This was a fantastic book to help get in touch with yourself and be creative. I loved the prompts mixed in with the poems.

Poetry Spellcasting by Tamiko Beyer, Destiny Hemphill, and Lisbeth White was born out of a panel the writers presented on in 2019 where they led a writing ritual in community and ended the session with participants standing in a circle and casting a collective spell for liberation and transformation. They share this experience in the introduction of the book as a way for us to understand the power felt when we set our intentions in community with an intention to help the world and each other heal. This book is a collaborative effort between the three writers and others they invited to contribute to sections, essays, and poems. They categorize it as "part anthology, part poetry collection, and part workbook."

Poetry as Spellcasting is so much more than a book. It is an activating ritual for every reader and the communities we are a part of. By using the art of poetry as divination the writers help us recall a world that respects the dignity of everyone and makes space for all of our experiences while honoring our ancestors and the cultural lineages we come from.

The book ends with a powerful poem-spell the writers outline for readers to try and it's full of prompts along the way to help readers write, process, and reimagine a better world that is more loving and honoring of who we are as divine beings. Poetry is the pathway to this spiritual act of reimagining and reconnecting.

Thank you so much to the authors and publisher for the e-arc copy!

This collection of essays, poems and prompts gives the reader encouragement to extend their own creative prowess. Be this, in an attempt to help themselves or communities, it is an empowering read. Each section starts with a poem and ends with a suggested ritual.
I was out of my comfort zone reading this book, which is a challenge. However, I really did find a lot to enjoy in this volume. It is not a book I would have chosen to read ordinarily, but the description sparked my curiosity and so, here we are. While the spellcasting was not for me, I found great depth in the essays on a wide-ranging themes. Particular standouts for me were the Audre Lorde section, Enchantment and Inigluu.
Thank you to #Netgalley and #North Atlantic books for allowing me to read this edition.

This was a fascinating read that helped me gain more insight along with knowledge that I feel I can incorporate into my life.

I really enjoyed the interactive and personal aspects of this book. The prompts and discussions accompanied by the different aspects of spellcasting made for a unique and interesting read.

Throughout the book there are discussions regarding the healing work that plays into our lives. I love that it offers the reminder to look for the magic and beauty in the healing. The joy to be found in a new beginning/perspective.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read Poetry as Spellcasting in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Poetry laid out differently is such a unique gift to the reader. I would recommend this book of delightful wonders.

This is a powerful book of poetry, and a great example of the power of the written word. I've just read through a bit, but i can't wait to sit down and fully engage with some writing prompts in the future.

A beautiful and powerful collection of poetry. Creative and inspiring to flourish in the modern world.

A great balance of short stories and poetry!
In 2023 we are manifesting what we want and how we’ll get it and this book will definitely help you get in that mindset. You will not regret giving this a read.

Thank you for the ARC of this title. I really liked the cover. My favorite part of the book is the prompts and exercises on how to do poetry spell work, that is my main reason for requesting this book.
I did find much of the chapter writing to get monotonous and from chapter to chapter, it felt disjointed, more like reading a long ezine than a one-topic book.

I felt like this could have really been three much shorter books and I would have appreciated it more.

Thank you to NetGalley, North Atlantic Books, and the authors for this eARC.

Poetry as Spellcasting is a wonderful collection of poetry, essays, writing and other types of prompts. It focuses on collective energies and common beauties we can find within ourselves, and connecting to nature without putting our human experiences and needs first, but rather searching for how we can contribute to the world around us and through that, gain insight and knowledge. It's a great book for taking a step back and just listening to what the authors are trying to tell us.

However, I did find it a relatively hard read. It took me a long time and I needed to take a lot of time to try and understand a lot of it's components, which seems counterintuitive to the idea of it. I would prefer to see more poetry and prompts.

I picked up this book because I love modern protest poetry and this looked like it would have some really interesting perspectives on poetry and power. I was not disappointed. The book was made up of chapters with discussions, poetry, and activities for the more spiritual people among us. Overall, I really enjoyed reading essays from a wide range of diverse authors. A fascinating read that was well-worth the effort.

This was a NetGalley read and review.

"Poetry, I learned, can be one of the strongest magnetic fields to activate our moral compass." -Alixa Garcia

Huge thank you to North Atlantic Books, the editors, and Netgalley for an ARC of Poetry as Spellcasting. What a gift! These words enriched my life, challenged and inspired me, and I can't wait for the rest of the world to get their hands on this amazing book.

Poetry as Spellcasting is a compendium of essays, rituals, and poems centered around the idea of cocreating a more just and flourishing world through the power of community and words. I read it in tandem with John Koenig's The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows - a brilliant combo, each bringing out the best in the other. This was truly a stellar reading experience for me and I plan to revisit both books often.

I do see how Poetry as Spellcasting might not be everyone's cup of tea. It is creative and scholarly. It is woowoo and grounded in reality. It is not a neat and tidy package but a loose association of ideas with strings dangling, requiring the reader to participate in building connections. I loved it. If you pick it up, be prepared to put in some work. The essays require rigorous attention, the poetry needs to be sat with, patiently, to unfold, and the prompts might well push beyond existing comfort zones. And the reward for all that work is more work. In the essay Poetry as Prayer, Hyejung Kook affirms her power to "visualize and bring intention toward a new and better world through the power of language." And challenges all of us with the question, "Together, what future can we call into being through our poems, our prayers?"

The work is ours. It is creative and communal. It is worthy of our care and attention. As the editors conclude, "we believe we can use a poem as an activating ritual that helps us attend more deeply to ourselves, our communities, and our planet. To summon, to cast, a new world into being."

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This is completely out of my comfort zone, but I was intruiged by the description and grateful for the opportunity to receive an eARC. I really liked this compilation but felt that it could be more cohesive or perhaps organised differently - at times, I felt the jump between pieces was jarring. I really liked the activities and prompts throughout and would love to see more of that. Overall, I do think this book is best enjoyed as a physical copy and look forward to adding it to my bookshelf in the future.

It was an interesting and fun read, although overall I feel pretty neutral about it. The description and cover caught my attention but the way the book was organized wasn't the way I had expected.

Pensé que iba a ser algo así como hechizos en forma de poesía, no una explicación extensa sobre la mágia.
Idk not my thing.

This book was so interesting. As a creative writer, I love the concept of using poetry to aide in spiritual insight. I really appreciated how this book has a way of venerating some of our vocational ancestors (like Audre Lorde, Lucille Clifton, Toni Morrison etc).

Although I enjoyed the diversity of writing styles and reflections, I think the book could have been organized in a more cohesive way. One moment, I felt like I was reading a book review, and then the next, I felt like I was reading someone’s diary, then a poem, etc.

I look forward to doing some of the writing exercises.

What a glorious compilation of shared storytelling, experiences, poetry and magical living through ritual writing. The world needs more of this! Inspiration, declaration, intent and shared energy to move us forward together, and manifest a better world. The authors “identify variously as Black, multiracial, Asian American, disabled, queer, and femme. We wrote and edited this book as a love poem and spell by and for poets of color, spellmakers, magic makers.”

Explaining and kindling the power of language, setting the scene for sacred space and ritual, igniting liberation, disruption, and magic through words and creative expression. Ancestors, Buddhist traditions, spirits of the trees, flowers and death. This book dives into it all and so much more, through the lens of each writer. Big gratitude for this creation. It needed to be written — we need this book, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy to share and buy for many.

Thank you, North Atlantic Books, for the advance reading copy.

I love the cover so much! However, I was expecting more illustrations or pages with easy to the eye presentation. I feel this is a book for the readers who are seeking self healing and comfort through a book that has poetry and more interactive prompts.

Expect more of essays, less prompts and much lesser poetry. I would expect a lot more of poetry, more prompts frequently in the content and an essay alternating in between seeing the title of the book.

Well, every chapter has something to offer for the one needing some comfort and self awareness.

Poetry as Spellcasting by Tamiko Breyer, Destiny Hemphill, and Lisbeth White is a very well put together and concise book about how writing poetry can help you manifest your intention in spellcasting through poetry. I really enjoyed the read. As a writer I was hoping to get more out of this book but I should have known that poetry is not my medium and I didn’t get much from it as I have no confidence in poetry (reading aloud or writing) this would be perfect for those who enjoy wordy spells and can easily form poems from thin air. Beautifully excited just not right for me. I will be looking more from these authors and hopefully will find something that truly resonates with me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and enjoy this book!