Maggie Smith brought me back to poetry with Golden Rod however; A Suit or a Suitcase brought me back to myself. Smiths words and way of making you feel seen in this crazy messy life was astonishing. This is her best work yet!

A stunning and ethereal new collection of poems from exquisite poet Maggie Smith. A Suit or a Suitcase: Poems is a book of beautifully crafted poems that meditate on the theme of identity, explore the body-mind connection and are filled with vibrant natural imagery. The collection has an open and elegant spaciousness along with an emotional precision that denotes Smith’s evolution and mastery of her craft. A Suit or a Suitcase: Poems by Maggie Smith was an unmitigated joy to read and I look forward to adding a copy to my poetry collection.

Expected Publication Date: March 24, 2026

Many thanks to NetGalley, Maggie Smith and Atria Books for access to a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Maggie Nelson titles the book with an interesting premise- is our body a suitcase or a suit-- the body/soul dialogue begins. Some of her poems seem simple, but in her poems she digs deeply for honesty and truth about what it means to be human.

** Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review **

I very much enjoyed the overarching theme present in this book, particularly in the exploration of questions concerning the mind and body. It was beautiful, and while at times I did struggle with the way certain poems flowed, I found many of them to very thought provoking.

I had never interacted with Maggie Smith's poetry before this, and I have to say that it was a lovely first experience.

ARC provided by Netgalley*

I found myself a little disconnected with the poems, but i like how easily they flow. Might not have been the right moment for me to read this.

"forget your body, forgive your body its bad cradle, its brokenness"


"I'm beginning to suspect this life is a study for another one, research for a larger project still taking shape"

A Suit or a Suitcase is as stunning as Smith's previous work and even more precise. The collection is richly imagined, technically excellent, and poignant as great poetry should be. I recommend Maggie Smith to readers of modern poetry in all its contemplative and sentimental forms.

I love Maggie Smith's poetry, and this latest collection of her work is just as beautiful, thoughtful and reflective as the writing I've come to know. After I read her memoir, I feel like I know more about her inner thoughts and it lends more depth to her poems. I really "get" her writing, and appreciate her thoughts and reflections.
I highly recommend this book for libraries and book clubs.

I'm a fan of Maggie Smith so I was delighted to be able to read this new collection of poetry. As always, poetry can sometimes be difficult to rate because I find that it's such so personal. However, this was a wonderful collection of poems. Of course, some poems really spoke to me while others did not. I really enjoyed the poems: Hope Chest, Where, Three Thoughts After Crossing Namesless Creek and You Ask If I Believe in the Afterlife.

This is an incredible collection of poems by Maggie Smith! They are very thought provoking and emotional. These poems are beautifully written and unique. They deal with the body, mind, memory and identity. This book of poetry is under 200 pages long and I found them to be easy to read and understood. While I think they are all brilliant, my favorite one was “A Suit or a Suitcase”. The literally tropes and themes were fantastic! I think readers who love reading poems that are powerful and emotional would really enjoy this book! I rate this book a 3 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Maggie Smith and Atria Books | Washington Square Press for this digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on March 24, 2026!

I've spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to synthesize how much I loved this collection into a review that doesn't gush too much and honestly I'm throwing in the towel at this point. Here are the main points:

This collection is SO GOOD.

I got goosebumps in the middle of a Florida summer while reading these.

I love how Maggie Smith loves Columbus, and her children, and how she's able to find magic in the mundane.

I will return to these poems again and again.

-Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication. What a gift!

I loved this collection of introspective and thoughtful poetry. The writing is dazzling in many places and invites the reader in, allowing us to reflect on our own humanity.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Beautiful poetry collection, I adored Three thoughts after crossing nameless creek the most <3 the poetry on motherhood was gorgeous and I’d love for my mom to read this book, she’d relate to it all

I like the cover and the title. The contents, I'm afraid, didn't do much for me. A few nice turns of phrase and one poem I liked in part three. The rest rather blended together, seemed repetitive in themes and tone, and didn't speak much to me. Might work for others. Thanks Netgalley.

“It feels right to me now,
to have ridden the pain here,
to have dismounted it”

Tender, intimate, and precious.

Through works such as “Vision” and “Tercet”, Smith forges a connection to the painful, beautiful human experience.

With A Suit or a Suitcase, she extends a tentative hand, offering readers the opportunity to find kinship.

*I will wait until the release date to publish my review on storygraph and goodreads. Thank you!

Maggie Smith needs to try astral projection, she would probably be very good at it.
This collection was a little all over the place (Like this review), but the themes it explored were done so with care. Maggie talks about broken relationships, questioning the universe, strength of the spirit, and grief. My favorite poems were the ones about the universe, Maggie crafted her questions and beliefs so lyrically.
I love modern poetry and I think Maggie did a great job writing this new collection!

This poetry book is absolutely gorgeous, Maggie Smith is a gem, a gifted poet with deep soul. Her words She manages to evoke very intense feelings with very precise words.

These collections of poems by Maggie Smith are lovely. It feels like these poems can shift through so much. Also, it can truly bring out the power within our minds in a very different way. Maggie's books are something I enjoy reading.

This took a bit to get into but once they hit, they really hit deep and I could not stop reading. I had not heard of this author before so I’m glad to have had the chance to read these poems. The insights about life and perspectives was interesting and creative. Definitely a book that everyone should check out. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

A beautiful collection of poems. As always, some resonated more than others. My favorite was the titular poem.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Washington Square Press

I am incredibly grateful for this beautiful collection of poems by Maggie Smith. These poems made me smile, cry, wonder. There is such richness to her thoughts and words that I would read the same poem over and over and each time something new spoke to me, made me stumble, made me feel. I can't wait for the world to read this. She is a master at her art. The cover art is additionally gorgeous.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.