Burn: Poems

by Barbara Hamby

The world is burning with fire and hatred, but at the same time it is filled with love and incredible beauty. The poems in Burn tango with why the world is so beautiful and terrible at the same time. Hamby asserts everything is a mess—how do we walk through it laughing and crying? Sometimes you look back and think, “How was I so lucky? I could have died a thousand times, but I didn’t. But I will.”

Genres: Poetry

88 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Barbara Hamby was born in New Orleans and raised in Hawai’i. She now lives in Tallahassee, Florida. She teaches creative writing in the English Department at Florida State University.

Reviews

[Connie Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of poems that spark the feeling of female rage, the despair of growing up, and those little moments of joy that reminds a person what being alive is really about. The flow of the poems, the well-placed rhyme and rhythm, and the imagery, which is crafted in each poem, makes this an easy and impactful collection. Some of the poems don't quite hit as hard as they could, but the ones that hit really do so with a powerful punch. The essay/stream of conscious manner in which they are written make this collection a unique and rememberable read.

Stunning cover design, one of my favorites.

Honest reviews given in exchange for a digital ARC, via Netgalley

[always reading ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25
I thought this was enjoyable. I absolutely love the cover art. I really liked some of the poems, but others just didn't do it for me. I want poetry to make me feel something, and it just didn't hit that mark every time. I also wasn't a big fan of the essay-like format.

[Katie Kemple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barbara Hamby's grasp of languages, lingo, jargon and her ability to put them to use in the jovial, chatty, intimate settings of her odes brought Shakespeare to mind as I read her latest book. If the Bard were alive today, he'd be a Hamby fan-boy.

Of all the dog-eared pages of my copy, perhaps the final ode is my favorite "Ode to English, Amok and Running", an abecedarian that spans seven pages and tells the story of the English language. "Who knows, English, but you grew fast, ' pubt on weight, opened for business, and set up your / Bully pulpit of mercantile lingo--" There's a violence to English that she captures while keeping the poem itself quite playful (very Shakespearean). I learned amok is a Malay word for frenzied attack.

These are poems to read and study and just flat out admire for their craft and vision.

[Rhiley Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and University of Pittsburgh Press for the E-ARC! This E-ARC was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

If you love poetry that has the same flavor as Patti Smith or Joan Baez, this collection is for you! This had all the flavor of being young and rich in the currency of youth and love, while also delving into the very real atrocities of today's world. I thoroughly enjoyed my time immersed in reading this.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of poetry is beautifully written. I found that once I began to read Burn by Barbara Hamby, I couldn’t put it down. The title features a collection of poems in the Ode style. The poetry primarily focuses on the highs and lows of life. I found that some of the poems really resonated with my personal endeavors allowing me to connect with what I was reading. I have not previously read anything by this author, but I can now say I look forward to seeing what else they have written and will write in the future.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Barbara Hamby for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. #Burn #NetGalley

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Full review on NetGalley.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this!

[Nicole Perkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barbara Hamby's "Burn" is a collection of odes that discuss the ups and downs of life: its loves, losses, light moments, and times of despair. They are odes on what it means to be human, and how to be human. In "Ode of Being a Little Drunk at Parties," she writes: "Oh, I get it, it's hard to feel sorry for humans. We're a hot mess,/ and by the time some of us figure it out,/ we're playing our endgames;" and in her "Ode to Juno" she asks, "[...] how do I circumnavigate/ this ragged world, because the roads are rippling with brigands/ and fools, nymphs and satyrs playing possum,/ so where is the magic, my queen, where is the party, wine flowing/ and no one afraid of being turned into a snake?" I think my favorite poem in this collection is "Ode to My Old Kitchens." Hamby speaks of everything I love about my own kitchen. It is a beautiful reminder that the kitchen truly is the heart of the home. I greatly enjoyed this collection, and I am interested in reading more of Barbara Hamby's work.