Recommendation #2.

By Daniel Applebaum

Hello, readers! I hope you enjoyed my previous post and urge you to read The Illumination as an example of fiction that addresses pain and illness. Today, I am so excited to share with you all another book—this time of poetry— that addresses these topics sensitively and lyrically, rhapsodizing the nuances of pain onto the page while exploring the vulnerability of the human body.

Rita Dove's Playlist for the Apocalypse

In her latest poetry collection, Dove explores a range of topics (separated by sections) related to her identity, ancestral history, and life story. In one section, Dove bravely writes a series of cutting, beautiful poems centered on her experience with Multiple Sclerosis (a diagnosis she has disclosed in interviews and composed an epigraph about, which is included in this collection of poetry). Envisioning pills as rosaries and writing chicken soup recipes while receiving a life-changing diagnosis, Dove humanizes objects and events that can seem purely clinical, proving that illness is not beyond the purview of poetry.