Encyclopedia of a Broken Heart: Poems

by Jon Lupin, The Poetry Bandit

A collection of new poems on the themes of hurt, melancholy, and healing by Jon Lupin, the Poetry Bandit

From the poet behind You Only Love Me When I'm Suffering comes a new collection of poetry that will shake you to the core. Organized in the format of an encyclopedia, each letter of the alphabet includes several poems on the theme of the word that begins with that letter. Emotional and inspiring, Encyclopedia of a Broken Heart will appeal to every modern poetry lover.

Genres: Poetry, Canada

192 pages, Paperback

Published October 8, 2019

About the author

See also Jon Lupin The Poetry Bandit.

Reviews

[Nat K · Rating 5 out of 5]

The A-Z of emotions. Poems for each letter of the alphabet.

Things might not always work out ok, but at least you tried. Rainbows only appear after the rain.

Poetry makes me realise the absolute power of words. I found this collection to be even more honest than You Only Love Me When I'm Suffering. There is an added layer of vulnerability in these poems. Jon Lupin displays a deft touch with digging deep and prodding tender spots that are perhaps better left alone.

But along with any pain, there is also hope. And renewal. The possibility to start again.

It's quite a strength to wear your heart so openly on your sleeve. I can't help but admire that.

I finished reading this last night, and I’m still pondering on so many of the poems. I feel like some of them have been written just for me.

Jon Lupin caught my eye recently on Instagram @The_PoetryBandit. I encourage anyone who’s curious about poetry to dip their toes in the water with Jon, as his themes are universal. And I’m sure most people can relate to the myriad of feelings he talks about.

”She could be bruised.
She could be cut.
She could bleed.
She could be
put under by a broken world.
And still,
she would heal,
dust herself off,
and tell you
she will be ok,
because she is a queen
and she is built of
tougher stuff.”
- QUEEN

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

He makes me want to own a typewriter
I loved his play of the alphabet with this book

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreakingly beautiful. Each page draws you into his world. I highly recommend.

[Tony Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jon's poetic style eminates seemingly from something I too am all too familiar with - unrequited love. Heart break oddly enough is relieved not by hiding from hurt and pain, but rather by entering in with your whole heart and the beauty of art in its many forms. Jon's poems are ironically both whimsical emotional flourishes and succinct 'matter of fact' realizations of love lost.

I look forward to his future work.

[Courtney Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've now read all of Jon's books, and one of the reasons I've continued to seek out his work is the honesty he puts into them. I see him working through problems as he puts pen to paper, and I appreciate that many of these poems required humility and vulnerability to decide to share them with the world. "Live," "Love," "Past," and "Queen" are my favorites.

[Simo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Poetry Bandit's encyclopedia revisits love and heartache in a current and relatable way. There is something reassuring, even optimistic, about this book as you go through all there is to love. There is no salvation or even a promise of that, but you can lean on these beautiful words for a better outlook.

[book.to.frame · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly good. There were a lot of poems I liked in here and the rest weren’t too bad. I’d definitely recommend this for others to read. I’m going to share my favorite poem from this book:

BLESSING

It can get quite annoying
when you’re hurting,
to be told to look for the blessing
in the pain.

Let me just part the
Red Sea of tears
and look for the amazing shore
that awaits on the other side.
That’s simply not possible,
at least not until
I’m sure I’m on dry ground.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of heartache and healing bundled into an encyclopedia of experience.

[Jeremy Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love his poetry. Definitely one of my favorites poets

[Maria Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book while I was broken-hearted and the world was just beginning to understand Covid-19. For a while, I could only read 3-4 poems at a time before either crying or feeling like I just received a swift kick in the gut. Jon writes from a place of openness and honesty, in a way that is highly relatable to the reader. Whether you are dealing with heartbreak, loss, addiction, etc., this is a book that I will readily recommend to all. After all, we’re all a little broken in some way.

[The Earls List · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first poetry book ordered alpha by title.

I felt like it made the collection a little jumbled. You may be reading about a break up then jump to hard life stories. It was still an interesting collection but it didn’t move me as much as I would have liked.

[Marsha Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Job Lupin aka The Poetry Bandit purchase, definitely not my last. For the broken, brokenhearted or just a lover of raw vulnerable words strung together beautifully. Absolutely adored every page. Thank you Jon!

[Louise Erskine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautifully written collection of poetry, I cried most of the time reading it and came out the other side feeling stronger and closer to healing all the heartache X

[Brooke Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book I’ve read of Jon’s and I’m not only a HUGE fan but I’m also completely hooked on his poetry!


His books seem to get better and better, and the hype I built up after reading his other two poetry books was pretty high for Encyclopedia of a Broken Heart...


And I wasn’t disappointed!


There’s so much love, regret, growth, and self-awareness in this book on top of just being presented in a beautiful way! The imagery and word choice/style was something I immediately gravitated to when I read the first book of his I picked up.


The craziest thing was that I began reading his poems after I picked up one of his books on impulse... Here I am—an obsessed fan who’s read all his books and loves sharing his work on Instagram! :)


I recommend not only Encyclopedia of a Broken Heart but his other two books as well for anyone who’s a sucker for love (or heartbreak) poems, or needs something to relate to.

[Jordana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this because it is written by a local author, also because I got to meet him when he came to do a signing in the bookstore I work at. I enjoyed this. Even though I myself have not yet experience a broken heart, I was able to connect with quite a few of the poems. These poems make you and you pain and struggles feel heard. I highly recommend this to anyone who is able to get their hands on it.

[Raven Gunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful! These poems made me feel less alone, made me smile, and made me cry. Jon Lupin is uncommonly honest in his writing. I found healing amongst these pages and I can't wait to read whatever the Poetry Bandit writes next!
"We read to know we are not alone." - C.S. Lewis

[Brandi Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The encyclopedia of a broken heart. From the hardest parts of leaving and being left behind to the more enjoyable corners of feeling good on your own two feet, these pages capture it all. Quite an enjoyable read to get the mind’s wheels turning.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Really liked about 15 poems, all others were mediocre or not unique enough for my tastes. Many poems did not speak to me. This is a personal preference and has nothing to do with the author's skills

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected and I couldn't be happier about it.

Walk with me, won't you? My road is long and unforgiving; having someone to share it with makes the unkindness of ravens who follow me less of a nuisance and more of a choir. - Nuisance

[Margaret Velto · Rating 5 out of 5]

reminiscent of david levithan’s a lover’s dictionary, encyclopedia of a broken heart details all the ways one can feel broken inside. it is a collection for beginning and veteran poetry enthusiasts alike and can help even the most locked-down hearts find solace.

[Chris Marcinkiewicz]

Quite simply a wonderful collection of poetry aimed into the tough stuff in the life of relationships, heartbreak and love.

[Gea · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I've read poetry, but this is not your high school poetry! Modern, edgy, heartfelt poems about love, heartbreak and life.

[Waverlee North · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written.

[Lori-Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite poet! Discovered him on Instagram and fell immediately in love with his style!
Must read!

[John Geddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreakingly earnest. Lupin’e work definitely make you feel understand, that someone else out there is hurt and examining themselves and their memories with a fine tooth comb.

[Aj ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

most poems were absolutely gorgeous but others were headass :/