The author of Fear of Flying “touches on her mother’s death, astrophysics and her own return to poetry, which ‘came / unbidden / as it / always / does’” (The New York Times).   Life challenges us to celebrate even when our very existence is threatened. Never have we needed poetry more.   Poetry was #1 New York Times–bestselling novelist Erica Jong’s first love, and she never left it. In a dark time, she celebrates life—the title of this collection, The World Began with Yes, comes from the celebrated Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector, who was deeply in love with life despite many tragedies.   Jong believes that the poet sees the world in a grain of sand and eternity in a wild flower—as Blake wrote. Her work has always stressed the importance of the lives of women, women’s creativity, and self-confidence, and this collection is an inspiration to readers, as well as the next generation of poets.   “Say ‘yes, ’ to this collection and let the world begin.” —Kim Dower, author of Sunbathing on Tyrone Power’s Grave