This is the kind of book you want to keep close—not just during Pride, but all year round. It’s a reminder that love isn’t a privilege for a few, but a birthright for all. Whether you’re seeking solace, affirmation, or simply beautiful language, Love Is for All of Us opens its arms wide and says, “You belong here.”

A perfect gift, a perfect reminder, and a perfect read.

The arrangement of this book of poems into different themes relying on imagery was lovely. I enjoyed the transformative visuals of people as stardust, of change as a caterpilalr becoming a butterfly, and of love as the small things we do in our lives that have a lasting impact.

The vulnerability of these stories made me feel deeply, even moving me to tears on multiple occassions. My favorite poem of the set has to be 'Anniversary'. I also found the stories of becoming to be a good interlude between the poems, allowing you to stop and process.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, this was a lovely read. And thank you to James Crews and Brad Peacock for your inspiring stories of love, enduring all.

Very beautiful collection of poetry. It is great to see such representation in the queer community and be able to connect to queer love poems.

A genuinely beautiful collection of poems, shedding light on queer love and acting as a beacon of light for the queer community in such trying times. Love really is, for all of us.

What a beautiful collection of poems! This was such a heartfelt read and I think can resonate with anyone. It was inspiring and touching and filled my heart.

What better time than now to find connection and kindness in "Love is for All of Us: Poems of Tenderness and Belonging from the LGBTQ+ Community and Friends" (Storey Publishing, 2025)? Writer-editor James Crews wows once again with another stellar compilation of poetry Focusing on the tenderness and quest for belonging often denied queer people by their families and communities of origin.

Unlike Crews's previous anthologies, such as "The Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Joy" (Storey Publishing, 2022), "Love is for All of Us" is a collaboration with his husband, writer Brad Peacock. Crews wrote the introduction "The Countless Faces of Love," while Peacock wrote the epilogue "Now Is Our Time." Both have poems in the book. The Trevor Project will receive a portion of Crews's and Peacock's proceeds from the book each year.

Another bonus? American visual artist and author Lisa Congdon provided the artwork, including the cover art and illustrations peppered throughout the book. For example, near Allegria Barclay's piece "Mending," Congdon depicts cherry red thread stitched across the page with a dangling needle below. Mark Nepo's poem "My Love" contains the line "the way a hummingbird does all that work to simply hover," which Congdon illustrates with a multicolored hummingbird in flight.

Interspersed with poetry from Danez Smith, Ada Limon, Ellen Bass, AE Hines, Audre Lorde, Jacqueline Suskin, Andrea Gibson, Wendell Berry, and Ocean Vuong, there are poems from emerging poets, which is one of my favorite things about Crews's anthologies, in addition to their hopeful themes and colorful presentation.

Fans of James Crews's other books, including "The Wonder of Small Things: Poems of Peace and Renewal," Alison Hawthorne Deming's "The Gift of Animals: Poems of Love, Loss, and Connection," and Maria Popova's "The Universe in Verse: 15 Portals to Wonder Through Science and Poetry" should also enjoy "Love is for All of Us."

Thank you to James Crews and Brad Peacock, Storey Publishing, and NetGalley for the eARC!

From the foreword, written by Richard Blanco, I felt a very intimate connection with this work, to the themes that would be presented in this anthology. And in the introduction, James Crews makes an undeniable point relating to the power of poetry.
This anthology holds a great weight. The poems here tell stories of love, of grief, of laughter, of loss and heartbreak. Some poems tell of intimacy, love, passion laid bare not without fear but despite and even in spite of it. Some poems tell of the loneliness that comes from carrying the weight of all that is heavy in life, for even when your loved ones surround you, there is a loneliness there.
This work speaks so clearly to a poetic, queer soul such as mine. It speaks to the true rawness of love, of queer love, of the ache and the break and the togetherness. It unveils the very everything of the human condition. So much is packed into these poems that have so, ultimately, few words that brought wondrous tears to my eyes. I felt so deeply understood, and I feel deeply grateful to have had to opportunity to read and digest this as a budding NetGalley reviewer. A heartfelt thanks to Storey Publishing for the opportunity!
I’d like to add that while it is difficult to pick favorites, some that spoke to me in particular and especially include: Ada Limón’s “On A Pink Moon;” Dorianne Lux’s “Enough Music;” Michael Blumenthal’s “Small Love Poem;” and Jason O’Toole’s “Father’s Day,” as well as “Dear Son.”

Netgalley ARC -this is a very sweet collection and I deeply love the colorful art style as well :) Recommend.

🌿☀️🌈🪻🍂⛈️🌙🏔️🦋🌷

Love Is For All Of Us is a beautiful collection of poetry about being a queer person and/or loving queer people. These works also share a common theme of nature imagery, which is woven into each story of beauty, hardship, grief, joy, transformation, grit, loss, and strength.

A couple of my favorite quotes:

“Don’t hold back for fear of those who despise rainbows and stardust, and the magic of you have always been.”

-Stephanie Burt

“The power of prayer won’t fix what isn’t broken”

-Aby Ray

Also, the epilogue is badass and serves as a good reminder to keep standing together and rebelling against the people trying to erase us. Love wins 🏳️‍🌈

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!!

A beautiful anthology about love and acceptance. This is basically a love letter about love, written by a bunch of authors. They came together so beautifully.

Poems that beautifully depict love in all its forms and all its connected emotions. Love, and these book, is for all of us.

This beautiful anthology is a vibrant celebration of love and life, honoring the LGBTQ+ community through powerful poems that explore love, identity, and loss. The stunning illustrations by Lisa Congdon added an extra layer of brilliance for me. I thought they perfectly complement the spirit of the collection. Standout poems for me were "king the color of space/tower of molasses & marrow," "Love Poem," "On C Block," and "Prayer for Werewolves." I would absolutely recommend this book if you are looking for a diverse collection of poems that celebrate queer, transgender, and nonbinary experiences.

Thank you NetGalley and Storey Publishing for an advanced copy of this book!

This is a book-sized dose of queer joy, tenderness, and unexpectedly love for nature. Most of the poems are about quiet little moments, touches, and many of them involve the wonders of nature, trees, animals, flowers. There are also some nature illustrations that brighten the book further.

Some of the poems are by parents of queer people, which was also great to read.

Each poem is about a loved one, and sometimes that loved one is yourself.

As a NB person I absolutely loved these poems as they could be related to many situations that I and many people I know have been through. This covered a variety of subjects and was absolutely relatable. The imagery itself was one of my favorite parts. Thanks NetGalley and Storey publishing for this ARC

Some of my favorite things about poetry is how subjective it is and how it can touch you each person it finds in a different way.

This anthology of poems was just that - i really liked how each poem seemed to use nature and the world around us as imagery. It was truly a beautiful reading experience when it came to imagery and just a basis level of enjoyment.

I loved how the poems weren’t all styled in the same manner. Some were short and to the point. Some were written in more of a paragraph story essence, and some were rhymes that followed a poetry stanza pattern. I truly loved that because the voices telling these stories are so diverse and inclusive and the variation made the book mirror that in such a beautiful way.

How to Talk About it by Patrick Ramsay was probably my favorite work in the anthology. It felt so impactful and made me pause and just listen to what the author was saying.

Love is for All of Us is a beautiful and heartfelt anthology of poems about love, acceptance, and celebrating our differences in a world where the goal is, quite often, to "fit in." I was deeply captivated, and frankly, enraged by each shared experience in which the poet describes how they were alienated simply for being themself. It's absolutely devastating to think that even your own family can so quickly turn their back on you for something out of your control, but it truly does open your eyes to how important it is, now more than ever, to love carelessly; to hell with restraint!

I realize how fortunate I am that I struggle to connect and relate to such stories and experiences, but the overall message is one I wholeheartedly support. I find, today, that love is a limited resource. There simply just isn't enough of it. But love is also a necessity; we live and breathe it without a thought. We need it. A LOT of it. It is my belief that only through love and compassion can the world experience positive growth and development in any context; that love, truly, belongs to us all.

Another wonderful anthology from the mind of James Crews!

You'll love the lineup of poems/poets featured and the essential words they bring to our shared table.

Crews has an excellent eye for poetry that nourishes mind, body, and soul.

A necessary anthology for all those who need more sources of love and joy in these tumultuous times!

This is maybe the best poetry collection I've ever read and I do think this is made better by being such a collaborative effort. Some of these lines genuinely stopped me in my tracks. What a beautiful thing it can be to exist with others, to share intertwined lives even if only fleeting. The illustrations in this are also beautiful and I really felt their punch whenever one showed up. Everything in here felt deliberate and necessary.

#LoveIsforAllofUs #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley, I received an ARC.

A book that will warm your heart.

A poetry collection that brings together many authors, both newcomers and well-known. What moved me the most were definitely the little stories contained in the book; they are accounts that speak to us about important episodes that marked their lives.

I loved the foreword, after having just watched Annie Ernaux’s interview with Louisiana Channel about the act of writing being political, I really loved to see that parallel made here. Something special she’d said during that interview I felt applies here is, “It is a moral fault not to write about something that you’ve experienced. It’s metaphysical.” This is echoed in this lovely compilation of some of the most tender poems by talented artists. Such a beautiful way to showcase the creativity & heart cultivated in this community. I also really loved the colors and pictures, truly a beautiful project here. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. Please read this book! It is important.