Cracked & Broken: poems of midlife

by Sean Petrie

An ode to the overlooked. A celebration of mediocre donuts. A lament on lost dreams. In Cracked & Broken , award-winning poet Sean Petrie reflects on reaching middle age, both taking a hard look back and a hopeful one forward. The result is a tender mix of pain, humor, and above all, an honest portrait of imperfection—of the beautiful, mistake-filled journey of life.

140 pages, Paperback

Published October 20, 2023

About the author

Sean Petrie makes up poems for people on an old typewriter. That's the source of two of his books, Typewriter Rodeo and Listen to the Trees. He also writes fiction and nonfiction for kids, including the middle-grade motocross daredevil series, Jett Ryder (Jolly Fish Press, 2021), and an upcoming pet poems collection.

Sean lives in Austin, TX, grew up in Columbus, OH, and loves traveling -- especially to Seattle and New England. He has an MFA in writing (Vermont College) and law degree (Stanford). With the other side of his brain, Sean also teaches legal writing at the University of Texas Law School.

He loves donuts, Buffy, and any book by Ellen Raskin.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I approach a milestone birthday, I found myself laughing, nodding, and crying along to this relatable collection of poems which has nods to Mary Oliver, Robert Frost, Williams Wordsworth and even Carson from Downton Abbey. My favorite poems included "I Find It Helpful," "Pruning," "Cracked Is the Heart," "Things Not Carried," and "Wrinkles."