2025 has been rough, and I wanted my final book to be one that would put me in the right mindset as I enter 2026.
The People’s Project: Poems, Essays, and Art for Looking Forward curated by Saeed Jones and Maggie Smith (two of my favorite writers) “is a community as a book.” The voices it captures show how to persevere, show up for each other, and find joy even in the darkest times. Maggie Smith, in “My Own Project 2025,” reminds us that the future hasn’t been written yet, and we hold the pen: “Together we are living our way into the record. We are writing the story every day, all of us, and we have the power to change it.” In “An Education,” Eula Biss looks back to Vichy France and reminds us that “[t]he resistance wasn’t singular or centralized. It wasn’t a unified left–it was a collection of resistances . . . . These resistances didn’t share the same mission, or the same motives, but they served the same cause.” She assures us that showing up now looks different for everyone and that we all have a role to play. We don’t always have to agree, but we need to focus on fighting for liberation and justice. In the poem, “Time of War,” Danez Smith writes:
so left to chaos
i become the rain
and find my center
reroute the storm
to my will.
A strong reminder to focus on what we can control and never give into despair, because as Alexander Chee writes, “Let’s all stay alive and celebrate on the other side.”
By the end of this collection, I felt ready for whatever may come, and was reminded that I need to focus on strength and finding joy. I highly recommend this collection for anyone who needs some fortification, beauty, and hope as they usher in the new year.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.