© 2025 New Hampshire Public Radio

Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at publicfile@nhpr.org.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Celebrate NHPR’s 44th Anniversary with a Gift Today — Every Dollar Keeps Local Journalism Strong

'Odes to Being Alive' notes appreciation and gratitude for small things

The cover of "Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes" and author James Parker. (Courtesy of W.W. Norton & Company and Edward Boches)
/
The cover of "Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes" and author James Parker. (Courtesy of W.W. Norton & Company and Edward Boches)

Click here for the original audio.

In “Get Met Through The Next Five Minutes: Odes to Being Alive,” James Parker writes notes of appreciation and gratitude on a wide range of subjects, from cold showers to the misplaced cup of tea to hugs to the hum of the fridge. Some are very short poems, some are short essays, and all are exercises in paying attention and celebrating everyday life and experiences.

Parker is a staff writer at the Atlantic, and he speaks with Here & Now‘s Anthony Brooks about the book and about staying “ode-ready” in the world.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2025 WBUR

Tags
Here & Now Newsroom
Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.