An excellent and very accessible collection of poetry from posts by Poetry is not a luxury on Instagram. This title is a quote from Audre Lorde, one of the greatest poets of our times.

This is such a lovely collection of poems grouped into seasons. Some, like the nature poems, contain clear imagery linking them to fall, winter, spring, or summer. Others seem to have been categorized largely based on vibes, and it totally works. This collection includes classic poems as well as some by more contemporary poets. For me, it was a great introduction to some poets I wasn’t already familiar with. I couldn’t resist reading it all in one go, but I think it would be so cute to read each season’s poems in that season.

I didn’t know about the @poetryisnotaluxury Instagram account before this, but I will definitely be following them now. The person behind it clearly has a great eye for curation.

I enjoyed this collection of poetry and loved that it was broken up through the seasons - it gave a different feeling to each poem thinking back to how I feel during each season. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

A beautiful collection of poetry that I recently bullied our poetry selector into buying for our library. Contains a wonder mix of poets I've read before and those that are unfamiliar to me.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Now available.

As a long time fan of the Poetry Is Not A Luxury instagram account, this book was a treat! It's a beautiful collection of contemporary poets, alongside a few classics, all in harmony and conversation with each other. Organized into four seasons, each section propels you forward toward a carthic release. I just wish it was longer!

I've tried so many modern poetry books and none of them hit the way classic poets do. There were several poems in here that I liked, but none enough to highlight so that I could come back to them one day. Most modern poetry lacks the depth I look for and end up disappointing. I'm gonna stick to Mary Oliver, Bell Hooks, and Langston Hughes. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

What a fabulous collection of poetry. This lovely book is divided into four sections or seasons of the year. A few of the poems and a good portion of the poets were familiar, but I love discovering new to me entries.

Spring's poetry is about renewal and limitless possibilities. Summer has poems of abundance and joy, while fall's poems are about contentment and taking stock. The poems of winter are sadder yet still with vestiges of hope.

My favorites were "Maybe in Another Life" by Tiana Clark and "Strawberry Moon" by Franny Choi.

If you don't regularly read poetry, then this collection is a wonderful and accessible entry point. The poems are all about what it means to be human.

My thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC ebook.

This collection is truly wonderful. Broken into 4 seasons (second read in a row that employs this device…coincidence?), the works included pulse with warmth (even the Winter season!) and inspiration.

Maybe it’s because we’re actually in spring here in New York, but the Spring segment was my favorite. There’s nothing like poetry that uplifts you from the inside. 🌷

This is the perfect anthology to add to your bookshelf or to have on your bedside or coffee table. Pick it up when you’re living through a season - of the year or of your life - and see what comes from reading a few of its passages. You won’t regret it.

Thank you @atriabooks and @washingtonsquarepress for the advanced copy, and for helping me read #morepoetryin2025 !

I have followed the Instagram account poetryisnotaluxury for many years and am elated to see some notable poems curated into a slim book. This book will be a constant source of reassurance and hope that will live on my nightstand. Anyone who has ever experience love, loss, want or hope should own a copy.

3.5 stars rounded up. I stumbled on the Poetry Is Not A Luxury instagram account years ago. When the poems pop up in my feed it’s like a little soul nourishment in a social media landscape that can sometimes feel stifling and overwhelming. This is a thoughtfully curated collection separated by seasons that like on instagram has a lot of variety and is geared towards the human experience.

A poetry collection like this is hard to rate because on one page there can be a poem that blows you away and the next can totally fall flat. I think because of this it works best as a collection you read from time to time instead of all a once and then bookmarking favorites to return to. I already look forward to picking it up again as the seasons change.

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This anthology perfectly achieves its goal of providing an accessible, but still high-quality sampler of poetry for new and old poetry fans alike. I love an anthology like this for discovering new favorite poets and will recommend it to anyone who wants to learn what they like within this medium.

"If we're not supposed to dance/Why all this music?" - Gregory Orr

Poetry is Not a Luxury is an album for the seasons, a compilation of poems to turn through over a year or (as I did) in a few cool nights with the window open. While this anthology isn't groundbreaking, it was soft and reflective, meant to be savored. The title is a bit misleading—I expected it to be harsher and more desperate—but the intent, I believe, is for these poems to become part of daily life. Some shone more than others, particularly "Phases of the Moon/Things I Have Done" by Ella Frears, "Idea" by Kate Baer, and "On Friendship" by Henri Cole. Overall, though, the strength of this collection is that it speaks to a broad audience, and anyone could keep this beautiful title by their bedside to carry them through the rhythms of life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Washington Square Press for this eARC!

Very enjoyable collection of modern verse arranged by seasons - both in nature and life experience. Quite a few gems in every season. I’ll definitely be rereading this collection from time to time, and picking up a physical copy soon for my library ❤️

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the digital arc!

Know thy audience -- @PoetryIsNotaLuxury has 850000 Instagram followers for exactly the hits of poetry in the pages of the book version -- short, evocative, quotable. It features greats like Nikki Giovanni, Ada Limon, Saeed Jones, Rita Dove and Audre Lorde, and some folks mainly Instagram-famous, which is an unusual and not unwelcome combination. I enjoyed the seasonal format and feel, but left feeling like it could have been a bit more? It's a good book to pull off the shelf for some inspiration here and there.

I'm going to give this **gasp** a five. It was a craptastic afternoon in late May when I picked this book. It pulled me in, taking me to other places-those not covered in sweat and boredom. I love the cover art, simple and pleasing to the eye. Usually, thematic arrangement of poems by seasons feels corny, but it works here. This variety of poems is great. Every page a different look at human life. It gives the feeling of flipping through a photo album. You recognize some old friends, smile, nod. There are some lovely new voices--at least for me. I've already added it the "Buy This for Our Upperclassmen" list that I optimistically send to the Principal's Office every year in September.

I devoured this wonderful collection in practically one setting. It has immense re-readability--would be a great book to cozy up with Vivaldi's Four Seasons playing in the background. I loved it so much I bought one for my guest bedroom nighttable!

I love this social media account and this collection was just as thoughtfully curated and themed out by circumstance

I have followed the Instagram account under the same name for years, and I was excited about this book. It didn't disappoint. I loved the layout by season and the poems were a mixture of easy to understand and some that made you think a little deeper. A great, accessible collection for new or old lovers of poetry.

I love the way this collection is configured. Full of wonderful and meaningful and beautiful poems from a spectrum of writers. Kudos.

Thank for to netgalley and atria books for the advanced copy.

I throughly enjoyed this collection of poems. It was so refreshing to read a highly curated selection, that moved with the seasons. I think that the distinct feeling of each season was made incredibly clear through each section. Highly recommend for poetry lovers. 4.5 stars