Recordari: 25 poems for a hundred intimate strangers

by S.J. Blasko

"For every stranger in this book <3"

Told through 25 free verse poems, Recordari is an exploration of stories, a love letter to our shared humanity, and an exercise in looking at yourself with the same love, grace, and compassion that you might extend to a stranger.

Genres: Poetry

50 pages, Paperback

Published February 14, 2022

About the author

SJ Blasko is a poet and fantasy writer from Massachusetts, USA. As an LGBTQ Christian, much of their work revolves around the intersection of faith, love, and identity. They have a deep appreciation for "weird" fiction, and love getting lost in worlds that are not our own.

Reviews

[Mariella Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Through 2: Is it possible to find pieces of yourself in the descriptions of so many others? Apparently it is. There's so many beautiful pieces here and they grow more meaningful and throught provoking every time I read them.

Read Through 1: Another delightful poetry collection from Blasko. While their book, tree, is definitely my favorite read by them still, Recordari, takes a close second. This collection is composed of 25 poems describing 25 "strangers" we can meet and love. 25 strangers who are also 25 pieces of ourselves. It's an interesting and heartfelt arrangement of different aspects of life, love, and what it means to be human. A truly intimate encounter and one I would read again.

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this collection at least four times. I didn't record all of them. I was a beta reader, an endorser, but above all I was an avid fan. Today, I revisited this collection and cried. Somehow it broke me for a fourth (fifth?) time and I was unprepared even though I'd read it so many times. There's just something about the gentleness combating the harsh topics and situations that really gets to me.

This will forever be my favourite poetry collection.

[R.C.Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

So lovely and soft and intimate. I especially loved the one to the girl standing in the ocean.

[Ben Ditmars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recordari is a perfect collection of perfect stories.

S.J. Blasko mixes crushing vulnerability with empathy and introspection.

And it cuts deep.

[Katie Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

With strong themes of rebirth and rejuvenation, Recordari was the perfect Easter read for me. This collection features 25 poems, each addressed to a stranger the author has encountered on her journeys. "The boy in the Brockton waiting room," "the girl in Union Station watching Good Omens for the first time," and many more. You'll find yourself drawn into these strangers' stories, wanting to learn more about their lives, and hoping they'll be okay.

I can't list all my favorite quotes from these poems, or else we'd be here all night... but "maybe Eve is not the only one tasting forbidden fruit today" got me like WHOA

[Lili R · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a really fun read. I finished it in one sitting. There's lots of little details like some poems have words from the poem before and it keeps like that in a pattern.

[Alice]

Recordari by SJ Blasko is a collection of free verse poetry that explores the connectedness of humankind. Blasko's poetry attempts to (and, in my opinion, powerfully does) bring more peace and acceptance into this world, empowering people who are living vibrantly or silently with their own untold stories (no matter how mysterious, beautiful, or painful they may be). The collection reminded me that no one is truly ever truly alone or unworthy of love in this life; we are always passing others by, sometimes taking in their presence, and wishing them well even when we know we'll never see them again. Recordari ultimately acts as a written conversation between the author, who hopes to give encouragement and compassion to the reader, who might be a stranger to them but deserves such kindness nonetheless. I could see SJ and myself reflected in all of the strangers within this book, which ultimately made my reading experience feel even more intimate and reflective. I would highly recommend this collection to anyone! It is a must read!

[Amber Showalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since I was little, I loved to go by houses with windows
that were all lit up in the darkness. You could catch a
momentary glimpse into people's lives--maybe they were
eating dinner, maybe they were watching Jeopardy, maybe
they had a Christmas tree up. This is either a general
human curiosity that no one talks about or has a name for,
or I'm a creeper (could be either, really). In truth, no matter
how much we try to empathize, we really only see this life
in our own eyes, as one person. How intriguing to catch a
glimpse into someone else's, even for a moment. SJ Blasko
has captured this feeling so perfectly, in allowing us to
read these poems addressed to different strangers
encountered in a day-to-day life. We briefly glimpse the life
of the girl in the West Bridgewater Library, the girl who
never thought she was desirable, and the boy who sits
alone in the back of the bus, to mention only a few. How
eloquently the author pens a letter to each stranger,
allowing all of us to see them for a moment before we meet
the next. How beautiful of an idea to capture these lives in
a poetry collection. I won't tell you the ending, so you can
get this book and read it yourself, but maybe we're all a
little more intertwined with each other than we realize…

"Although you never talked again and wouldn't know him if
you saw him now, you liked it. Liked connection without
consequential binding-to. Liked that for a couple hours
your two stories overlapped on a crowded bus, bore
witness to each other, existences both validated by a
creature other than yourself."
-"To a Stranger in the Front of the Bus, Wrapped up in Conversation with a Man who Shares your Ex's Name", found in part one of "Recordari"