There is a certain formula that poetry anthologies must adhere to on paper, but the beauty of that formula is that it can be eclectic and raw. Hustling Verse: An Anthology of Sex Worker’s Poetry is exactly that; a raw and uniformed, yet eclectic mix of poetry. Edited by Amber Dawn and Justin Ducharm, their watchful eye is a guiding tool of awareness. The collection features fifty self-identified sex workers from various walks of life and professions. The collection is honest, and the editor’s careful eye captures that not only with the rawness offered but with pure faithfulness. The anthology is self-proclaimed and trailblazing. The works of poetry featured between the covers is a nuanced glimpse into the world of sex working and acts as a window often glazed over with biased depictions and falshoods by the media.

While the collection has individual stand-alone masterpieces, it works best as a complete collection. A community of poetry, about a community of sex-working. The poems are unique, they are unstable, and they remap—or change the course—of modern poetry. It is a bold claim, but it works. This poetry is not meant to be constructed; it is free-flowing and has a sense of confusion amidst an outsider’s perspective. The anthology here is a call for recognition, a nod to the existence of a community not understood from an outsider’s perspective. These poems’ offer a diverse capability that asks the reader to acknowledge a community often forgotten about. Whether by the reader, another community, or by the government, these poems are asking us not for help, but for acknowledgement of the significance of art and community, and how the two are interwoven.

However, a highlight of the anthology is “West End Sex Workers Memorial” by Raven Slander. It is honest and dark. The poem fits into the narrative of the anthology of the cure as a stark reminder of the damage done. We must be different after reading ‘West End Sex Workers Memorial” just as we must be different after reading Hustling Verse. Another standout piece is  “Revival at the Pillow Talk Lounge” by Garuda Love. There is an abstract beauty among the abstract terror which helps define this anthology. Love uses the comparison of bees and honey to beer-soaked walls in addition to the comparison of sugar and sweat laden bills to show this abstract beauty side-by-side to terror. That is not to say these are the only highlights as Hustling Verse offers much more; it is a collection that hinders on the edge of beauty, yet sucks us back into the stark existence of a seediness that is constructed by a society propped up by self-made morals.

Hustling Verse is a bare and raw look into existence. The collection is a deep and groundbreaking look into a community bound together by abstract beauty. They may not be overtly asking for help, but simply asking to be read. By reading these poems, we can prevent the beauty of modern poetry from slipping through the cracks. By reading this anthology we can help prevent a community living between the cracks slip even further out of reach. And Hustling Verse does just that. The expansive ability of fifty poets and the guidance of the editors help make this anthology conducive to mending.