From one of the most-viewed spoken word poets of all time, a collection exploring loneliness, anxiety, and longingâand finding peace, and even joy, in unexpected places
Sabrina Benaim, author of Depression & Other Magic Tricks, has connected deeply with readers and reached millions of viewers through her poetry, breaking down the stigma around mental illness. Now, she dives into challenging and universal territory: grief over a relationshipâs end, loneliness in a world under lockdown, and the anxiety of caring for a loved one from afar in the wake of a serious diagnosis.Â
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Unfurling over the course of one month in 2020, in seventy-five original poems, I Love You, Call Me Back grapples with mental health struggles and the uncertainty of the moment and beyond. In isolation, Sabrina dares to embrace loneliness in all its permutations: the sorrow of getting your motherâs voicemail when you call to say âI love you"; the bitter-sweetness when your dog takes up your exâs side of the bed; the joys of eating ice cream for dinner and singing badly, loudly.
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In her raw and deeply relatable style, Sabrina reminds us to love our whole selves: you canât have joy without sorrow, and being anxious or depressed doesnât mean you can never be happy. In her words, âSometimes self-care is just surviving.â And thatâs okay. Sabrina shows us that thereâs beauty and courage in that, too.