Turning Toward Grief: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Appreciation

by James Crews

Poetry offers potent medicine for healing the heart.

As a teacher of mindfulness and writing courses, retreats, and webinars for more than a decade, beloved poet, editor, and writer James Crews has seen again and again how poems can initiate a deep dive into our own experience, and how reflecting on poetry can open the floodgates of feeling. More and more people are turning to poetry as a source of comfort in times of grief, loss, and uncertainty, especially as our society moves away from organized religion. People are seeking new outlets for wisdom, ritual, and creativity to help them express their collective grief, both global and personal. Poetry is a unique tool for healing because it is rooted in the everyday material of our lives, helping us to stay embodied and in touch with the physicality of ourselves and the world.

Turning Toward Grief presents a collection of highly accessible and comforting poems, many of which have been shared by thousands of people across social media, in newsletters, on podcasts and radio shows, and in meditation and yoga classes throughout the world.

Recognizing that poetry can sometimes feel intimidating, Crews includes brief prose reflections after each poem, followed by inviting and welcoming writing prompts. These elements encourage and support readers as they explore the personal images, memories, and emotions sparked by each entry.

Turning Toward Grief invites us back into the senses to find even a few brief instances of relief from the often-overwhelming suffering. By paying attention to our grief, we can learn to see it as less threatening, and although it's terribly difficult, we can turn toward our grief in gentle ways each day.

Genres: Poetry

191 pages, Hardcover

Published October 28, 2025

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful, raw, touching, heart wrenching collection of poetry. Crews shares deeply personal poems he wrote inspired by his experiences of grieving after the loss of both his parents and grandparents. I just lost my Dad in September and it really helped to read this and relate to someone who understands and can so eloquently put these various feelings into words. His poems are dripping with many emotions: grief, sorrow, pain, but also joy, wonder, and love. I felt so deeply connected to the feelings conveyed and shed many tears while reading.

After each poem, he has a few paragraphs of writing explaining the context and often including additional insight and words of wisdom, as well as writing prompts for journaling. I love his outlook and agree with him on many of the topics he addresses. He discusses how to turn toward your grief in order to remember and honor your loved ones and the time we had with them (both good and bad), while also appreciating the life we have left to live. I highly recommend this book, especially for those who have lost a loved one. Sometimes it just helps to know you’re not alone. Thank you to NetGalley, James Crews, and Broadleaf Books for the gifted ARC. This is a voluntary and honest review.

[Angelica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book that serves to guide others to lean into their grief - that it's not something that should be ignored, but understood. Crews wrote it as a memoir, to share and connect with others about the death of his own mother, who was a strong presence in his life. As a person who has been through my share of grief, I felt his words strongly and felt like it was a conversation between two friends. I also enjoyed the breaks between each section encouraging the reader to write and reflect on what he wrote.

Some of my favorite passages:
"Some days, we have to make the longest journey and reach for whatever sources of light we can find in times of darkness."
"Even if we did not get to say a proper goodbye or resolve our lingering issues with the one we lost, we can try to trust that all is forgiven now."
"I have learned that goodbye is more of a process than just a single moment."
"One of the most difficult aspects of being caught in loss, or held in the grips of depression, is that part of us believes it will never end."

I received an eARC from NetGalley and am leaving a voluntary review.

[hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me navigate the death of my mother. The poems felt like sanctuaries, places I could go when I was hurting or feeling the enormity of grief. When I had no words, I felt the kind wisdom in these pages, and I could relate to the lived experiences of this author as he described his own experiences with loss and grief.

I also loved the format of this book. In fact, now I wish all my favorite poets would write this way. This isn’t merely a poetry book. The author presents a poem, then he gives us the behind the scenes personal reflections on what inspired him to write the poem (what he was going through in his life, what pain or insight he was discovering), and then he gives a writing prompt for your own self-reflection. I found all his life stories and writing prompts deeply meaningful, and thought he was just as good of a writing teacher as he was an expressive, thoughtful poet.

All in all, after reading the entirety of this book and having a chance to reflect on the experience, I can honestly say that the poems in this book feel like lit lanterns this poet has left along the side of the road, so that when you are experiencing loss, grief or pain, the road you must travel isn’t so dark, and you are not alone. Instead, even if the road is hard, you have the warm glow of these poems lighting your way. I felt a deep sense of comfort reading these poems, and getting to know the author’s story made me feel less alone as I was navigating some of the most difficult times of my life.

I want to add that you do not need to be a hard-core poetry lover to enjoy this book. This author writes in such a down to earth, relatable way that I think anyone from seasoned poet to someone who has no experience with writing or poetry would benefit from reading this book.

Sometimes if we are lucky, we find artists and poets who help us along our way and help us make sense of our lives just when we need it the most. I feel that this poet has done exactly that with this collection of poems.

Thanks to Broadleaf Books for the review copy via Netgalley. I am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are mine.

[Kym · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have long been a fan of James Crews - both of his thoughtful, edited topical poetry anthologies and of his weekly newsletter. I was eager to receive an advance copy of his soon-to-be-published book Turning Toward Grief (publication in late October 2025).

Most of my experience of James Crews’ work has been through his skillful editing of topical poetry anthologies (such as How to Love the World: Poetry of Gratitude and Hope and The Wonder of Small Things: Poems of Peace and Renewal). His weekly newsletter, by contrast, features Crews’ own poems, each followed by a brief reflection essay and a journaling prompt for the reader. I was expecting Crews’ newest collection to be an anthology of poems about grief, but discovered it was actually more like his newsletter: his own poetry, each poem followed by a brief reflection essay and a journaling prompt for the reader.

Crews is a thoughtful poet, and this collection of personal reflections and poems about his grief experience/journey was both lovely and touching. I think this collection would be welcome for anyone - at any point - on a grief journey, and it would make a thoughtful gift, as well.

Although the book can be read over the course of a day or two (as I read it in this particular case), I think the biggest benefit for the reader might come from reading at a slower pace with thoughtful breaks in between the reflections. As I read it more continuously, I found it to be a bit repetitive - almost formulaic - which I think I would not have felt if I'd read it more slowly over a longer period of time.

Bottom line: lovely collection, and very relevant to those on a personal grief journey; would make a great gift.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up Turning Toward Grief in the very early stages of my loss, about a week after my loved one passed away, when I finally managed to will myself out of the house. Of the grief books I’ve read so far, this was one of the most comforting during those raw early days. The poems brought me to tears many times, but in a way that felt healing rather than overwhelming. They helped me feel seen and understood when I was struggling to make sense of what had happened and how deeply it was affecting me.

One feature I particularly appreciated was the “Invitation for Writing & Reflection” sections throughout the book. At that stage of my grief, I wasn’t ready to put pen to paper and fully engage with the exercises. However, simply reading the prompts and answering them briefly in my head helped me begin sorting through some of the emotions I was carrying. I haven’t finished the book yet, but it is one I plan to keep on my shelf and return to as my grief journey continues. My hope is that, with time, I’ll revisit the reflection prompts through journaling and discover new insights as I move forward in the healing process.

[LA]

This book is a great example of why ultra-specific books about grief are absolutely necessary. Grief is so unpredictable and complicated and personal, and finding a book that speaks to your specific experiences can be a balm.

I picked this up for the sake of someone else who had also been a caretaker for her mother in her last days. While I can't presume to know if it will be helpful for her, I will say I was impressed at how Crews' poems explore so many different elements of this experience: giving yourself grace, allowing for complicated feelings about how things played out, learning to appreciate joy in the little things again. It is a testament to Crews' reflections that, after deciding not to pass along a different book on grief that didn't feel quite right, I decided that this one absolutely needed to be shared.

(PS I won't rate this book since I read it more for the sake of passing along than for getting something out of it myself.)

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a comforting collection of poems with honest reflections on what it is like to grieve for loved ones. Crews's poetry is inspirational and soothing. Many of the poems use metaphors from the natural world, reminding us that we can open ourselves to emotion just like buds unfurl in the spring. This book would be a great gift for someone struggling with grief or for a bereavement group to read and discuss.

[Jill Salahub · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore every collection from James Crews, whether one he's written or one he's put together. They are always magic, medicine. Having lost my dad and mother-in-law along with my mom's dementia diagnosis in the past two years, this one was especially timely. I love how he includes the story behind each poem and a prompt.

[Carl Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A memoir of sorts--a collection of poems and reflections on the author's experience of grief with suggest prompts for the reader to consider their own experiences.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Crews writes about grief softly and personally in a way that is educational and soothing. He admits that his grief is his and not necessarily right nor wrong, but his descriptive verse so easily connects to the reader. In addition, he gently offers writing prompts in the event someone wants to use that venue of healing, but it is not prescriptive. As in all his poetry, he just generously shares himself.

[Jarod Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is gentle, affirming company on the path of grieving. It doesn’t shy away from the pain, the work, the time that grief requires of us, but it does remind us that we have power and agency on our journey toward healing.