A review by mattlombardi
Poems to Live by in Uncertain Times by Joan Murray

2.0

I bought this simply because I saw anne carson’s name. I did not realize it would be a mostly mediocre poetry collection of religious drivel and postwar pity-prose. it feels scattered and haphazardly assembled which, when you consider the publication date of november 2001 and factor in the time it would take to acquire the permissions to reprint 60 poems in the wake of a national emergency, makes sense and comes off more like an insincere cash grab than an attempt at “healing” through poetry. also the editor’s post-9/11 poem that she plugs at the beginning is... really bad; it felt like it was written for a child’s homework assignment. even the carson poem, when taken out of context from its larger poetry cycle, did not feel strong or properly utilized here. anne, you deserve so much better!