Poetry Readers Challenge discussion

In the tradition of last year's "favorites" thread, I just wanted to ask: What was your favorite poetry book you read this year?

Or, if you'd prefer: what was your favorite poem you read this year?

Unlike in past years, I don't have a really clear favorite this year, but some titles that stood out to me included: Nicole Sealey's Ordinary Beast, Chloe Honum's To Winter, and Don Paterson's 40 Sonnets.

My favorite was Meghan O'Rourke's, Sun in Days. It led me to her non-fiction memoir about the death of her mother, The Long Goodbye which is now on my favorites shelf.

I realize now my reading list does not look like there has been much activity because I have been editing and updating the same message within my thread.

I have read 11 books of poetry this year which is more than I have ever read. I consider this a year of learning...I am casually taking an online MOOC about poetry and at least once per month randomly picking a book of poetry from our local library to read.

I realize part of the challenge is also to review what I have read but I don't quite feel comfortable doing that yet...perhaps with the start of the new year....

Hi Darrin! Now that you mention it, I've also been editing and updating the same message in my thread rather than making a new post every time I add a book. I guess it just feels weird to me to post as often as would be required to update the list every time I add a book. I'm a retiring soul :-D

I just went and looked at your list, though, which is intriguing. Congrats on your 11 books! And I've really admired the poems of O'Rourke's about her mother's death that have appeared in Poetry magazine -- maybe I should check that book out. Thanks!

The Long Goodbye is one of my favorite books. I'll have to ponder re: poetry

Darrin wrote: "My favorite was Meghan O'Rourke's, Sun in Days. It led me to her non-fiction memoir about the death of her mother, The Long Goodbye which is now on my favorites shelf.

I realize now my reading lis..."

Most excellent, Darrin. If the word "review" is a bit intimidating, maybe think in terms of a "response" instead. Mine are often a combination of my personal response/reaction and a somewhat more detached evaluation.

I'm going to say "Rumor Verified" by Robert Penn Warren. I just love his use of language.

Jen wrote: "Darrin wrote: "My favorite was Meghan O'Rourke's, Sun in Days. It led me to her non-fiction memoir about the death of her mother, The Long Goodbye which is now on my favorites shelf.

I realize now..."

Thank you for the encouragement...I have reviewed a couple and, as you say, given a response to what I have read. I still, however, don't feel qualified to give a review, which is also why I have been taking this MOOC...we started out with Whitman and Dickinson and are now looking in depth at William Carlos Williams and many others.

I have a lot of interests in a lot of things and poetry has always been something that I have wanted to read and enjoy. This no-pressure Poetry Readers Challenge has actually helped me to do that.

I am now actively buying poetry/authors I like, including Meghan O'Rourke's Once, and I have her other books on my Christmas list. My wife and I for the first time in a long time bought Christmas gifts for ourselves as well as our kids...my list included The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, Jane Kenyon Collected Poems, as well as Meghan O'Rourke's, Once. Even two years ago I can't imagine buying books of poetry.

Knowing what to look for and how to read it has made poetry something I actively seek to read rather than having the response I so often hear which is to say, "I don't get it", and walk away.

Jenna wrote: "Hi Darrin! Now that you mention it, I've also been editing and updating the same message in my thread rather than making a new post every time I add a book. I guess it just feels weird to me to pos..."

It was only after reading The Long Goodbye, that I felt like I had a better understanding of where she was coming from in Sun in Days...it is almost as if the two should be read in tandem.

Yes, I definitely recommend.

My favourite book was actually Volume 1 of the letters of Sylvia Plath, but as it's not poetry (just poetry related) I haven't reviewed it in this group.

J.S. wrote: "My favourite book was actually Volume 1 of the letters of Sylvia Plath, but as it's not poetry (just poetry related) I haven't reviewed it in this group."

The letters look fascinating. I've put them on my list. Also, do feel free to post a review in this group if you want to: I've posted reviews of poetry-adjacent books (e.g,. biographies of poets) in this group before, and I think other group members have too!

Darrin wrote: "My favorite was Meghan O'Rourke's, Sun in Days. It led me to her non-fiction memoir about the death of her mother, The Long Goodbye which is now on my favorites shelf.

I realize now my reading lis..."

I read O'Rourke's Sun in Days, too, this year, and gave it high marks (of course I'm known for grade inflation, so...).

Other favorites: Tony Hoagland's Donkey Gospel and Matthew Zapruder's "about poetry" book, Why Poetry.

Jenna wrote: "J.S. wrote: "My favourite book was actually Volume 1 of the letters of Sylvia Plath, but as it's not poetry (just poetry related) I haven't reviewed it in this group."

The letters look fascinating..."

I'll put together a review to kick off 2018.

I only managed 7 titles this year. I lagged in all my reading, but of course am hoping for better in 2018.

My favorite was Lalla Rookh by Thomas Moore. I would happily read it many more times!

J.S. wrote: "Jenna wrote: "J.S. wrote: "My favourite book was actually Volume 1 of the letters of Sylvia Plath, but as it's not poetry (just poetry related) I haven't reviewed it in this group."

The letters lo..."

I just created the 2018 Reviews folder, so at your leisure . . . :-)

Personally, I would like to round out the year by noting that I completed a total of 13 books of poetry or poetry-related books, with the latest being This Accident of Being Lost: Songs and Stories by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson and Mary Oliver's, A Poetry Handbook.

I also want to add a shout out to one of my other favorites of the year which is noted on the group page for the Poetry Readers Challenge, Max Porter's Grief Is the Thing with Feathers which at times brought me to tears and, for me at least, was one of my favorite books of poetry and ended up on my favorites shelf generally. For some reason, through random chance, a lot of the books I read this year focused on death and dying. This did not bother me at all, and, in fact, I found that some of my best reading moments this year were centered around this topic.

All in all a good year for poetry for me even if nothing in the external world outside of books went all that well.