The perfect collection for lifting our spirits and calming our souls during this lingering pandemic. Barbara Kingsolver's poetry kneads through humanity with with wry grace. Many of the poems were dedicated to people in her life, lending the readers to a voyeuristic voyage. One poem talked about her anguish after a book received bad reviews, a brave poem about the feeling of rejection after decades of being widely published and admired. A quick collection that covers much ground, yet lingers with you long after closing the book.

I didn't know Barbara Kingsolver wrote poetry, but I really enjoyed this collection. I'd put it up there with Mary Oliver in thematic material and think the same readers would like both. (That's high praise, I love Mary Oliver!) - nature, aging, death & dying as part of life, wisdom etc.

My favorites:
How to Drink Water When There is Wine
How to Have a Child
How to Survive This (published in the NYT during high pandemic numbers in NYC)
How to Do Absolutely Nothing
How to Be Married
My Mother's Last Forty Minutes
"...Here begins my life as no one's bad daughter..."
Forests of Antarctica
"...You are the world that stirs. This is the world that waits."

How to Fly (In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons)
Poetry
by Barbara Kingsolver
HarperCollins Publishers
You Like Them You Are Auto-Approved
Harper
Poetry
Pub Date 22 Sep 2020 | Archive Date 17 Nov 2020

As a fan of Barbara Kingsolver I was quite excited to read her poetry. Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins Publishers for the ARC.
Well done! Will recommend to our patrons.

An absolute joy to read. I loved “Flight Behavior,” but was not aware Kingsolver wrote poetry until coming across this ARC by chance. Just as in her prose, Kingsolver combines a very Southern directness and practicality of language with stunning, surprising imagery that just enraptured me from the first poem. The conceit of the “how to” is so eminently readable and often fun. Definitely a great read, and a great book to give as a gift.

A journey of poems. So I enjoyed. Overall, it was not gripping as I was hoping it would be. The themes were good, but to me, they just didn't draw my emotions.

As a fan of Barbra Kingsolver fiction and nonfiction I couldn’t wait to read her poetry,This was a gem of a book of poetry thoughts on real life .From divorce to losing weight even sweet has its moments.Will be picking this book up again& again and gifting to friends.#netgalley#harpercollins

We know Barbara Kingsolver's work quite well as a master of prose. Here, Kingsolver demonstrates her poetic skill -- and the result is lovely and enjoyable. This author utilizes the poet's pen with the kind of wit and energy that she wields in novel writing. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to the publisher for an advance review copy, from which I offer this unbiased review.

I love any book of poems that Barbara Kinsgsolver writes. She is a poet who still knows what it is to be a poet, to say things in such a way that you think of little things in brand new ways, to use words as art and dance, to make you understand the nature of life with tiny observations that give meaning to the most insignificant things around us.

There were definitely poems and sections that I liked in this book better than others, but it's the sort of book that I'd like a physical copy of to dog-ear and underline and read again and again.

These are the sorts of poems you read to realize you're not alone in the universe and other people are living all the same heartbreaking, wonderful, terrible, mundane, awful, beautiful things you are. "Passing Death" was especially heartbreaking for me because it describes so well what is happening to my wonderful mother-in-law right now, whom we can't even visit because of covid-19.

For her children, this gradual dying
is like those tests at school that leave no one behind:
death mastered in small increments.
Last summer, they lost her laugh,
the surprise of a marshmallow sandwich,
jokes while she folded the laundry,
a sheet furled around the make-believe bride.
By then we knew she wouldn't see their weddings...

Topics range from friendship to aging to nature to love, arranged by chapters that each have their own style and general theme.

A great collection, with something for everyone (as long as you're willing to think a bit).

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

I’ve enjoyed reading Kingsolver for decades and this is another amazing read from her. I’ve read her nonfiction and fiction but never poetry so this is new. This is a poetry collection I will return to again and again. Her poem ‘How to Survive This’ is available on her website to read. At the end of How to Fly, Kingsolver dedicates several of the poems to specific people and also expounds on several aspects in various poems. It makes for an interesting read. Many of Kingsolver’s signature themes are here- environmentalism, parenthood, marriage, gardening, nature.

I will be gifting this title this holiday season. I have long been a fan of Kingsolver, but this just makes me more of one. In fact, it's inspired me to begin writing poetry of my own. Poignant, real-life stories or her experiences not only shows us more about her, but about life in general. It is beautifully and eloquently written and I am in awe.

Barbara Kingsolver’s “Prodigal Summer” is one of my all time favorites, and the book that got me back into my reading habit as an adult fresh out of college. I was so excited to see a poetry collection from her! These are lovely and lyrical, as you would expect.

Barbara Kingsolver's poetry collection How to Fly (in Ten Thousand Easy Lessons) is a recommended read! The collection is divided into themed sections and each theme is insightful, heatfelt, reflective, and powerful on its own. My favorite poems were "How to Lose That Stubborn Weight", "Swimming in the Bay of Naples", "My Mother's Last Forty Minutes", and "My Afternoon with the Postman". Kingsolver is a skilled poet and How to Fly should be added to your to-be-read list.

Advanced readers' copy provided courtesy of the publisher via #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Available September 2020.

Barbara Kingsolver has visions, knows and uses words like an alchemist. This collection of poetry soars from inner musings on the natural world to tracing and illuminating personal family history from roots in Italy to Africa and rural Kentucky.
The word images can be illuminating, startling, befuddling and astute.
As in her prize winning fiction and non-fiction works, the breadth and depth of her experience, knowledge and curiosity is an amazement.
It is not easygoing reading and at times you may push yourself to slog through lines and metaphors that leave you in the dark. Then, the next line will take your breath away. Stay with her for those times are worth it.

Barbara Kingsolver is a local author to our area and though I've never read her fiction, I started with this poetry. It was magical and wonderful, and the perfect short snippets of life for this time that we are in. It captures everyday moments in a beautiful way. I haven't read much poetry in years but I highly recommend Kingsolver's work..