Maybe Today

Thank you so much for the arc of this poetry collection. I loved that it was the joint effort of two friends, with the original marginalia responses of the first author's reading buddy's thoughts. I found this was a really creative way to engage with poetry. I also loved the beautiful art that accompanied the words. Thanks for a great read!

I really liked the content of the poems. A lot of them were super vulnerable and open. The illustrations on some of the pages were really beautiful too. However, my favorite part were the comments at the end of some of the poems. The comments were by a person super close to the author who knew the author super well. The comments showed an intimacy in their relationship that was super wholesome. It seems like this person supports the author unconditionally, which was so nice to see.

This is a beautiful collection of poetry with small illustrations throughout that being it to life. It is sectioned by seasons which is so perfect if you want to read these poems according to the present season and mood you are in. My favourite line is from the poem “Calm” because as a reader I really resonated with this line ; “If you cut me open,
you would find only words wrapped around scars, bookshelves carved out of my bones,
characters tiptoeing across my heartstrings”

"Please don't think this was a journey / I wanted to take. / Please don't glorify this pain." (166)

S.K. Williams returns with their sophomore poetry collection "Maybe Today" about grief and how to keep forging towards the light in difficult times.

In this unique collection, Williams writes poetry in a journal and then shares it with a close friend, who leaves annotations throughout. I was a bit uncertain when I opened this collection how I'd feel about the addition of notes from a third party - but wow, I really ended up loving the notes. They were affirmations that the grief and emotions in each piece were valid, but also a stark reminder that the world is sometimes harsh but feels less so if you have a trusted friend beside you.

I found myself loving a lot of these poems! It would simply be too much to list them all, but my favorite section was Fall. I felt like it was an incredibly powerful opening for this collection and the art throughout was both warm and comforting. The idea of watching a quiet love story play out in the notes section as the poet fell slowly in love with his friend (and now partner) was so beautiful and felt like a gift to read about.

Some of the poems did seem to drag for me, but they ebbed and flowed like mental health often does. This is a highly personal collection which I think might deter some readers who don't have a personal connection with how up and down mental health journeys can be. I will say, occasionally the notes were a little cheesy at the end of poems, or were more personal in nature, but I stand by the fact they felt more reaffirming and comforting over pedantic or childish.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.

Content warnings for: grief, loss of a parent, alcoholism (from a parent), death of an animal, suicidal thoughts, mental health

TW for suicidal ideation, grief/loss of a parent

Maybe Today is a poetry collection divided into four sections, one for each season. During the fall, the poems have melancholy tones, with the theme circling around feeling stuck on the outside and on not being happy despite doing everything “right.” ‘Good Kid’ addresses this, wondering when happiness is supposed to come when you’ve already done everything you were “supposed to do.” The author is clearly tired in these poems, and the combination of exhaustion with the overwhelming desire to be good enough makes these poems resonate with me.

In the winter, the author talks about feeling scraped empty. The emotional state mimics the outside world, cold and dying and hollowed out. Loss and grief are discussed here, with a look at how grief will sneak up on you out of nowhere. There are poems about self-loathing and considering ending one’s own life. This section felt like hibernating while wanting to wake up. It was the hardest to read, but also hit the hardest.

Spring brings with it renewal and time for healing. There is not an immediate shift in tone, but a gradual one, which I appreciated. The author gradually becomes hopeful, with Maybe Todays and Self-Reminders. This continues into the summer, which has uplifting reminders and coming to terms with various relationships. The author is finally comfortable in their own skin and role in life.

The journey from feeling stuck on the outside to self-acceptance over the course of the four seasons was a slow but rewarding one. I enjoyed all of the emotions tackled in this, many of which were complex and hard to name. My only complaint is that the little “notes” written in did not add anything to it for me. I would have preferred just the poems on their own. Other than that, this was an excellent collection of poems that I will definitely revisit, especially when I need a reminder that things will be okay.


Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

A poetry book that was quite touching and motivating. the poems written bring out different nuances. Melancholy, sadness, hope and passion color the emotions in each poem. The notes added made me easier to understand the content of the poems, so that I felt immersed in each of the wordplay.

I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into when I started reading this. I thought it would be easy, nice, surface level kind of poetry that was lovely in the moment, but I was completely, dead wrong.

I found myself crying on my lunch break, having to take a minute, put my phone down to deal with the emotions that were brought up within me. Some of these felt like they were taken from my own life and my own relationships.

These are not easy poems. These are not nice and surface level poems. These are raw, real, stabbing truthful poems that do exactly what they were created to do: make you realize you’re not alone in how you feel.

I greatly thank NetGalley and SK Willams for allowing me the honor of reading this as an ARC. These were hard to read, which is said they would be, but necessary.

If you’re going through a hard time, take this with you. Cry with it and allow it to see you in your hurt because you are not doing it alone.

This was delightful. I loved this slightly different take on a poetry collection. Seeing the relationship between two people evolve and the words of the poet were both beautiful and relatable. Thoroughly enjoyed.

I have little experience with reviewing poetry but I found the prose to be absolutely beautiful. These poems seemed very personal and very experience based and allowed use a glimpse into the authors mind. This is a beautiful and evocative piece. I particularly enjoyed the imagery of bookshelves carved out of bones. I feel that this section explored the idea of words characters and stories becoming a part of a persons very being.

My only critique would be that I am unsure why the author chose to split the collection into four parts based not he seasons as there was no shift of tone or style throughout that made this decision clear.

This is the first book of poems I've read in a long time. I love the cover so much!

I really enjoyed the relatable, heartfelt poems inside. It is nice to know others are experiencing life similarly to you but through a different lens.

Highly recommend if you want to be hit right in the feels.

4/5
Simply love this little gem that i have found. The words touch you so deep and makes sense. This book has all the emotions, manifestations and phases of life. It's simply beautiful. Loved how it's been divided in chapters as season of life also the artworks to depict it.
Must read !!!!

"Maybe Today" by SK Williams is a heartfelt tribute to the journeys of growth and transformation that we all experience. The book's theme is based on the four seasons and their connection to our lives, using them as a metaphor to explore the challenges we face in life.

Williams' poetry reflects on the difficulties of growing pains, societal pressures, loneliness, and grief, but also offers a path of light and love to navigate through these challenges. The author draws inspiration from nature and uses gentle yet powerful words to convey that becoming the healthiest and happiest version of ourselves is not only possible but also worth the effort. The book serves as a reminder that sometimes we just need a little help to find the way.

The book is divided into four sections: "Fall," "Winter," "Spring," and "Summer," each reflecting a different stage in our lives that is both unique and relatable. In addition to the main voice of the book, the author adds annotations from a friend's perspective, representing the gentle, affirming perspective that we all need to hear from time to time.

Overall, "Maybe Today" is a beautifully written collection of poetry that will resonate with readers on a personal level. The book encourages us to embrace change, find hope in difficult situations, and appreciate the beauty of life, even during the toughest seasons. This book is recommended for anyone seeking a comforting and uplifting read that celebrates the human experience.

The cover is what starting me on the journey of reading this poetry.... Did i relate to this, Yes! did i cry, Yes! I am also stuck in life, YES!! Did i start thinking i need to start getting out of my funk, Also YES!!! I absouletly loved this and plan to buy a physical copy to annotate myself.

This book is raw and deeply personal.
There are poems in this collection that made me stop, put the book down, and just process it for a little bit. I think everyone can connect to different pieces of this story and hopefully find some strength from it.
Even though at times I think the poems were a bit too on the nose or the metaphors were not the most original, overall it was extremely beautiful.
If you want to read this book, please be aware that this book handles very heavy themes and articulates dark thoughts, so take care of yourself.