A wonderful collection of what was billed as Great Britain's most popular poetry, sent to me by a friend in the UK. A lot of really good writing by a variety of poets about living in the modern world. A number of the poets included were already familiar to me (e.g., Marge Peircy, Pablo Neruda, Billy Collins, Philip Larkin, C.P. Cavafy, Mark Doty, Sylvia Plath, et al.), but there were many whose other works will be seeking out (e.g., Denise Levertov, Carole Satyamurti, Kerry Hardie, et al.). ( )

If anyone ever reviews the poems inside an anthology you should disregard it completely. I discovered my favourite poem within these pages, yet the entire collection was not to my taste. That is poetry. ( )

The perfect poetry anthology for the bedside table. This is a book to pick up for a few moments every day, there will be something to calm you or warm you or give you goosebumps. Staying Alive reminds you of one of the reasons that poetry exists - to capture that fleeting moment and pin it in your memory forever. ( )

I saw this on a recommended book list (Best Books of the Decade, I think). It is a lovely collection of poems. Lots of my favorites here. I’m adding this book to my wishlist at Amazon when I turn this copy back into the library. ( )

I picked up Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times when I was going through very rough times a couple of years ago. The title caught my attention. Like I said, bad times. It is not an exaggeration to say that this book helped me through those dark days when I was hurting and needed to make sense of my life.

Staying Alive is stunning; among the all-time best poetry anthologies I have read to date. This is the kind of book I want to give to every one I know because it is entirely real and relevant to life. The poems are as powerful as they are true in their reflection of our human experience.

The varied collection of poets and topics in this anthology led me to discover some of my favorite works and poets. This poetry collection would be enjoyable for poetry buffs and the average reader alike; those currently experiencing difficult times and readers simply reflecting on life. The editor could not have complied a better selection of contemporary poems about what it means to be human. Read it! ( )