Turning Toward Grief: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Appreciation

Poetry offers potent medicine for healing the heart.

As a teacher of mindfulness and writing courses, retreats, and webinars for more than a decade, beloved poet, editor, and writer James Crews has seen again and again how poems can initiate a deep dive into our own experience, and how reflecting on poetry can open the floodgates of feeling. More and more people are turning to poetry as a source of comfort in times of grief, loss, and uncertainty, especially as our society moves away from organized religion. People are seeking new outlets for wisdom, ritual, and creativity to help them express their collective grief, both global and personal. Poetry is a unique tool for healing because it is rooted in the everyday material of our lives, helping us to stay embodied and in touch with the physicality of ourselves and the world.

Turning Toward Grief presents a collection of highly accessible and comforting poems, many of which have been shared by thousands of people across social media, in newsletters, on podcasts and radio shows, and in meditation and yoga classes throughout the world.

Recognizing that poetry can sometimes feel intimidating, Crews includes brief prose reflections after each poem, followed by inviting and welcoming writing prompts. These elements encourage and support readers as they explore the personal images, memories, and emotions sparked by each entry.

Turning Toward Grief invites us back into the senses to find even a few brief instances of relief from the often-overwhelming suffering. By paying attention to our grief, we can learn to see it as less threatening, and although it's terribly difficult, we can turn toward our grief in gentle ways each day.

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.