I Hope My Voice Doesn't Skip

Book excerpt: Anthem-like poems about relationships, mental health, loss, and recovery from the activist and bestselling author of Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately. The reader’s experience with this unique collection is lifted from the page as Alicia Cook has collaborated with a number of up and coming musicians to transform some of her poetry into song. Like her debut book, this one is divided into two parts. Modeled after a vinyl record this time, the collection is separated into the EP record, holding Cook’s shorter poetry, and the LP record, holding Cook’s longer poetry, prose, and songwriting. Together, they form an inspiring collection for all those recovering from something. “Through each internal rhyme and turn of phrase, she presents new ways of interpreting despair, courage and overcoming. The poems are mostly devoid of gender pronouns, favoring the first and second person to promote accessibility for all. Cook is self-reliant and fully aware of how to make her voice heard.” —Asbury Park Press “This book was raw . . . Alicia Cook writes about very important topics, some of them really hard to read about, especially if they hit too close to home . . . You will always find a poem, a sentence, something that will speak to you, to your heart, to what you’re going through and this book did just that for me.” —Chapter Ninety-Two “A heartfelt, emotional, beautiful book of poems.” —The Pages In-Between