Through one of the most chaotic eras in modern history, Isaac Marion (author of the New York Times bestselling WARM BODIES series) invited his readers to send him their hopes and fears. Loneliness. Uncertainty. The nervous dance of new love. The dangerous allure of solitude. The loss of loved ones, human and animal. Depression, anxiety, self-doubt, the relentless flow of time, the sleeping and breathing of everything—how do we do it? Here are 26 anonymous confessions and 26 poems in response, each one illustrated by the author, each one an attempt to offer comfort or perspective or at the very least: to listen. Somber meditations and joyous celebrations of our sprint down the bumpy road of living. The sweaty, bloody ecstasy of being human. These are simple poems, written by a poetry outsider in conversational language, dripping with vivid imagery from the natural world and the inner world, stealing ideas from babies, animals, weather patterns, outer space, and psychedelic experience—not to provide "answers" but to ask the questions together, fumbling in the dark, yearning in the direction of daylight. Critical praise for Isaac Marion's fiction: "Gruesome yet poetic." -Seattle Times "Dark and funny." -Wired "Artful." -AV Club "Luminous prose." -Publisher's Weekly Reader praise for Hopes and Fears: "I loved being able to read the secret hopes or fears of others...very relatable." -Anonymous "Each prompt was addressed with such respect and delicacy. Every poem was inspiring and really reminded me of my place in the universe and had a beautiful sense of hope." -Audrey Datin "Marion has a way with words, and the special gift of helping his readers feel seen, understood, and a little less alone." -Ashely Diaz "The interplay between the audience and the writer is a fresh take and the writer is so tender and authentic with each response." Nikole M. Lewis "Cathartic...written with kindness and empathy." -Anonymous