the end where Deborah Alma gives further recommendations of poems for the different sections of the book which didn’t make the cut.

This is the best collection I’ve read in a few years. Recommend.

[Michelle L. E. Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted this book by a friend — one who knows me well enough to know that I don’t read an enormous amount of poetry — and I feel so lucky. I might not have picked it up on my own, but it was a treasure. I found that I couldn’t stop reading! I literally had to set it aside at some points to make sure that I was sitting with the works as they deserved. “Love after love” was a particular favorite, but I know I’ll find myself rereading and choosing new favorites for new seasons of life.

[Andreia Rosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gosto da ideia do livro em si, em dividir poemas de vários escritores em categorias como: amor, esperança, etc.
A escolha dos poemas para cada categoria é que não funcionou para mim... Não é mau de todo mas também não foi um bom livro para mim. De 192 páginas só adorei e identifiquei-me com dois poemas, só isso já diz muito.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

National Poetry Day was yesterday so thought I would try to explore poetry. Some of the resonated, some did not. Lots of repetition of poets, I hoped there would be a wider variety. A nice short read though.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mix of poems, some old favourites, a couple authors I hadn't heard of and a few that did nothing for me. Well printed on quality paper, nice to hold on the hand as well as read.

[Denis Crowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the right mixture of poems. Beautiful book.