Poetry Unbound by Padraig O Tuama

Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World by Padraig O Tuama

Overview

I cannot rave enough about the formatting + details of this gorgeous book. Yes, I love poetry. But also, Pádraig Ó Tuama has chosen true gems, then explained them with excellent pacing + zero pandering. For someone who loves poetry as much as Pádraig Ó Tuama clearly does, choosing the poems must’ve taken aeons. I admire the mixture of types found here, along with the diversity of the authors included. Reading Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World is like taking a college poetry class without the disdainful professor, or the need to write your own poems!

Pádraig Ó Tuama begins each section with a bare intro to the poem on a gray page, then the poem is laid out next in a different font. What follows is his personal discourse on the poem, including, often, some questions for the reader to go deeper, if they wish. I began by reading the intro, the poem, the explanation, and then the poem again. This became my pattern of engaging with the work. Often I found the explanation changed some portion of the poem for me. How it hit. How it felt to read the words. How the cadence sped or slowed in my mind.

This book might help open the world of poetry to so many! May it find the right hands + eyes.

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FROM THE Publisher… “This generous anthology pairs fifty illuminating poems with poet and podcast host Pádraig Ó Tuama’s appealing, unhurried reflections. With keen insight and warm personal anecdotes, Ó Tuama considers each poem’s artistry and explores how its meaning can reach into our own lives.”

Who is this book written for?

Those who’d read more poetry if they understood it.