The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind and Soul

by William Sieghart (Author, Narrator)

When we're grieving, when we're broken-hearted, and when we find ourselves struggling to understand the things we're feeling, we long for the connection poetry can provide. To find the right poem at that crucial moment, one capable of expressing our situation with considerably more elegance than we could muster ourselves, is to discover a powerful sense of complicity, and that precious realization: I'm not the only one who feels like this.

In the years since he first had the idea of prescribing short, powerful poems for all manner of spiritual ailments, William Sieghart has taken his Poetry Pharmacy around the length and breadth of Britain, into the pages of the Guardian, onto BBC Radio 4 and onto the television, honing his prescriptions all the time. This pocket-sized book presents the most essential poems in his dispensary: those which, again and again, have really shown themselves to work. Whether you are suffering from loneliness, lack of courage, heartbreak, hopelessness, or even from an excess of ego, there is something here to ease your pain.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Self Help, Anthologies, Unfinished, Philosophy

4 pages, Audiobook

First published September 28, 2017

Reviews

[Ilse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any healthy man can go without food for two days--but not without poetry.
Charles Baudelaire

I liked the concept and premise of this variegated anthology a lot. A fine poem a day keeps the doctor away. As a believer in the power and the necessity of poetry, I cheer William Sieghart’s laudable mission to listen to people’s problems and administer a “prescription” in the shape of poem to those affected by what he classifies as “conditions” (mostly ‘spiritual ailments’ as there are, addiction, despair at the absurdity of the world, aging, the emotions connected to love, regret, self-recrimination, heartbreak, depression, isolation, various forms of fear, grief, lethargy, illness, worrying and many, many more - the array of human suffering is wide). As a devotee and promotor of poetry, having founded National Poetry Day in Britain, he understood that suffering is the access point to poetry for a lot of people and that such offers a momentum to introduce people to poetry as they are ready to open their ears, hearts and minds – and find poetry as a balm, a comfort, a smile, a succour, or simply a help to embrace one’s feelings in certain situations (infatuation, grief) The poems are presented in five categories, touching on mental and emotional wellbeing, motivations, self-image and self-acceptance, the world and other people, love and loss.



(Heinrich Vogeler, Sehnsucht (Träumerei), 1900)

Sieghart introduces each poem by a page-long meditation reflecting on what we might need if we are overwhelmed by certain emotions and why he selected that particular poem to come to an aid. As much as I liked reading his considerate reflections on the human condition, about one third in I reversed the order of reading and first read the poem before turning to his commentary, as his musings started to distract me from the poetry as well as taking away somewhat the joy of discovery and interpretation under my own steam.

Having approached the book in two ways – first time dipping in and out, the second time reading it from cover to cover – I enjoyed dipping in the most, just opening this lovely, pretty volume and imbibing what the random two pages offered – admittedly, like the princess in Leskov’s story The Spirit of Madame de Genlis found out by opening a book at random trusting to find apposite wisdom ,there is also a risk in that. You might find yourself in an quite different mood than apposite for the poem, while the particular resonance of mood in tune with the poem is exactly what makes this anthology stand out from others bundling poems from another perspective or thematically (like the anthologies that previously found their way to my bookcase on love, death, the seasons, or simply ‘the most beautiful poems ever’). On the other hand, it is worth taking a chance, as I largely agree with Sieghart’s point that a poem as ‘a sudden splash of serenity and beauty can provide the impetus needed to turn the mood around’.

For someone coming from a different linguistic area, not all but many of the poets called on were a first acquaintance and so fresh, while many naturally are household names to the English speaking audience this anthology is serving in the first place (Siegfried Sassoon, Wendell Berry, Philip Larkin, Maya Angelou, Mary Oliver, Seamus Heany, Derek Walcott, John Donne) – only the poems of Hafez, Rumi, Izumi Shikibu come in a translation. Despite the splendour of the greater part of the poems, the anthology left me slightly underwhelmed, because some of the poems tasted rather bland for me - not because of their content, which was often poignant enough, just their tone, cadence, musicality couldn’t stir me much aesthetically – I assume some more of them might grow on me on a next read.

Having finished this collection, it was a great pleasure to listen to the touching testimony of William Sieghart about the project and the power of poetry, in which his love for the Persian poet Hafez shines through.

Sieghart closes his anthology with an invitation to share with him the poems that mean the most to the reader (The Poetry Pharmacy Returns: More Prescriptions for Courage, Healing and Hope, a second volume of the poetry pharmacy meanwhile saw the light of the day and is equally delightful). Why not take inspiration from that call and bundle for yourself the poems that have been or are meaningful to you in some nice little notebook, a beacon to turn to when sailing stormy water? I will start tomorrow, what are you waiting for?

Thank you very much Mwana for adding to the pleasure of this collection by pointing me to this wonderful
panel reading and discussion of some of the poems of this collection. Celia, Celia....four lines putting a big smile on my face.

Some of the poems that spoke most to me at the moment of reading – preferences might vary with the mood:

Although the wind

Although the wind
blows terribly here,
the moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house.
(Izumi Shikibu, translated by Jane Hirshfield)


(Izumi Shikibu in a 1765 Kusazōshi by Komatsuken)

The Trees
The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said;
The recent buds relax and spread,
Their greenness is a kind of grief.

Is it that they are born again
And we grow old? No, they die too,
Their yearly trick of looking new
Is written down in rings of grain.

Yet still the unresting castles thresh
In fullgrown thickness every May.
Last year is dead, they seem to say,
Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.
(Philip larkin)


(David Hockney, 2020)

Love is Not All (Sonnet XXX)

Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;
Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink
And rise and sink and rise and sink again;
Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath,
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;
Yet many a man is making friends with death
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone.
It well may be that in a difficult hour,
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
Or nagged by want past resolution's power,
I might be driven to sell your love for peace,
Or trade the memory of this night for food.
It well may be. I do not think I would.
(Edna St. Vincent Millay)


(Gabriel Pachecho)

The Present
Much has been said about being in the present.
It’s the place to be, according to the gurus,
like the latest club on the downtown scene,
but no one, it seems, is able to give you directions.

It doesn’t seem desirable or even possible
to wake up every morning and begin
leaping from one second into the next
until you fall exhausted back into bed.

Plus, there’d be no past
with so many scenes to savor and regret,
and no future, the place you will die
but not before flying around with a jet-pack.

The trouble with the present is
that it’s always in a state of vanishing.
Take the second it takes to end
this sentence with a period––already gone.

What about the moment that exists
between banging your thumb
with a hammer and realizing
you are in a whole lot of pain?

What about the one that occurs
after you hear the punch line
but before you get the joke?
Is that where the wise men want us to live

in that intervening tick, the tiny slot
that occurs after you have spent hours
searching downtown for that new club
and just before you give up and head back home?
(Billy Collins)

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are Ilse's reviews, and they so inspired me I bought the first volume at once, before I knew she'd prescribed for me a different book altogether.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...?
and that of
The Poetry Pharmacy Returns: More Prescriptions for Courage, Healing and Hope
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

💖

I've always believed in the power of poetry to explain people to themselves.

William Sieghart's poetry project began when he posted a beloved poem around London in places it could be read from buses and under bridges. From there it progressed to, after lectures on his own poetry anthology, sitting one-on-one with members of the audience, speaking briefly and "prescribing" specific poems for them.

I realized we were onto something...Being there with the right words for someone in that moment--

The project flourished and grew. The full history is in the book (which in the U.S. in e-book form is entitled The Poetry Remedy).

I must have listened, over the past few years, to nearly a thousand people's problems...Seeing the difference the right poem can make written on that many faces has given me confidence in poetry's power to change lives.

The book is divided into five sections: Mental and Emotional Well-Being, Motivations, Self-Image and Self-Acceptance, The World and Other People, and Love and Loss. The divisions, for me, were a distraction but not a reduction since you can read them once as I did, many times or not at all. Not so with the seventy-four conditions, each of which is printed above its poem.

For example, Elizabeth Bishop's One Art is placed in Self-Image and Self-Acceptance. In this heart it mainly lives in Love and Loss, though it spends time in Mental and Emotional Well-Being as well as three others. Of the seventy-four conditions, the one for which he prescribes it is Letting Go. It makes sense but so do dozens of others. But it had to be done somehow, there are no prescriptions without conditions. So I learned to stop trying to rewrite what isn't mine: to Let Go. Because poetry.

And there are some superb poems, for me some new ones, old friends and a few regulars. There's a lovely variety of poetry modern and traditional, which includes works by Phillip Larkin, Maya Angelou, Rumi, William Carlos Williams, Whitman, Carver, cummings, Millay, Mary Oliver, Berry, Keats and Cope. Poetry is soul food so of course some will taste better on your tongue than others.

What I love best about a well-curated poetry collection created from the work of diverse writers -- which this is -- is what the poems gain from being under the same roof so to speak. In addition to love of the poems themselves, I so enjoy the special synergy of how they interact with one another, with their neighbors and across the pages, assenting, echoing, arguing. I love listening in on their conversations.

I didn't choose them to illustrate my criticisms, but these two poems are placed in different Divisions: Collins in Self-Image and Self-Acceptance, Doty in Motivations. Note the conditions.

It's time for these two poems I love to speak to me, to you and to one another.

condition: guilt at not living in the moment
The Present
Billy Collins

Much has been said about being in the present.
It's the place to be, according to the gurus,
like the latest club on the downtown scene,
but no one, it seems, is able to give you directions.

It doesn't seem desirable or even possible
to wake up every morning and begin
leaping from one second into the next
until you fall exhausted back into bed.

Plus, there'd be no past,
with so many scenes to savor and regret,
and no future, the place you will die
but not before flying around with a jet-pack.

The trouble with the present is
that it's always in a state of vanishing.
Take the second it takes to end
this sentence with a period--already gone.

What about the moment that exists
between banging your thumb
with a hammer and realizing
you are in a whole lot of pain?

What about the one that occurs
after you hear the punch line
but before you get the joke?
Is that where the wise men want us to live.

In that intervening tick, the tiny slot
that occurs after you have spent hours
searching downtown for that new club
and just before you give up and head back home.

⭐

condition: failure to live in the moment
Golden Retrievals
Mark Doty

Fetch? Balls and sticks capture my attention
seconds at a time. Catch? I don't think so.
Bunny, tumbling leaf, a squirrel who's -- oh
joy -- actually scared. Sniff the wind, then.

I'm off again: muck, pond, ditch, residue
of any thrillingly dead thing. And you?
Either you're sunk in the past, half our walk,
thinking of what you never can bring back,

or else you're off in some fog concerning
-- tomorrow, is that what you call it? My work:
to unsnare time's warp (and woof!), retrieving,
my haze-headed friend, you. This shining bark,

a Zen master's bronzy gong, calls you here,
entirely, now: bow-wow, bow-wow, bow-wow.

[Maddy ✨ ~The Verse Vixen {AFK brb} · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Poetry Pharmacy by William Sieghart is an absolute gem of a book. It’s not just a collection of poems; it’s a toolkit for the soul. and I love the concept behind it. It’s like a poetic guidebook for different emotional struggles. Feeling anxious? There’s a poem for that. Heartbroken? Lonely? Burnt out? It’s all in there, paired with thoughtful little "prescriptions" to soothe whatever you’re going through.

What I loved most is how approachable it is. Even if you’re not into poetry, Sieghart’s careful curation and his thoughtful commentary make it easy to connect with the words. It’s like he understands what you’re going through and hands you a poem that says, “You’re not alone.”

That said, I found many of the poems were ones I’d already read before. The variety is beautiful—classic and modern poems, each speaking directly to the heart. Some moved me to tears; others felt like a quiet reassurance. It’s the kind of book you’ll return to over and over, finding new comfort every time.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Poetry Pharmacy is exactly what it states in the title. This short read contains poems from a range of authors, all dealing with different subjects, such as bereavement, obsessive love, self image and self acceptance and various others.
Some of these poems I enjoyed and appreciated more than others. Here is one of my favourites;

"Although the wind." By Izumi Shikibu.
Although the wind
blows terribly here,
the moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house.

I like the variety of authors that are included in here. You have Rumi, but then you have Maya Angelou. I happen to love Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal woman" and this poem is in the section of "Insecurity" This poem is grand for any woman that is insecure about themselves, especially their appearance, and it tells us that you don't have to live up to or be societies expectation. You are an individual, and you are a phenomenal woman, no matter what size dress you take, or no matter what you choose to wear.

While I liked this book, I thought that the author could have included a few poems for each section, as I do think for me, it was certainly lacking something.

I think this is a good book to start with if you are fairly new to poetry, or, it could make a rather good present for an individual needing some thoughtful words.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Today is National Poetry Day here in the UK, and there could be no better primer for reluctant poetry readers than William Sieghart’s The Poetry Pharmacy. Consider it the verse equivalent of Berthoud and Elderkin’s The Novel Cure: an accessible and inspirational guide that suggests the right piece at the right time to help heal a particular emotional condition.

Sieghart, a former chairman of the Arts Council Lottery Panel, founded the Forward Prizes for Poetry in 1992 and National Poetry Day itself in 1994. He’s active in supporting public libraries and charities, but he’s also dedicated to giving personal poetry prescriptions, and has taken his Poetry Pharmacy idea to literary festivals, newspapers and radio programs.

Under five broad headings, this short book covers everything from Anxiety and Convalescence to Heartbreak and Regret. I most appreciated the discussion of slightly more existential states, such as Feelings of Unreality, for which Sieghart prescribes a passage from John Burnside’s “Of Gravity and Light,” about the grounding Buddhist monks find in menial tasks. Pay attention to life’s everyday duties, the poem teaches, and higher insights will come.

I also particularly enjoyed Julia Darling’s “Chemotherapy”—

I never thought that life could get this small,
that I would care so much about a cup,
the taste of tea, the texture of a shawl,
and whether or not I should get up.

and “Although the wind” by Izumi Shikibu:

Although the wind
blows terribly here,
the moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house.

Sieghart has chosen a great variety of poems in terms of time period and register. Rumi and Hafez share space with Wendy Cope and Maya Angelou. Of the 56 poems, I’d estimate that at least three-quarters are from the twentieth century or later. At times the selections are fairly obvious or clichéd (especially “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” for Bereavement), and the choice of short poems or excerpts seems to pander to short attention spans. So populist is the approach that Sieghart warns Keats is the hardest of all. I also thought there should have been a strict one poem per poet rule; several get two or even three entries.

If put in the right hands, though, this book will be an ideal introduction to the breadth of poetry out there. It would be a perfect Christmas present for the person in your life who always says they wish they could appreciate poetry but just don’t know where to start or how to understand it. Readers of a certain age may get the most out of the book, as a frequently recurring message is that it’s never too late to change one’s life and grow in positive ways.

“What people need more than comfort is to be given a different perspective on their inner turmoil. They need to reframe their narrative in a way that leaves room for happiness and gratitude,” Sieghart writes. Poetry is a perfect way to look slantwise at truth (to paraphrase Emily Dickinson) and change your perceptions about life. If you’re new to poetry, pick this up at once; if you’re an old hand, maybe buy it for someone else and have a quick glance through to discover a new poet or two.

Do you turn to poetry when you’re struggling with life? Does it help?


Related reading:

Books I’ve read and enjoyed:

The Hatred of Poetry by Ben Lerner
52 Ways of Looking at a Poem by Ruth Padel
The Poem and the Journey and 60 Poems to Read Along the Way by Ruth Padel

Currently reading:

Why Poetry by Matthew Zapruder

On the TBR:

Poetry Will Save Your Life: A Memoir by Jill Bialosky
How to Read a Poem by Molly Peacock

Originally published, with images, on my blog, Bookish Beck.

[tee · Rating 5 out of 5]

peaceful girl summer <3 this book was a healing experience.... growth! happiness!! clarity!!! i knew i’d love this because i very often treat poetry as my pharmacy so i appreciated the concept of this (of course) but as a bonus this had the inclusions of both my favorite poets john keats and mary oliver among the many others that i either already love or just discovered. will go back to these pages so often with a big heart, big energy, big love :-)

“a thing of beauty is a joy for ever / its loveliness increases; it will never / pass into nothingness; but still will keep / a bower quiet for us, and a sleep / full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing / therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing / a flowery band to bind us to the earth / spite of despondence [...]” !!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars if I could, but I'm happy to round up rather than down.

Robert Graves wrote, “A well chosen anthology is a complete dispensary of medicine for the more common mental disorders, and may be used as much for prevention as cure,” and that is the premise of the present anthology.

Sieghart explains in his introduction how the idea of his Poetry Pharmacy arose and developed, following with a useful short note on "how to read poetry". He then introduces each poem under a heading for the "conditions" for which he would describe them, and how a particular reading might shed light upon the causes of, or alleviate the feelings of, distress.

Naturally, there is a subjective view to such things, and I didn't always feel a particular poem was apposite, or that it would necessarily be helpful or therapeutic, but that's shaped by my own feeling-world and frame of reference. On balance, I think Sieghart hit the mark much more often than he missed.

I'm not sure how seriously Sieghart takes his idea of prescribing "pills" of poetry as if they would have a defined, consistent, and predictable effect upon different individuals. I'd assume that's not his position (and I'd disagree with him if it is), however, in a social setting that adheres to the Western medical-model of health and well-being, his pharmacy concept may be a gateway through which people can engage with poetry, and hopefully find a reflective space in which they can better understand themselves and the wellsprings of their distress.

[Preety Virdi · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

This is the second audio book I have ever listened to. The first was We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda ngozi Adichie. Evening walks had me trying this out, in favour of repetitive lyrics, or rhythmic footsteps and labored breathing. It seems to work for me.

When I first started listening to The Poetry Pharmacy, I was blown away, and wanted to open my Goodreads profile just to rate it before I had even finished it. I absolutely loved it! In a way, I am glad I didn’t. To capture the true depth of something, sometimes we need to immerse ourselves in it fully, get the whole picture and not just that which appeals to us most. Having said that, it was still amazing, albeit less applicable to me towards the end.

William Sieghart uses the power of poetry to heal our wounds, to quieten our minds, to alleviate our pain and to diminish our woes. He has collected poems from well known poets such as the 13th and 14th Century Rumi and Hafez, to famous poems such as Maya Angelou’s “And Still, I Rise” and “If” by Rudyard Kipling, to ‘mere’ (but not so mere) two liners, on to anthems and prose to come up with a remedy for what he considers the main psychological ailments suffered by the masses. There is something in this pharmacy that will appeal to every one of us, of that, I am sure. He considers people of all ages, which is why, not every poem will appeal to one person alone.

The first 45 minutes had me smiling ear-to-ear as I walked. That could have been due to the fact that William Sieghart tugged at my heartstrings by including “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Oscar Hammerstein II (the anthem of Liverpool Football Club) or it could have been due to the fact that they really did make ‘light’ of ‘heavy’ situations. His method was: stating the condition, and then prescribing the poem, by first explaining it in his own words and then reading it out loud.

The only reason I have rated it 4.5 instead of 5 is because a lot of the conditions seemed repetitive. Also, as much as these were considered the main conditions, I find that a number of ‘critical psychological conditions’ have been left out. Credit to him though; he asked for suggestions at the very end of the book and he tried to be inclusive as well. To be fair, I don’t think it was possible to capture it all!

Here are some gems I discovered (there are a lot more, but including them would just mean re-writing the book in the review):

The Fist, By Derek Walcott
The fist clenched round my heart
loosens a little, and I gasp
brightness; but it tightens
again. When have I ever not loved
the pain of love? But this has moved
past love to mania. This has the strong
clench of the madman, this is
gripping the ledge of unreason, before
plunging howling into the abyss.

Hold hard then, heart. This way at least you live.

“Although the wind ...”, By Izumi Shikibu, Translated by Jane Hirshfield
Although the wind
blows terribly here,
the moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house.

The Price, By Stuart Henson
Sometimes it catches when the fumes rise up among the throbbing lights of cars,
or as you look away to dodge eye-contact with your own reflection in the carriage-glass;
or in a waiting-room a face reminds you that the colour supplements have lied and some have pleasure and some pay the price.
Then all the small securities you built about your house, your desk, your calendar are blown like straws; and momentarily, as if a scent of ivy or the earth had opened up a childhood door, you pause,
to take the measure of what might have been against the kind of life you settled for.

Burlap Sack, By Jane Hirshfield
A person is full of sorrow
the way a burlap sack is full of stones or sand.
We say, "Hand me the sack,"
but we get the weight.
Heavier if left out in the rain.
To think that the stones or sand are the self is an error.
To think that grief is the self is an error.
Self carries grief as a pack mule carries the side bags,
being careful between the trees to leave extra room.
The mule is not the load of ropes and nails and axes.
The self is not the miner nore builder nore driver.
What would it be to take the bride
and leave behind the heavy dowry?
To let the thin-ribbed mule browse in tall grasses,
its long ears waggling like the tails of two happy dogs?

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little collection, although it did also start to feel a little repetitive after a while. In it, Sieghart basically takes a bunch of different circumstances in which someone might need a poem and then he makes a diagnosis and writes out a prescription in the form of a famous poem. Sieghart has made a name for himself as the proprietor of the Poetry Pharmacy, and he goes to events and listens to people’s troubles and then suggests a poem that might help them.

It’s a pretty cool idea, and the poems in this collection are plenty of fun and come from a wide variety of sources. It’s also presented in a stunning red hardback that quite honestly will make a great addition to your collection even if you don’t read it.

[Ophelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love the idea of this - sounds like the perfect job, to sit and listen to people tell you how they're feeling, and then read them a poem that makes them feel less alone in that feeling.
Whilst I didn't necessarily love all the poems in this collection (question: is two bullet pointed sentences really a poem? idk) they all made sense with the explanation of their inclusion alongside, and the afflictions of the heart, mind and soul that they intend to treat. It also includes some of my favourites, plus many I hadn't heard of and now plan to read again.

Giving it a 3.5* rounded up for the surprising amount of joy it brought.

[Liv Chalmers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so grateful for this book, you would not believe. This book got me out of a two year plus reading slump, that was ruled by my depression. Sieghart's short but sweet entries alongside these poems were almost my saviour. The whole collection was so real and relatable which only made you see yourself in these little moments of self help. It was a pat on the back without even knowing it. I would recommend this to any poetry lovers who are struggling; Sieghart has a remedy for you all. These recommendations and moments of clarity are what I needed to get back onto my road of recovery, and being able to read for pleasure again has really made me realise that I am getting there again.

[Fern A · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Sieghart prescribes poetry to people for the mood or problem they are facing, this is a collection of some of his most commonly prescribed ones.
I really liked the idea behind this. Also useful was the introduction to each poem beforehand giving background information to both the poem and issue it is addressing. One to definitely dip in and out of.

[Jo Berry ☀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ok collection of 56 poems. Many of them will be familiar to anyone who takes a general interest in poetry, such as Kipling’s ‘If’ and works by Maya Angelou, Hafez and Rumi. I would have liked a few more surprises though, and for Sieghart to have pulled out a few hidden gems, but I suppose these poems are always popular. It just didn’t feel I was discovering anything.

Also, I would have liked a few more poems in each ailment category. It was one problem, one poem. Could we not have had two or three to cure us? But, as we only got the one, I would have preferred to read the poem first, then read Sieghart’s thoughts on the problem it was meant to heal afterwards. Unfortunately, I was listening to the audio version of this book, so it wasn’t easy to jump ahead to the poem, then go back.

Not that I really wanted to go back. I really wanted to get to the poems and form my own opinions. Most of the book is taken up with Sieghart’s own ‘self-help’ writing, rather than poetry. The poems themselves are mostly very short. Some are just extracts. I also thought the whole Poetry Pharmacy thing was a bit overplayed. At one point, Sieghart even described a person he had recommended a poem to as a ‘patient’. It started to irritate me. The fact is, Sieghart didn’t write any of these poems himself, he’s not a psychologist and it seems he didn’t even come up with the poetry pharmacy idea either, so I think he should reign himself in a bit.

The bottom line is: there are better poetry anthologies out there, with more poems in them, for your money. Many anthologies are themed, to help you find what you’re looking for. So, lose all the self-help padding and just read poems until you find the ones that speak to you.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fittingly, a doctor friend recommended The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Mind, Heart and Soul to me. I read most of it while too exhausted and headache-y to concentrate on a novel or look at a screen. Sieghart has collected poems (or short extracts of poems) and sorted them by what ills of the soul they might soothe. While feeling OK, I found the brevity of some poems unsatisfying. While feeling ill, however, this was advantageous. It is definitely a good book to read when you feel under the weather. Sieghart's commentary on each poem is thoughtful and well-judged, balancing sympathy, empathy, and pragmatism deftly.

My particular favourites in the collection were 'The Guest House' by Rumi, 'Still I Rise' by Maya Angelou, and 'Endymion' by John Keats. If you have extensive prior familiarity with poetry, this collection is unlikely to introduce you to anything new. However, many of the poems were new to me and I appreciated the taxonomy of conditions they could treat, such as 'longing for beauty', 'guilt at not living in the moment', 'purposelessness', and 'news overload'. An ingenious idea, cleverly done and beautifully presented.

[Calum Mackenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m divided on this - I love the idea and believe poetry is personal taste in many ways.....however I cringed a bit with poems by the wonderful Maya Angelou as ‘an antidote to racism and sexism’.....erm.....not sure that doesn’t just sound like a glib, middle class response and a bit tactless?

There’s a few beautiful poems by Rumi, Cope, Edna St Millay and Angelou. There’s also a couple by Larkin. Loads by poets ive never heard of (and I’ve read and own a lot) and my own personal bug-bear ‘If’ by Kipling the most outdated pile of £&@# and Victorian masculinity rubbish.

I bought this (which I only do 4/5 times a year as a library addict) and I was disappointed. It is and sounds like a well-meaning, middle aged man giving some kind, cliched, average advice but there are many poems that could have been used instead.

Daisy Goodwin’s compilations ‘101 poems to get you through the day and night’ and ‘101 poems that could save your life’ don’t waste precious pages on advice but merely introduce in a couple of sentences.

This book is 50% advice from a well meaning man, 15% blank space (v frustrating) and the remainder, poems.

Don’t recommend.

[Sophy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt I needed a bit more poetry in my life and I thought the best way to absorb it would be through audiobook.

William Sieghart is the perfect orator of poetry. Each poem is "prescribed" for a condition, be it depression, anxiety, grief or overthinking, there is something for each human and their mood in this collection. They are all beautifully introduced and explained by Sieghart and a little personal background is given before the poem (either excerpt or full title) is presented.

A perfect introduction for me into poetry. There are some I'd like to revisit and other works I'd like to see from different authors.

Highly recommended if like me, you're generally a bit of a poetry avoider!

[Mahmoud Ayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light read and a great start for the year. I really loved how each poem is linked to a certain emotion and how they are used to help people find comfort/meaning in whatever they are going through. Some repetition was there, at least I felt like it, but overall it's a great and easy read.

[Jessie Pietens · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely book. The concept of this - choosing a poem to read when you feel a certain way, then using the poem to try and make yourself feel better - is absolutely brilliant. I feel this is how I was reading poetry anyway, but Sieghart managed to give it such a distinct form. The poems that were chosen were great - albeit not all of them, but that is usually the case for me with anthologies. So many of the poems in here felt comforting and disarming. This will definitely be a staple on my bookshelf which I will dip in and out of from time to time. I can't wait to get the next instalment in the series.

[Yugvir Parhar · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is something I'll come back to again and again. it really does validate a condition and comforts you.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A selection of poems arranged under the following broad topical headings:

- Mental and Emotional Wellbeing
- Motivations
- Self-Image and Self-Acceptance
- The World And Other People
- Love And Loss

The idea behind this collection is that a poem is offered as a prescription for some particular facet of the human experience. They are, to use the metaphor the author employs, like talking to someone who has 'the right words' to address and comfort you in your current situation. From the introduction:

'The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.'

Some of these poems spoke to instances in my life more than others, as will be the case with anyone who reads this book. While this is an interesting idea for a collection, I give it an overall rating of three stars.

[seren✨ starrybooker · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s nothing like reading a book and it being exactly what you needed at that exact moment. I think I’d have felt like that with this book at any time, but life’s been particularly hard lately and wow I really needed this. It’s not often I cry at books (let alone cry multiple times) but this is that sort of collection. And any book that includes my favourite Mary Oliver poem is an automatic winner from.

[Anna Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great introduction to poetry and a quick glance at many different poets.
I think I could’ve done without the compiler’s commentary—I don’t think he said anything that wasn’t already written more succinctly and beautifully in the poems he described.
I love the idea of compiling a set of poems for myself in a journal-like format.
A few lovely inclusions!

[Vassa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t find the comments on why this or that poem suits the chosen mood useful as practically all the pieces spoke for themselves. I found a few I was particularly enamoured with (or destroyed by), so overall it was a delightful read.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

“OK,’ they say: ‘things have been bad. They may be bad again; they may not. In the meantime, let’s take heart with the day. Let’s begin again and see what happens.”

Quite easily the best birthday present I ever got, gifted to me by a close friend a few years ago. I consult it from time to time and find a lot of comfort in it. It is amazing what some kind and true words can do for your mind. Some things aren't fixable (with reason) but new perspectives and comforting words of understanding and meaning go a long way.

Please get this, you don't even have to like poetry. Trust me, once you have it, you'll be wondering why it took you so long to get it in the first place.

[Aimee Sheldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend gave me this anthology as a present and as a permanently angsty millennial who dabbles in writing poetry (albeit not very well), I couldn't be more thankful. The Poetry Pharmacy is exquisitely curated, from Sieghart's personal anecdotes to the choice of poems and even the book cover design. The poems showcase the universal elements of the human psyche and whilst reading them I felt so seen and reassured that everything is going to be okay. I am certain I will return to The Poetry Pharmacy many times, particularly when I need a gentle reminder to be a bit less hard on myself.

[Natalia Burmei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing collection of poetry that comforts and heals. The book is created to share poetry of different topics. It’s either grief, low self-confidence or other hard topics everyone would eventually experience. I feel like there is a poem for everyone. Glad I listened to this book that was perfectly narrated by the author who translated all feelings and emotions through his deep and velvet voice.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

-‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. Perhaps this will sound trite to the heartsick among you, but it shouldn’t.
Strangely, it’s almost as if everything that I’m feeling and have felt, and all that I’ve experienced is inevitable. There’s an answer to my every last memory, and to think that I’ve been endlessly questioning my journal. Seriously wish I came across this book before, would have avoided a lot of doubt and misery- it’s going to take me a little while longer to fully absorb the words, in hopes of relieving myself from all lust, regret, grief, and relationships.

[Prebh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of poetry, let alone poetry books, but this is one of my favourites! This book makes poetry very accessible. Every poem and William's explanation have made me reflect and think about life. I've scribbled notes throughout it, re-read poems and recommended poems to others too! If I could give it more stars, I would.

[Marian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found on a return cart at the library and love the idea of prescribing words for conditions. I began this one eagerly, alongside other books I was reading last month, but then got tired of the "advice." Clever concept by the compiler and words do have healing properties.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still practising my poetry muscle, and this was one was great for the exercise. I might just buy thisb book for myself, feels like I will miss it when it is returners to the library.