44 Poems on Being with Each Other is a new volume that offers immersive reflections on the human connection. With an observant eye, Pádraig Ó Tuama shares an enlightening meditation on each poem, revealing the ways we relate to each other, the world around us, and ourselves. Among the selections, Ó Tuama examines friendship and its loss through Langston Hughes’s “I Loved My Friend,” changing familial bonds in Rita Dove’s “Eurydice, Turning,” the relationship with the past in Mary Oliver’s “The Uses of Sorrow,” the power of declaration in Lucille Clifton’s “Won’t You Celebrate with Me,” and the necessity of connection to land in Joy Harjo’s “Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings.”
Blending humor with insight, tension with tenderness, complexity with care, 44 Poems on Being with Each Other articulates the power of poetry itself. Through careful and incisive readings, it illuminates aspects of the human condition, particularly the ways we are inextricably linked to each other, and provides inspiration for grounded self-reflection. It is an anthology that will delight readers, just as Pádraig’s podcast has done for millions around the world.
“Pádraig Ó Tuama’s close reading of my ‘Wonder Woman’ poem was a gift. I was and am deeply moved.” ? Ada Limón, United States Poet Laureate
“The Poetry Unbound podcast, and Pádraig Ó Tuama’s way of finding language to describe the details and intricacies and the shades of gray of the human experience, have made me a better person, a better songwriter, and a better artist. . . . I would urge everyone to dive into this deeply rewarding book.” ? Camila Cabello, actor and singer
“Poetry Unbound is fifty poems and 300 pages of commentary revealing and confessing why a line of verse might make you weep. But more than that, it is a collection of moments and meditations and a turning toward the ways that some memories, of sorrow and joy, might make us hold on a little while longer, long enough in fact.” ? Reginald Dwayne Betts, author of Felon
“Magnificent. . . . Pádraig Ó Tuama’s abilities as a curator of poems, combined with his remarkable gift for unpacking poems in such illuminating and generous ways, make this groundbreaking publication one of the most engrossing books I have read in recent years.” ? Stephen Fry, actor and comedian
“Mesmerizing, magical, deeply moving. . . . If you are looking for a read that will warm your heart, inspire your creative mind, and renew your faith in the resilience of the human race, look no further.” ? Elif Shafak, author of The Island of Missing Trees
“Pádraig Ó Tuama has been called to bring his illuminating insights into what some might consider encroaching darkness, and we are all the fortunate beneficiaries of his response. This book is a testament to the rare fineness of feeling and understanding that mark his brilliant work for the On Being Project.” ? Lorna Goodison, former Poet Laureate of Jamaica
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