This celebratory anthology explores human connection through forty poems curated by Pádraig Ó Tuama, host of the On Being Project's Poetry Unbound podcast. Along with each poem, Ó Tuama shares an enriching meditation, revealing the ways we relate to each other, the world around us, and ourselves. Among the selections, Ó Tuama examines the profundity of friendship through Langston Hughes' "I Miss My Friend," the strength of familial bonds in Rita Dove's "Eurydice Turning," the power of self-love depicted in Lucille Clifton's "Won't You Celebrate with Me," and the vitality of our connection to nature in Joy Harjo's "Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings." Blending humor with insight, tension with tenderness, and complication with care, 44 Poems on Being with Each Other clearly articulates what is at stake in reading poetry: it illuminates aspects of the human condition, particularly our connections with each other, and provides material for grounded and intelligent self-reflection.
