A Poet’s Perspective on Joy

James Crews is the editor of the best-selling anthology, How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope, which was just published to rave reviews in March of 2021.

How to Love the World contains works of 100 of the best-loved and emerging writers, including Amanda Gorman, Ted Kooser, Mark Nepo, and Jane Hirshfield.

The book invites readers to use poetry as part of their daily gratitude practice -- Accompanied by prompts for reflection, these are poems that you'll return to often for inspiration and creative exploration of life's daily gifts.   

James is also the author of three collections of poetry: The Book of What Stays, Telling My Father, Bluebird, and Every Waking Moment.  His poems have appeared in Ploughshares, The New Republic, and The Christian Century, and have been reprinted in former US poet laureate Ted Kooser's weekly newspaper column "American Life in Poetry" (which reaches millions of readers across the world) and featured on Tracy K. Smith's podcast, The Slowdown.

Crews holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a PhD in writing and literature from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  He teaches poetry at the University of Albany and lives with his husband on an organic farm in Shaftsbury, Vermont.

ON WORTHINESS AND BEYOND:

"I use poetry of course to process difficult moments like sadness and certainly grief, but I have also come to see poetry also as a great way to claim not just our worthiness, but also our joy.  And, I feel like what's missing a lot from American life and probably, life on this planet right now, is that we don't always give ourselves permission to really sink into the joy. Oftentimes we look for ways to short-circuit the joy that we're feeling because it feels so unfamiliar." ~ James Crews

James shares his personal journey of discovering his worthiness and the journey he has been on since a young man. He discusses how he overcomes some of the curveballs that sent him down to a deeper discovery of himself and his worth that began in his early childhood.

James describes poetry: "It's an art form especially suited for our challenging times –to help us dive deeper beneath the surface of our lives and enter a place of wider, wilder more universal knowing."

We discuss how his current students are coping with the challenges of virtual school, the pandemic, and returning to life as normal.

BEYOND THE ACADEMICS, what he teaches his students:  "I'm more interested in poetry as a gateway to know how you're living your life and writing as a tool to live a better life." ~ James Crews

Gail and James also discuss what propelled him to create his latest book, which is far more than poetry. James invites the reader throughout the book to reflect and write about significant questions he offers that may help them embrace more gratitude, hope, and joy.

"I think we don't always hold onto moments of joy and excitement if we don't find a way to capture them... if we don't write them down or share them with friends." ~James Crews

"Stepping out of life, even for a short while, can help us return with a new perspective on what seemed unworkable before." ~James Crews

"We fall out of the practice of patience." ~James Crews

"But the more we take time for ourselves throughout each day, the less we feel obliged to act a certain way or complete a list of tasks just to please someone else." ~ James Crews
 
To learn more about James and his work, check out his website JamesCrews.net and his latest book, How to Love the World, is available on Amazon and elsewhere.