James Crews is the author of five prize-winning collections of poetry, including Unlocking the Heart, and the nonfiction book Kindness Will Save the World. He is also the editor of several bestselling poetry anthologies, including How to Love the World, which has been featured on NPR's Morning Edition and in The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. His poems have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Ploughshares, The New Republic, and The Christian Century. Crews is the winner of the New England Book Award for Poetry and curates a free poetry newsletter called The Weekly Pause. He lives with his husband in Vermont.
Description
"I can think of no better guide into the intimate landscapes of loss than James Crews. With his signature gentleness, wisdom, clarity, and compassion, he gives voice to the nuances of grief, shares his own healing process, and invites the reader to explore their own tender experiences of grief and love." --Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, author of The Unfolding and host of The Poetic Path "James Crews offers us a wealth of model poems and short essays, followed by an invitation to write our own, imploring us to discover our complex responses to various aspects of loss and grief. But he also includes encouragement to write about themes of love and appreciation, making this a book that feels balanced and whole, a book unique in its approach to making sense of ourselves in the face of the unknowable, as well as in its sense of understanding and appreciation for the mysteries and poetry of being human." --Dorianne Laux, author of Life on Earth and Pulitzer Prize finalist "As a bereavement and end-of-life therapist, I have long waited for a book like Turning Toward Grief to be written. Filled with poems and invitations to reflect or write, Turning Toward Grief will offer you, in accessible language, the solace, deep companionship, and wisdom you need for your journey." --Claire Willis, author of Lasting Words and Opening to Grief "This book is gentle, affirming company on the path of grieving. It doesn't shy away from the pain, the work, the time that grief requires of us, but it does remind us that we have power and agency on our journey toward healing." --Jarod K. Anderson, author of Something in the Woods Loves You "Opening this book is a gentle way to tend to our wounds, soothe our soul, and remind us that grief, too, nourishes and feeds us. Perhaps most importantly, the words on these pages remind us that we are not alone in our grief." --Meryl Arnett, meditation teacher, and the creator of Our Mindful Nature podcast "In Turning Toward Grief, James Crews tenderly invites his fellow grievers in for a slow softening of the heart. Each poem and prompt is an outstretched hand that offers an 'of course . . .' His words--so personal and universal--inspire inner wisdom and offer the medicine of witness, a potent salve to loss." --Tracy Chalmers and Willow Meili, cofounders of The Grief Well "A gentle invitation to face heartbreak and to wrestle with adversity. James Crews invites readers to approach even further: to see grief as an opportunity for growth, creativity, and action. His poems are rich, real, and raw. And he incorporates short essays and writing prompts that inspire us to craft our own narratives of love and loss." --Andrew Ingall, director of virtual public programs, Reimagine "This book is not only a companion in grief, but a testament to the beauty that persists even in the face of unimaginable loss." --Alix Klingenberg, author of Quietly Wild: Poems, Photographs, and Rituals to Mark the Seasons "A warm invitation inviting us to write and reflect on the messiness--and complexity--that grief demands. With deep love, Crews weaves the brokenness, searching, yearning, and need for connection that shadow our daily lives in the aftermath of loss. He braids these threads with glimmers of light, softening yesterday's pain, all the while reminding us that we are not alone." -- Joyal Mulheron, founder and executive director of Evermore "James Crews has long consoled us with his poems and anthologies to companion our troubles and joys. In this book he turns toward grief to offer a triple gift: poems, meditations, and prompts for healing." --Kim Stafford, author of As the Sky Begins to Change