The Poem I Turn To edited by Jason Shinder
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Most people ignore most poetry because most poetry ignores most people.
~Adrian Mitchell~
I found this quote here. Sounds interesting, huh? I don’t know what Mitchell meant by poetry ignoring people. Can somebody step up and share your thoughts on it?
Anyway, The Poem I Turn To With Audio CD: Actors and Directors Present Poetry That Inspires Them
Well, what kind of poems do celebrities like? Shakespeare? Poems by Robert Frost? Yeah, there are some sonnets from Shakespeare in it. It would be relatively surprising if nobody actually turned to Shakespeare’s words. Besides that, the simplest poem in it would be ‘Alone’ where there’s only one lone word in it, Alone. It is one of Stanley Tucci’s favourite poems.
Oh, do you like listening to poems being read aloud? I do! This book is accompanied by a CD where you can listen to some of the actors read their favourite poems. I didn’t really like Paul Guilfoyle’s (from CSI Las Vegas) poetry recitation. His voice was soft and he read the poems way too fast! Is that supposed to be a style? If I weren’t holding the book as well as reading and listening to the poem at the same time, I wouldn’t catch what he said. By the way, there are 30 poems being read aloud on the CD. And if you don’t like hearing other people read them, why don’t you read aloud yourself and record it? 
All the same, this hardcover book has a lovely cover although it’s quite wordy. But I like it! Somehow I have a good feeling when I look at it. I’ve always liked poems. The poem I like most in this book would be The Guest House by Rumi. If only we had learnt more English poems in school. The only poems we were exposed to were:
Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
If by Rudyard Kipling
Monsoon History by Shirley Lim
There’s Been A Death In The Opposite House by Emily Dickinson
Si Tenggang’s Homecoming by Muhammad Salleh
Life’s Brief Candle by William Shakespeare
The Dead Crow by A. Samad Said
The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W.B. Yeats
Still, it’s a good start.
So…which poem do you turn to?
A heartfelt thanks to Sourcebooks for sending me a copy of this wonderful book.
Other Bloggers’ Reviews: John Mutford, Kim
July 1st, 2008 at 1:42 am
Funny, we both singled out Paul Guilfoyle. I actually prefered his reading for the same reason you didn’t! I found too many of the others way too slow and dreary.
July 1st, 2008 at 4:19 am
Great review! I use to like poetry when I was younger, I’m not sure why I don’t enjoy it much anymore. Hmm. Maybe this book could re-spark my interest.
I added a link of this review to The ARC Challenge site on my blog.
July 1st, 2008 at 5:48 am
I thought this was a great book too. I love poetry and hearing it is even better.
July 1st, 2008 at 11:39 am
John: Hi, well, I prefer slow and clear.
Anyway, I guess that’s Guilfoyle’s style of speaking. He sounds like he doesn’t want to waste time!
Teddy: How come you don’t enjoy poetry anymore? Haha! Yeah, perhaps you could try this book.
Iliana: Hi, looks like we belong in the same club! I did enjoy hearing AND reading the poems. Perfect way to relax.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Josette, thanks for visiting my blog. Great review! I think you got a better copy than I did. I got a paperback ARC back in April that wasn’t completely finished (missing photos, stuff like that) and there were only a dozen or less poems on the CD. Even so, it is still a great book that I’m glad to add to my shelves.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Kim: Hi! Oh, I didn’t know they’d give out different copies…I guess I was just lucky. You’re right, it’s a great book although it’s quite pricey. I’ll read it whenever I need a fix of poetry.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:57 am
Wow…I forgot that we have very little exposure to poetry during schooldays. At least you have the English literature component.
Other than nursery rhymes, I only knew poetry when I took up the English lit paper in Form 6.
After that, it’s no turning back esp after I got to know Hubby’s friend who loved poetry and introduced me to more and even more!
Hmm…I feel like writing a post on poetry now! LOL
July 4th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
KittyCat: Yeah, I guess the ministry of education wanted students to be exposed to literature as a way to improve their language. Go ahead with your poetry post! Can’t wait to read it!
July 11th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
By this he means poet write poetry for themself . Not for masses (not everytime though )
July 12th, 2008 at 9:55 am
webdesign: That’s a good interpretation of the quote! Thanks.
August 7th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
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