Notes From Your Bookseller Music has always been my first love. It was my jumping off point to other media. Album covers led me to works of art and photography. Lyrics led me to poetry. It makes sense, then, why Sorry I Haven't Texted You Backcaught my eye. Alicia Cook knows how to make those associations, too. Song titles and performers accompany each of her heartfelt poems. The poems work like a mixtape from your best friend. They are a way to say, "I know you" and "I know what you are going through." When side one is over, you'll head straight to side two, and then back again until it all feels better.
Sorry I haven’t texted you back, (I’ve been so anxious and depressed) I haven’t had time to catch my breath, you know how life gets!
Returning to the form of Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately, Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back is a poetic mixtape dedicated to those who struggle or have struggled with their mental health. Divided into two parts, “Side A” holds 92 poems, titled as “tracks,” and “Side B” holds the “remixes,” or blackout-poetry versions, of those 92 poems. The book includes the evergreen themes of love, grief, and hope. Named after Cook’s viral Instagram poem, Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back lands in the crossroads of self-help and poetry.
