Nov
11
2:30am
Skylit: The How by Yrsa Daley-Ward, with Mimi Zhu
By Skylight Books
The How: Notes on the Great Work of Meeting Yourself (Penguin Books)
From the acclaimed poet behind bone, an exploration of how we can meet our truest selves, the ones we’ve always been meant to become
Yrsa Daley-Ward’s words have resonated with hundreds of thousands of readers–through her books of poetry and memoir, bone and The Terrible; through her writing for Beyoncé on Black Is King; and through her always illuminating Instagram posts.
Now, in The How, Yrsa encourages readers to begin, as she puts it, the great work of meeting ourselves. This isn’t the self we’ve built up in response to our surroundings, or the self we manufacture to please the people around us, but instead, our most intimate self, the one we visit in dreams, the one that calls to us from a glimmering future.
With a mix of short lyrical musings and her signature stunning poetry, Yrsa gently takes readers by the hand, encouraging them to join her as she explores how we can remove our filters, and see and feel more of who we really are behind the preconceived notions of propriety and manners we’ve accumulated with age. With a beautiful design and intriguing meditations, The How can be used to start conversations, to prompt writing, to delve deeper–whether you’re solo, or with friends, on your feet or writing from the solace of home.
Yrsa Daley-Ward is a writer and poet of mixed Jamaican and Nigerian heritage and is the author of bone and The Terrible, the winner of the PEN Ackerley Prize. She splits her time between Brooklyn and London.
Mimi Zhu (they/them) is a queer Chinese-Australian immigrant based in Brooklyn, New York. They are a Gemini, writer, and artist who has been featured in the New York Times, PAPER Magazine, Guardian, them., The Fader, and more. Their first book, BE NOT AFRAID OF LOVE, is forthcoming from Penguin Life in summer 2022.
Praise for The How:
“In this gratifying exploration of the self, Daley-Ward excels at describing the indescribable…this work defies genre and features a beautiful blend of lyrical prose and bold poetry…. This is a tender, hopeful meditation.” –Publishers Weekly
“A heartfelt, artful manifesto focused on living fully and authentically… By turns simplistic, elegaic, and illuminative.” –Kirkus
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