I Hope This Finds You Well audiobook

This whole book is such a flex and I am here for it. Poet Kate Baer returns after the wildly successful and wonderful What Kind of Woman: Poems with a collection of erasure poetry that finds inspiration in the hate mail she receives. Baer takes these letters that range anywhere from unsolicited advice or spam emails to violent and openly misogynist aggression and transforms them into poetic gold on the opposing page. It is a wonderful way to deny the hatred these toxic emails seek and subvert it into something beautiful and empowering, leaving the original behind as a monument to vileness and pushing into a new horizon of hope. It also becomes an art piece that comments on online harassment and aggression that is exponentially worse for women. ‘Even though I know you will probably just make this into one of your “poems”...’ begins a toxic email about weight shaming and some weird commentary on his own girlfriend that, in Baer’s creative hands, result in a full erasure poem which reads (if putting it as a single sentence) ‘Even though you will make women lose Their love I will bring them to courage I will bring them home.’ I really respect Baer for publicly bearing the burden of harrassment but using it as an opportunity for art and to reach out in solidarity to others that likely experience similar harassment. It is a way to laugh together at online assholes but also a unique way to realize you can find beauty in everything, even picking apart threats or rants to create an uplifting poem. While most of these erasures come from Baer’s own many online inboxes, scattered within them are erasure poems of statements from public officials. The notorious Trump confession about raping women because he is a star gets the Baer treatment, as well as death threats from January 6 terrorists and that gross ‘advice’ Joseph Epstein wrote in the Wall Street Journal about how he doesn’t think a doctorate in education is impressive. This is a fun little collection, especially if you like erasures and makes for an interesting cultural artifact of our current political climate in the US as well as of the social media age. Worth a read for sure.4/5

"it's funny how men go aheadand have daughterseven thoughthey can't fathomwhat daughterscanbe."

Quick thoughts: I Hope This Finds You Well is a slim collection of poetry at less than 80 pages with full on power. Kate Baer took another look at the erasing, dismissive, and angry online messages she’d received and turned them into poetry. Not only is her effort clever, it’s relatable and empowering. At times, I was amused, too. There’s comfort here because of how and what Kate shares- we are never alone in our emotions. I’ll be picking up Baer’s What Kind of Woman asap.I received a gifted copy.Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

I'm not a big reader of blackout poetry but I really did enjoy these poems. In my opinion, it is very tricky to write evocative poetry when limited to certain words in a certain order, but I think the original piece being shown before the poem tended to have a very feeling effect. I haven't read Baer's other work but I definitely plan to now. I'm even more excited to read her poetry in free form as opposed to her well-done, but restrictive, blackout poetry work.Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC.

These erasure poems are so satisfying. Sometimes a rebuttal, sometimes an insight, always a delight. I'll admit I was skeptical of the premise because I don't love internet trolls, but yet again, faith in Kate Baer paid off.Old favoriteRe: When Chad is a Dad New favoriteRe: Sodom and Gomorrah from Isaiah 1:9, 15-17

Kate Baer slaps back at her internet trolls by finding some mic-drop responses hidden amongst the words of their own diatribes. This clever turn is called erasure poetry, though I seem to recall Mad magazine doing something similar in their pages with political statements and advertisements back when I was a kid.Baer also tries the same trick with positive comments -- drawing out affirmations -- and from other sources to lesser success. It has the most emotional impact for me when in direct response to her haters.Slim book, quick read.

As Kate became more popular on the internet, responses ranging from advice to rants inspired her to transform them into poetry of “light and hope” instead of blocking and deleting them. She turned dark into light, cruelty into beauty, and criticisms into gratitude. Using these messages and words from public figures, her redactions cleverly demonstrate the power of words. You can create poetry from anything.

I was not familiar with Kate Baer before reading this book but she's apparently fairly well known and has written a number of books of what she calls erasure poems (basically just a different take on black out poetry). She uses comments on news articles, spam letters and letters from readers to isolate just a few words and create poems from them on topics like women's bodies, LGBTQ issues and other social and personal issues. Many of the letters are negative, trollish and mean. She transforms them very well. Recommended for adults and teens, and also in the classroom.I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

Thank you, Harper Perennial and Kate Baer for the opportunity to read this book. It releases on November 9th, 2021!Last year I read Kate Baer’s What Kind of Woman and it was an experience, I felt understood. That continues on in this unique collection entitled I Hope This Finds You Well. In this collection, Kate Baer takes comments from her blog, news articles and uses erasure to turn them into inspiration and something beautiful. These topics vary from politics, equality, oppression, feminism, the preying nature of MLMs, the constant critique of our bodies, etc…Here are a few examples:1) Re: Women in the White House is a comment she received about how we can’t only use gender as a criterion for leadership and how we need to respect the “family structure” of women being in the home and that we need to acknowledge our limits and boundaries in certain fields.Kate Baer’s poetic transformation of the message:“I have seen women love this countrywhile suffering from its persecutionWho better to lead us into the coming days”2) Re: Your Mommy Pouch is a message received asking the author to try a new detox tea. It discusses that as mothers we need to lose the baby fat, or the COVID 15 in order to love ourselves more.Kate Baer’s response:“I hope this finds youleaning towards a lifeintent on love”3) Re: My Black Friend is a message from a blog reader who has always enjoyed her blogs but was especially disturbed by her comments in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. She insists she is not racist and has MANY Black friends and coworkers but refuses to see color.Kate Baer’s response:“I hope this finds yousearching for every voiceyou have clearly erased.”Her making poetry out of the comments she received is just utterly powerful. She never responds in anger but in truth. These works are relatable and emotional. She draws from the experiences we all have and the hurtful words that have been thrown at us. Some responses are rather humorous, but many are heartbreaking and powerful. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars!

I work at an indie bookstore and we received an uncorrected proof copy of this book for review. I did not read Kate Baer’s “What Kind of Woman” but I devoured this book of ferociously uplifting and cleverly resourceful poems. I will be recommending this book to any and all poetry readers. What a moving and magical transformation Baer has made, shifting the power and agency away from internet trolls and back into her own hands! In a world of anonymous hate that promises it’s “nothing personal”, Baer creates a catharsis of very intensely personal and emotional womanhood. Absolutely triumphant. Bravo.

3.5⭐️ This collection is often clever and provocative and makes you think and feel. Sometimes Baer’s offerings feel like poems, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they feel too much like direct statements to meet my definition or understanding of what a poem is.But I love the concept and philosophy behind these pieces, and several of them struck me as beautiful and memorable. Also, I am here for the idea of inviting more people to the poetry party. Poetry should be accessible because it hasn’t been for way too long.My favourite:I hope this finds youleaningtowards a lifeintentonlove

Brilliant. I’m buying a copy for every person I know - I loved every second of this collection. Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy; effusive opinion and deep adoration all my own.