From the coziness of lifelong friendship to the aching intensity of lost love, Loves of Our Lives is a poetic journey through the heartfelt relationships that make us human.
In her highly anticipated second collection, social media sensation Josie Balka masterfully puts words to the indescribable, weaving her signature blend of raw emotion and vivid imagery into poems that speak straight to the soul.
Featuring eighty poems, some already beloved by her followers and others exclusive to this collection, Loves of Our Lives spotlights six types of love—familial, toxic, romantic, friendship, self-love, and lost love—and invites reflection, offering solace and celebration in equal measure in this love letter to love itself.
Loves of Our Lives is an exploration of love in all of its forms. Balka's beautiful words stitch together the exciting and exhilarating parts of love with the more complex and heartbreaking moments. The themes—friendship, loss, grief, aging, acceptance, love in its various forms—are not only relatable, but they allow readers to take away what resonates with them.
This book makes the perfect gift to celebrate those that have touched your heart.
JOSIE BALKA is a voiceover artist, poet, and New York Times bestselling author of I Hope You Remember. She holds a diploma in radio, television, and film from Niagara College and has worked for some of the largest media companies in North America as an on-air personality. She can often be caught recording viral poetry in her sound-proof closet.
Balka was born and raised in Toronto and currently lives in Calgary, Canada.
Q & A with Josie Balka*
GWR: How did you start writing/become a poet?
JB: I’ve always been really into writing. Before this most of my writing was done in the form of songs rather than poems. I’ve played piano my whole life and picked up guitar the first year of high school and have always been really interested in putting my words to music. I’d write the occasional poem here and there, but never with the intention to show anyone I the way I would post my music. Then one day, I decided to video me recording a poem I’d written in my voiceover studio in our basement, and people seemed to resonate with that style even more than they did with the music I’d been posting for many years, so I went with it. It is such an amazing outlet, whether it’s to music or not.
GWR: What does your process looks like?
JB: My writing process doesn’t really have any rhyme or reason. Often, I’ll come up with a concept or a line at a time when I am not able to write, so I’ll jot it down in my notes app. The next time I have a few minutes I sit down and read over all my first lines I’ve written down over the last little while and expand on the ones that are inspiring to me at the moment. The inspiration kind of comes out of nowhere, and any time I’ve tried to force it it never comes out properly.
GWR: The themes of this book—friendship, loss, grief, aging, acceptance, love in various forms—are not only relatable, but they allow your reader to take away what resonates with them. Do you use writing as a way of coping/an opportunity for healing, or do you write situationally?
JB: I only ever write about things that I’ve been through personally, so every time I write it is definitely a form of coping and healing from things I have already been through. I find the most healing part of it to be when I put it online and find out that the thing I went through that felt very unique to me at the time, isn’t unique at all. It’s in those moments that the loneliness starts to dissipate, and I really can cope knowing that I’ve never been as alone as I’ve felt. I also write situationally, depending on what I’m going through at the time.
GWR: How did the structure come about? Did you write poems to put in these buckets—romantic love, lost love, family love, toxic love, friendship love, and self love—or did the categories present themselves?
JB: My team and I had a bit of a brainstorm about all the types of love you experience in your life and decided on the names of the chapters. Then I went through a bunch of my unpublished work and divided them up to fit in the columns, and then continued writing based on what was still needed to fill the chapters. In my first book, we came up with the chapter idea after I had handed in the manuscript, so having these categories to write about kind of simplified the process for me and helped me not lean too heavily into one specific topic.
GWR: Where do you draw inspiration from?
JB: I always draw inspiration from my own life. I haven’t tried to write about things I haven’t been through in some capacity. Sometimes I will ask for poem requests online, but I will only pick the ones that I also resonate with. I find it to be the most authentic that way in my particular case!
GWR: When did you realize that your words were sparking connection and community?
JB: Honestly, it happened fast. Probably after the first poem I ever posted back in late 2023. It really did motivate me to keep going, and I’m so glad I did.
GWR: What do you hope readers will take away from Loves of Our Lives?
JB: I hope readers walk away with the realization that pretty much everything we do is rooted in love, and how important it is. The way you love your people, your daily routine, your pets, yourself. All of it matters so much in everything we do. I hope that, if forgotten, it reminds them that there is so much love all around them all the time, including the love they give themselves. That they’re not alone in their hurt and their losses, but are also not alone in their joy.
GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be?
JB: Ooooohhhh good one, um, maybe a glass of cold white wine, in a nice wine glass though, not an ugly one. The glass really matters here, haha.
GWR: What are you working on now?
JB: I’ve had a huge shift in my life as of recently. I lost my dream job of 11 years this past month so as I navigate this major change and take on writing full time, things are looking a little different. Right now I’m working on a new routine and lots and lots of writing. I have a few ideas tucked away, and a ton of time to work on them. I’m excited for what comes in 2026!
*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada.
