A review by sarabearian
I Hope This Finds You Well: Poems by Kate Baer

This phenomenal collection of poems is unlike anything I have read before. As a published author with an online presence, Kate Baer is familiar with strangers on the internet and their hateful comments or messages. One day Baer decided to transform the ugly messages into something beautiful. Through what she calls “erasure poetry”, Baer took a screenshot of the original message and then erased words to create a poem. She posted the original message alongside the created poem on her Instagram giving new context and meaning to the words. I Hope This Finds You Well is a collection of these erasure poems that are heartbreaking, funny, and empowering. Some of my favorites include “Re: When Chad Is a Dad”, “Re: Your Random Profile”, and “Re: The Male Ego”. I think Kate Baer says it best at the end of the introduction to the book “My hope is that by sharing these pieces we continue to hold on to the truths that sustain us, and when we do encounter the inevitable noise-we tune our ears to hear the song.” -Jenny L.