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Tethered to Stars: Poems
A collection born of polyphony and the rhythms of our cosmos—intimate in its stakes, celestial in its dreams.
Tethered to Stars inhabits the deductive tongue of astronomy, the oracular throat of astrology, and the living language of loss and desire. With an analytical eye and a lyrical heart, Fady Joudah shifts deftly between the microscope, the telescope, and sometimes even the horoscope. His gaze lingers on the interior space of a lung, on a butterfly poised on a filament, on the moon temple atop Huayna Picchu, on a dismembered live oak. In each lingering, Joudah shares with readers the palimpsest of what makes us human: "We are other worms / for other silk roads." The solemn, the humorous, the erotic, the transcendent—all of it, in Joudah's poems, steeped in the lexicon of the natural world. "When I say honey," says one lover, "I'm asking you whose pollen you contain." "And when I say honey," replies another, "you grip my sweetness / on your life, stigma and anthophile."
Teeming with life but tinged with a sublime proximity to death, Tethered to Stars is a collection that flows "between nuance and essentialization," from one of our most acclaimed poets.
Tethered to Stars inhabits the deductive tongue of astronomy, the oracular throat of astrology, and the living language of loss and desire. With an analytical eye and a lyrical heart, Fady Joudah shifts deftly between the microscope, the telescope, and sometimes even the horoscope. His gaze lingers on the interior space of a lung, on a butterfly poised on a filament, on the moon temple atop Huayna Picchu, on a dismembered live oak. In each lingering, Joudah shares with readers the palimpsest of what makes us human: "We are other worms / for other silk roads." The solemn, the humorous, the erotic, the transcendent—all of it, in Joudah's poems, steeped in the lexicon of the natural world. "When I say honey," says one lover, "I'm asking you whose pollen you contain." "And when I say honey," replies another, "you grip my sweetness / on your life, stigma and anthophile."
Teeming with life but tinged with a sublime proximity to death, Tethered to Stars is a collection that flows "between nuance and essentialization," from one of our most acclaimed poets.
- GenresPoetryMiddle East
95 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 9, 2021
22 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
Fady Joudah
30 books97 followersJoudah was born in Austin, Texas in 1971 to Palestinian refugee parents, and grew up in Libya and Saudi Arabia. He returned to the United States to study to become a doctor, first attending the University of Georgia in Athens, and then the Medical College of Georgia, before completing his medical training at the University of Texas. Joudah currently practices as an ER physician in Houston, Texas. He has also volunteered abroad with the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders.
Joudah's poetry has been published in a variety of publications, including Poetry, The Iowa Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, The Kenyon Review, Drunken Boat, Prairie Schooner and Crab Orchard Review.
In 2006, he published The Butterfly's Burden, a collection of recent poems by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish translated from Arabic, which was a finalist for the 2008 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation.
In 2012, Joudah published Like a Straw Bird It Follows Me, and Other Poems, a collection of poems by Palestinian poet Ghassan Zaqtan translated from Arabic, which won the 2013 International Griffin Poetry Prize.
His book of poetry Alight was published in 2013.
In 2017, Joudah translated Zaqtan's The Silence That Remains.
His 2021 poetry collection, Tethered to the Stars, was cited by Cleveland Review of Books as a poetry collection that "does not teach us how to answer any question it poses with a stylized rhetoric, a self-important flourish; the poems model a lyrical thinking which prompts the question itself."
Joudah won the 2024 Jackson Poetry Prize, given to an American writer of “exceptional talent. His work entitled [...] was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection Shortlist and longlisted for the 2024 National Book Award for Poetry.
Joudah's poetry has been published in a variety of publications, including Poetry, The Iowa Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, The Kenyon Review, Drunken Boat, Prairie Schooner and Crab Orchard Review.
In 2006, he published The Butterfly's Burden, a collection of recent poems by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish translated from Arabic, which was a finalist for the 2008 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation.
In 2012, Joudah published Like a Straw Bird It Follows Me, and Other Poems, a collection of poems by Palestinian poet Ghassan Zaqtan translated from Arabic, which won the 2013 International Griffin Poetry Prize.
His book of poetry Alight was published in 2013.
In 2017, Joudah translated Zaqtan's The Silence That Remains.
His 2021 poetry collection, Tethered to the Stars, was cited by Cleveland Review of Books as a poetry collection that "does not teach us how to answer any question it poses with a stylized rhetoric, a self-important flourish; the poems model a lyrical thinking which prompts the question itself."
Joudah won the 2024 Jackson Poetry Prize, given to an American writer of “exceptional talent. His work entitled [...] was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection Shortlist and longlisted for the 2024 National Book Award for Poetry.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 10, 2021
This book is a bit of work with its play between concrete and abstraction and its vocabulary flashiness (maybe warranted, maybe not), so maybe it's me just not being up to it. Yes, I found some fine lines and sentences in poems that I enjoyed, but it's also one of those collections where two bad signs keep lifting their heads:
1.) some of the wording lacks flow, reads awkwardly, causes me to wonder why it is arranged this way if it is not achieving a desired effect.
2.) many times I stopped, mid-poem, feeling like I'd completely dropped the thread and now found myself in some dark labyrinth, untethered to star or any other bright hope of comprehension.
When that happens, you second guess yourself and retrace your steps. When it happens yet again over the same terrain, you shrug and trudge on, leaving meaning to the poet and to those readers whose ears are tuned to the same note. Perhaps it is insiders' music, I don't know, but I feel like an Outsider at such junctures. Like Ponyboy trying to stay gold in a world of bronze.
1.) some of the wording lacks flow, reads awkwardly, causes me to wonder why it is arranged this way if it is not achieving a desired effect.
2.) many times I stopped, mid-poem, feeling like I'd completely dropped the thread and now found myself in some dark labyrinth, untethered to star or any other bright hope of comprehension.
When that happens, you second guess yourself and retrace your steps. When it happens yet again over the same terrain, you shrug and trudge on, leaving meaning to the poet and to those readers whose ears are tuned to the same note. Perhaps it is insiders' music, I don't know, but I feel like an Outsider at such junctures. Like Ponyboy trying to stay gold in a world of bronze.
September 4, 2024
These poems challenged me in the best way. I read them with my phone at the ready so I could Google definitions of some of the mythical and scientific references.
I know that kind of project might not appeal to everyone, but it worked for me. The poet’s juxtaposition of medical terminology with mythology and astrology tickled my imagination to such a degree that I wrote a poem of my own honoring this collection.
Maybe I have a bias in favor of poetry and fiction that challenges the intellect rather than the constraints of culture or privilege, but I’m trying in my way to broaden my horizons.
I know that kind of project might not appeal to everyone, but it worked for me. The poet’s juxtaposition of medical terminology with mythology and astrology tickled my imagination to such a degree that I wrote a poem of my own honoring this collection.
Maybe I have a bias in favor of poetry and fiction that challenges the intellect rather than the constraints of culture or privilege, but I’m trying in my way to broaden my horizons.
dropped-probably-forever
October 29, 2024Picked up this collection bc Joudah’s most recent collection was longlisted for the National Book Award and the library just had this one. Bummed that I couldn’t get into it—too esoteric, abstract, and dry for my poetry taste.
December 27, 2021
Now, I am all for the abstract and giving illusions to meaning but so often I lost the emotional teether while I read. I would have to pause and let my eyes drift back up to try and figure out what was being conveyed. There were a few lovely lines but mostly a structure I wasn't used to.
2 cosmic stars.
2 cosmic stars.
November 26, 2022
Some interesting poems but confusing structure. Although it was not really my favourite style , I loved the references to the Arabic language.
June 29, 2021
3.5
This was a nice collection, though I will say that it was kind of a difficult read with the words and structures. My favorites were:
-Canopus
-Leo
-Sandra Bland, Texas
-Neon
-Calligraphy for a Sagittarius
-The Old Lady and the House
-Venus Cycle
This was a nice collection, though I will say that it was kind of a difficult read with the words and structures. My favorites were:
-Canopus
-Leo
-Sandra Bland, Texas
-Neon
-Calligraphy for a Sagittarius
-The Old Lady and the House
-Venus Cycle
December 29, 2021
Review coming shortly to Library Journal.
May 27, 2022
Between a sunflower's florets and the galaxy,
cellular and solar, I am outgrown.
cellular and solar, I am outgrown.
April 30, 2023
Beautiful words and concepts. However, some of it was beyond my understanding
April 28, 2022
Some of my favorite lines:
May the need to ask me / about my darkness / never command you — Canopus
That you have nothing to say. That your deep sadness is free / to be deeply sad near me / some of what love is for — The holy embraces the holy
That your sadness / unbuttons my heart, kneads its clowns. That a heart remains a heart in its beyonds. — The holy embraces the holy
And as ours is / hers is never a straight line / on the lucid path / in a membranous universe — Pisces
What is the threshold / for suffering to create us equal — Sandra bland, Texas
(From bodies to souls, and souls to corpses). You said, the dead don't want to be brought back (I said I don't want to live forever alone) — descending, rising
You're not a language I am / ashamed to sing. You're a language I'm not/ ashamed to sing. — Domicile, house, cusp
Of impermanence, on whose / edges the last escape is infinite / if it is death this destiny / offers me, and in its tail end/ a conduit to another realm/ in which time spins differently / than we've known it to pass — black hole
Before I slam / into the ground from a height I had / no business reaching / through nightmare, I can't / stay calm, can't trust that / whatever ending may come/ will not be my end — Libra
You won't dry up, you're more / than starlight in ashes / or symbionts riding swells. / you're mostly / of this earth, and more cloud / than ground. — Sirius
Was I ever a moth / or you this kind of light? / one of us was dying, and one / had no wings for the journey back.
So that when I'm a stranger in the world / I can find you — Venus cycle
May the need to ask me / about my darkness / never command you — Canopus
That you have nothing to say. That your deep sadness is free / to be deeply sad near me / some of what love is for — The holy embraces the holy
That your sadness / unbuttons my heart, kneads its clowns. That a heart remains a heart in its beyonds. — The holy embraces the holy
And as ours is / hers is never a straight line / on the lucid path / in a membranous universe — Pisces
What is the threshold / for suffering to create us equal — Sandra bland, Texas
(From bodies to souls, and souls to corpses). You said, the dead don't want to be brought back (I said I don't want to live forever alone) — descending, rising
You're not a language I am / ashamed to sing. You're a language I'm not/ ashamed to sing. — Domicile, house, cusp
Of impermanence, on whose / edges the last escape is infinite / if it is death this destiny / offers me, and in its tail end/ a conduit to another realm/ in which time spins differently / than we've known it to pass — black hole
Before I slam / into the ground from a height I had / no business reaching / through nightmare, I can't / stay calm, can't trust that / whatever ending may come/ will not be my end — Libra
You won't dry up, you're more / than starlight in ashes / or symbionts riding swells. / you're mostly / of this earth, and more cloud / than ground. — Sirius
Was I ever a moth / or you this kind of light? / one of us was dying, and one / had no wings for the journey back.
So that when I'm a stranger in the world / I can find you — Venus cycle
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2024
A feeling of exile, of never quite being at home, hangs over all of Joudah's words. Where and how do we fit?
Although this is immediately reflective of an immigrant's position, in many ways the uncertainties and schisms everywhere in the world right now make this a universal feeling. At the same time the poet, because he straddles the line between cultures, is a very close and insightful observer of America and Americans. He is both immersed and not.
Always asking the unanswerable questions, Joudah often writes his poems in the form of a conversation, echoing and imagining the black-and-forth that occurs. He is specific and yet otherworldly all at once, with a mysterious language that uses words both to expose and to heal.
It's hard to take any of the lines out of context; each thought build on and expands what comes before and after. But here's something from one of my favorite poems in this collection, "Sirius"--
Hear/only your breath/then your heart
Although this is immediately reflective of an immigrant's position, in many ways the uncertainties and schisms everywhere in the world right now make this a universal feeling. At the same time the poet, because he straddles the line between cultures, is a very close and insightful observer of America and Americans. He is both immersed and not.
Always asking the unanswerable questions, Joudah often writes his poems in the form of a conversation, echoing and imagining the black-and-forth that occurs. He is specific and yet otherworldly all at once, with a mysterious language that uses words both to expose and to heal.
It's hard to take any of the lines out of context; each thought build on and expands what comes before and after. But here's something from one of my favorite poems in this collection, "Sirius"--
Hear/only your breath/then your heart
January 25, 2024
Tethered to Stars: Poems by Fady Joudah
The poets know. I treasured this book of poems. There are so many references to caterpillars, butterflies, and transformation. I keep thinking about how butterflies are symbols of migration and immigrants, and how Palestinians have been forcibly removed from their homeland.
I have so many highlights from the book. My favorites are
Taurus
Pieces
Sandra Bland, Texas
Dehiscence
Oxygen
Equinox
Aquarius
Capricorn
Gemini
This might be my favorite highlight from the collection. It makes my heart ache.
From Dehiscence
I knelt into my weeping until my heart broke me awake.
My forehead touched the floor.
This is my sixth book for The Diverse Baseline Challenge, the second for the January prompt of a Collection of Poetry.
The poets know. I treasured this book of poems. There are so many references to caterpillars, butterflies, and transformation. I keep thinking about how butterflies are symbols of migration and immigrants, and how Palestinians have been forcibly removed from their homeland.
I have so many highlights from the book. My favorites are
Taurus
Pieces
Sandra Bland, Texas
Dehiscence
Oxygen
Equinox
Aquarius
Capricorn
Gemini
This might be my favorite highlight from the collection. It makes my heart ache.
From Dehiscence
I knelt into my weeping until my heart broke me awake.
My forehead touched the floor.
This is my sixth book for The Diverse Baseline Challenge, the second for the January prompt of a Collection of Poetry.
November 7, 2021
I'm grateful to Bogi Takács for recommending this on eir Twitter (@bogiperson), as I would not have seen it otherwise. This collection is just what I needed today, after some difficulties. It's deep and emotional and expertly crafted with a doctor's eye and toolkit. I really enjoyed it, and will look for more from this writer and poet. Some content notes for emotional pain, connections, and disconnections.
February 7, 2025
wow. although there are many wonderful poems in this book, these are my favourites.
“you won’t dry up, you’re more / than starlight in ashes /
or symbionts riding swells / you’re mostly of this earth, and more cloud / than ground / there’s what drinks you for life /you’ll be everywhere.” ~ sirius
“sometimes a pit grows / a supermassive mouth, / can swallow its children / but doesn’t.” ~black hole
“you won’t dry up, you’re more / than starlight in ashes /
or symbionts riding swells / you’re mostly of this earth, and more cloud / than ground / there’s what drinks you for life /you’ll be everywhere.” ~ sirius
“sometimes a pit grows / a supermassive mouth, / can swallow its children / but doesn’t.” ~black hole
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2025
I thought i liked poetry… I was wrong. This book had very complex topics that are definitely not for everyone but what I disliked what the writing it felt aggressive but not passionate and felt that they were steering away from the theme. But overall some good quotes.
“our paradise is trampled. Our childhood wasn’t insured, it endured in damaged dwellings.”
“you said, the dead don’t want to be brought back. (I said I don’t want to live forever alone )”
“our paradise is trampled. Our childhood wasn’t insured, it endured in damaged dwellings.”
“you said, the dead don’t want to be brought back. (I said I don’t want to live forever alone )”
July 12, 2023
stylistically awkward and little flow to the collection. i dog-eared a few pages i enjoyed but mostly got lost under chaotically-layered metaphors. maybe poetry isn’t for me or maybe this was just badly written ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
poems i enjoyed were: Unacknowledged Pollinators, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Black Hole
poems i enjoyed were: Unacknowledged Pollinators, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Black Hole
Read
September 10, 2021Really liked this poetry collection. My twitter thread with more details, quotes, etc:
https://twitter.com/bogiperson/status...
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library (but I'm looking forward to buying it bc I hope to be returning to it later)
https://twitter.com/bogiperson/status...
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library (but I'm looking forward to buying it bc I hope to be returning to it later)
March 1, 2022
This collection is just what I needed today, after some difficulties. It's deep and emotional and expertly crafted with a doctor's eye and toolkit. I really enjoyed it, and will look for more from this writer and poet. Some content notes for emotional pain, connections, and disconnections.
October 30, 2024
I LOVE what Joudah has done integrating medicine/war/astrology concepts into a sometimes playful, sometimes mournful read of humanity and existence.
Also, the description of placenta as blueberries in leather will be with me forever.
Also, the description of placenta as blueberries in leather will be with me forever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2025
1.5
After reading two of his collections, I can say his poems are not for me. I can't pinpoint what doesn't work for me, but I only liked and could follow one of the poems here. I don't think I'll read his collections again, I just can't understand what I'm reading.
After reading two of his collections, I can say his poems are not for me. I can't pinpoint what doesn't work for me, but I only liked and could follow one of the poems here. I don't think I'll read his collections again, I just can't understand what I'm reading.
December 26, 2025
Fady Joudah escribe bien pero algunos poemas caen en los tópicos y en la repetición. Me gustaría que el libro hubiera tenido más sentido y no se sintiera como poemas que han juntado por no dejarlos caer en el olvido.
Read
July 26, 2021Nature-themed. Obtuse. Difficult. A few lovely turns of phrase. Didn’t work for me.
November 22, 2021
Not as enjoyable as I thought it would be.
January 1, 2022
I found some of these quite lovely and moving. Others I found a bit opaque. Probably a fault of the reader, not the poet.
August 8, 2022
“That your hands were all water / all night, light was with us / stabbing us in the back.”
April 11, 2023
Favorites: “Year of the Metal Dog” and “Venus Cycle”
April 24, 2024
"That you have nothing to say.
That your deep sadness is free
to be deeply sad near me,
some of what love is for."
That your deep sadness is free
to be deeply sad near me,
some of what love is for."
May 3, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
July 19, 2022
After a first reading I was intrigued but felt I lacked some intellectual skill or other in order to fully enter these poems. They also felt somewhat contrived. I am curious for more though. So, I'm going to get my hands on as many books by this author as I can, and then maybe I'll find a way into this, his latest, collection.
Update:
Reading Joudah's other poetry collections did bring Tethered to Stars closer for me. And coming back to it I discovered much more in these poems, which in all their braininess are full of play with words and imagery.
Update:
Reading Joudah's other poetry collections did bring Tethered to Stars closer for me. And coming back to it I discovered much more in these poems, which in all their braininess are full of play with words and imagery.
December 30, 2025
Loved this poetry, which is saying something since it is HEAVY on the astrology. It’s socially conscious, emotionally resonant, but also a little opaque, just how I like my poetry. This was a relief since all the Palestinian poetry I’ve tried is VERY direct and polemical, which is probably needed for the movement and for the people there and around the world to process everything. But that’s just not my taste. This is.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews