What do you think?
Rate this book
One Question: Short Conversations with Poets
424 pages, Paperback
Published April 28, 2026
About the author
Ross Gay
36 books1,534 followersRoss Gay is an American poet, essayist, and professor who won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry and the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award for his 2014 book Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, which was also a finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry.
His honors include being a Cave Canem Workshop fellow and a Bread Loaf Writers' Conference Tuition Scholar, and he received a grant from the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts.
He is an associate professor of poetry at Indiana University and teaches in Drew University’s low-residency MFA program in poetry. He also serves on the board of the Bloomington Community Orchard.
His honors include being a Cave Canem Workshop fellow and a Bread Loaf Writers' Conference Tuition Scholar, and he received a grant from the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts.
He is an associate professor of poetry at Indiana University and teaches in Drew University’s low-residency MFA program in poetry. He also serves on the board of the Bloomington Community Orchard.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 8, 2026
One Question: Short Conversations with Poets is a remarkable celebration of poetry, curiosity, and the creative process. Rather than presenting formal interviews, this collection offers intimate conversations that reveal the humanity behind the poems, reminding readers that great writing often begins with a single thoughtful question.
What makes this book so compelling is its simplicity. Each conversation opens a window into how poets think, observe, remember, and make meaning of the world. The format encourages honesty and reflection, allowing each contributor's unique voice to emerge naturally without feeling overly structured or academic.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its extraordinary range of perspectives. Bringing together an impressive collection of contemporary poets, the conversations explore inspiration, language, identity, memory, grief, joy, love, craft, and the everyday moments that quietly shape artistic expression. While each poet offers a distinct worldview, the collection creates an ongoing dialogue about what it means to pay attention to language, to others, and to ourselves.
Readers do not need to be poets to appreciate these exchanges. Writers, artists, educators, students, and anyone interested in creativity will find wisdom throughout these pages. Many of the responses feel less like literary criticism and more like conversations with thoughtful friends whose insights linger long after the page is turned.
Ross Gay's editorial vision deserves special recognition. The questions are deceptively simple, yet they consistently invite profound, often surprising reflections. The result is a book that celebrates not only poetry but also listening, curiosity, and the power of genuine conversation.
One Question reminds us that poetry is not confined to books it lives in attention, compassion, observation, and the willingness to ask meaningful questions. It is an inspiring collection that readers will return to repeatedly for fresh insight and renewed appreciation of language and the people who shape it.
What makes this book so compelling is its simplicity. Each conversation opens a window into how poets think, observe, remember, and make meaning of the world. The format encourages honesty and reflection, allowing each contributor's unique voice to emerge naturally without feeling overly structured or academic.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its extraordinary range of perspectives. Bringing together an impressive collection of contemporary poets, the conversations explore inspiration, language, identity, memory, grief, joy, love, craft, and the everyday moments that quietly shape artistic expression. While each poet offers a distinct worldview, the collection creates an ongoing dialogue about what it means to pay attention to language, to others, and to ourselves.
Readers do not need to be poets to appreciate these exchanges. Writers, artists, educators, students, and anyone interested in creativity will find wisdom throughout these pages. Many of the responses feel less like literary criticism and more like conversations with thoughtful friends whose insights linger long after the page is turned.
Ross Gay's editorial vision deserves special recognition. The questions are deceptively simple, yet they consistently invite profound, often surprising reflections. The result is a book that celebrates not only poetry but also listening, curiosity, and the power of genuine conversation.
One Question reminds us that poetry is not confined to books it lives in attention, compassion, observation, and the willingness to ask meaningful questions. It is an inspiring collection that readers will return to repeatedly for fresh insight and renewed appreciation of language and the people who shape it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review