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rfiddlesticks's review against another edition
4.0
Some wonderful and powerful poems in this collection. Mournful, angry, compassionate.
ashleyholstrom's review against another edition
4.0
In the early days of the virus in the United States, Alice Quinn, former New Yorker poetry editor and former director of the Poetry Society of America, started asking poets what they were writing while sheltering in place. And boy, did they deliver. Together in a Sudden Strangeness offers beautiful poems about every fact of life that’s changed in this pandemic: Grief, fear, hope, loneliness, awe, bravery, and everything in between.
From 6 New Books about COVID-19 at Book Riot.
From 6 New Books about COVID-19 at Book Riot.
dlberglund's review against another edition
4.0
A great collection of poetry showing the snapshot of time when Covid and lockdowns had taken over our lives, and we didn't know where the light at the end of the tunnel would possibly be. As in any poetry anthology, not every poem will speak to every person, and not every poem will probably stand the test of time. But as a body of work, these expressions of longing, sorrow, hope, togetherness and divisiveness resonated with me. I'd love to see another anthology when this Covid experience is "over", that represents an even bigger range of pandemic fatigue, frustration, and beauty.
brontherun's review against another edition
3.0
This collection is poems from the early stages (March-May 2020) of the pandemic. While some where moving and inspirational, many did not age well.
Some selections I felt did stand out:
Stones and Stars, by Jeffrey Yang
Two Days in March, by John Okrent
Haunt, by April Bernard
And my favorite line was from Vallejo, by Toma's Q. Mori'n
"A day with a cat is a master class in keeping your distance from even the ones you love"
schnaucl's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
This was an anthology of poems mostly written during April and May of 2020 when the world was going into lockdown, with 20 poems written closer to publication. Many of the poems have themes you might expect, death, illness, quiet.
It would be interesting to see a bookend anthology to see how poets interpret the intervening years.
It would be interesting to see a bookend anthology to see how poets interpret the intervening years.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
lifeinpoetry's review against another edition
4.0
There were a few standouts but like most anthologies this was a mixed bag.
“enough of can you see me, can you hear me, enough
I am human, enough I am alone and I am desperate,
enough of the animal saving me, enough of the high
water, enough sorrow, enough of the air and its ease,
I am asking you to touch me.”
— Ada Limón, from “The End of Poetry”
“enough of can you see me, can you hear me, enough
I am human, enough I am alone and I am desperate,
enough of the animal saving me, enough of the high
water, enough sorrow, enough of the air and its ease,
I am asking you to touch me.”
— Ada Limón, from “The End of Poetry”
dennis_'s review against another edition
4.0
Very fantastic collection of poetry from a wide range and diverse selection of poets. You’ll hear experiences about grief, loss, loneliness, love, so so so much of all the feelings we’ve felt going through this pandemic. Some authors touch upon their experience as living as Asian-American and how they experienced racism during the pandemic, and it’s heartbreaking but important to hear their stories and what they went through for just existing with us. One of my favorite poems, “Batshit,” deals with this. There’s also discussion of the Black Lives Matter movement and how we’re affected by that. The collection was published in 2020 and we’re now entering the third year of the pandemic. I’m so curious to hear what these poets would have to say about the pandemic now. Overall, great read and the poems were complex while still being understandable by me, an unskilled poetry reader :)