Breathing Room: Poems of Rest and Retreat

James Crews’ newest poetry collection gives readers permission to find the pause in every moment and cultivate healing from a sense of everyday awe for nature, each other, and our fractured world.

With the world returning to its old, unsustainable pace (and expecting us to return with it), we all must learn how to make time to slow down, to pause, and to appreciate the beauty around us. In this inspiring collection of poems, award-winning poet and mindfulness educator James Crews models how the smallest moments of deep attention can also be the most joyful and healing. Each poem offers gentle wisdom and comfort, providing life-changing insights that will resonate long after the last page.

There should be a room in every house

or office building set aside strictly

for breathing. No speaking allowed,

no phones, clocks, or other devices

may be brought inside. Let the walls

be empty and white, only potted ferns

stirring near windows thrown open

to a night-breeze bearing the scents

of jasmine and lilac. You can count

if you like until your heartbeat slows

to its own natural pace, and your mind's

as blank as a page in the back of a book.

If someone asks for directions, say

it’s the room at the end of the hall

with nothing else in it but a few plants

and all the air you can breathe.

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR: James Crews is an award-winning poet and writer. His work has been awarded the Prairie Schooner Prize and Cowles Prize. He has also been featured in The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, Ploughshares, and The Sun Magazine.

UNIVERSAL THEMES: Crews’s poems are accessible and relatable, exploring the universal experiences of rest, reflection, and renewal.

ENCOURAGES MINDFULNESS: Breathing Room emphasizes the importance of slowing down and cultivating peace amid life’s chaos.

THOUGHTFUL GIFT: A gorgeous illustrated hardcover case, satin ribbon marker, and spot illustrations throughout make this a giftable collector’s item that will be treasured for decades.