Still Here: A Poetry Memoir of Grief & Love

by Jenny Smith, Lara Bolger (Foreword)

When faced with unexpected loss, pain and grief set up camp in our bodies and we don’t always know how to talk about what we’re experiencing, especially in the first year of loss. Still Here is a collection of poems for those trying to make sense of the fragility and terror of losing a loved one. We name the shock, wade into the everyday nuances of grief, and eventually take tentative steps into the land of the living again, only to discover love never dies. Somehow their love is still here, dancing with our every breath. Still Here is an honest reckoning with the pain and frustration of grief while journeying toward surprising healing.

Written by a poet and pastor who unexpectedly lost her youngest brother, she captures the ache of loss and the complexity of healing as her family travels the first year together. As she braves the unbearable with curiosity and trust, we’re invited to unravel the grief that awaits each of us, in the hope that love never dies.

They’re still here. So are we.

Genres: Poetry

232 pages, Paperback

Published January 8, 2023

Reviews

[Elizabeth Wilder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to be able to read an advanced copy of Still Here. In fact, it came to me at the perfect time. My father died very unexpectedly, and suddenly I didn't just want to read this book -- I needed to. Poet Jenny Smith perfectly captures the raw emotion, confusion, and strange, unexpected beauty of the grief journey in this collection. This book is a hand reaching out through the darkness for you to hold during difficult times, letting you know that you are not alone.

[Becky Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to help you through grief and help you understand what a love one who is grieving is going through. Grief is love, missing someone you love. You don’t get over grief. You walk through it, you hold it, you let it be there because the love for that person will always be. There is so much love in this book. If you have lost someone I am sorry, maybe this book will give you comfort that you’re not alone and it’s okay to grieve and feel and love.

[Shelby Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still Here is a moving, heartfelt collection of poetry about the loss of a loved one. But this is not just a book about grief - it's a book about how powerful love is. Through the author's openness and vulnerability in sharing her experience after losing her brother, you will feel the heartbreak, but you will also be moved to tears by the outpouring of love on every page.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, 3 stars is roughly what other people mean by 4 stars.

I’ve lost most of my birth family in the last several years. Jenny’s poems ring true. I am grateful for them. I recommend this to you, to help validate your own grief or to better understand someone else’s.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

poetry that expresses grief

It expresses the grief I can’t put into words when the shock is still so new. This book of poetry has helped me feel the loss of my own brother. Her words help me grieve and express some of my own pain along with my own faith.