Why Abandoned Mine?

We started this journal for people who don’t yet know they like poetry.

Many people today are of the belief that they don’t “get” poetry, regarding a poem with almost the same trepidation they might regard, say, a complicated physics equation.

In fairness to those many people, some poems are dense. Or cryptic. Or full of confusing words. (Or all three.) Such poems can be intimidating. Such poems can sometimes dissuade people from reading more poetry.

That’s a huge bummer, because most people’s lives would be tremendously enriched by reading more poetry. Poetry can challenge us to more fully live out our ideals and inspire us to passionately pursue our dreams. Poetry can invite us into greater empathy for others. Poetry can help us laugh and help us cry. Poetry can make us feel not alone.

The good news is there are thousands of accessible, understandable, relatable poems in the world, ready to be discovered and enjoyed.

If you’re someone who holds the belief that you don’t really get poetry, hopefully the thoughtful and engaging poems in this journal will help you reframe your relationship to poetry—and enrich your life!

Warmly,
Jasen Christensen & Robert Grant
Co-editors

P.S.
Especially if you are just now re-dipping your toe into the world of poetry (we swim in that world as children), we would like to recommend a book to you: Healing the Divide: Poems of Kindness & Connection. Full of thoughtful treasures, this anthology features poems by Ellen Bass, Lucille Clifton, James Crews, Mark Doty, Rita Dove, Ross Gay, Joy Harjo, Li-Young Lee, Naomi Shihab Nye, Tracy K. Smith, Kim Stafford and seventy-seven others—and it concludes with the beautiful Miller Williams’ poem “Compassion.”