Penn State Altoona professor publishes anthology of work poems on Labor Day

ALTOONA, Pa. - Erin Murphy, professor of English at Penn State Altoona, has published "The Book of Jobs: Poems About Work," an edited anthology of poetry. In keeping with its theme, the collection is being released on Labor Day, the national holiday honoring workers.

The project is unique in that it is free online for all readers. In another departure from traditional publishing, the book has received advance praise not only from esteemed writers but also from postal workers, bartenders, healthcare workers, and other workers.

As Murphy writes in her introduction, the anthology features jobs ranging from "coal miners to caregivers, farmers to flight attendants, union organizers to Uber drivers, engineers to exterminators, teachers to tech workers, artists to athletes, and doctors to dunking booth clowns," adding that there are also poems about "the work of nonhumans-bees, voles, meerkats, birds, earthworms, donkeys, whales, dolphins, and dogs-along with the natural world itself."

Murphy notes that subjects include "unemployment, discrimination, incarceration, unsafe working conditions, and chattel slavery," as well as "humor, tenderness, joy, pride, and appreciation for those who 'show up/ again/ again/ again.'"

"The Book of Jobs" is being published in two editions. The first edition, released Sept. 1, appears online as a special issue of "ONE ART: a journal of poetry." The second edition, which will include a downloadable PDF, will be published by Penn State University Libraries Open Publishing in 2026. Both editions will be free.

"In the egalitarian spirit of this project, it was important to me that 'The Book of Jobs' be free and accessible to all," Murphy said. "I didn't want people to have to work an extra shift to buy a book of poems about work."

"I also made a point of highlighting the unseen labor of caregiving and parenting," she continued. "There's even a poem about the labor of labor itself: childbirth. It begins, 'I made another person in my body.'"

Murphy conceptualized the anthology and worked with the editors of "ONE ART" to make it a reality. She received 3,600 submissions and chose 135 poems for publication.

Mark Danowsky, editor-in-chief of "ONE ART," lauded Murphy's selections and creativity, remarking on the unexpected inclusion of a sonnet by Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo in which he bemoans the "torture" of painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel: "My brush,/ above me all the time, dribbles paint/ so my face makes a fine floor for droppings!"

"I'm honored to have a role in bringing this extraordinary body of work into the world," Danowsky said, observing that "work is so closely tied to core concepts of being human."

John Marsh, professor of English and department head at Penn State and editor of "You Work Tomorrow: An Anthology of Labor Poetry, 1929-41," finds the collection "absorbing and inspiring" and says "each poem offers a glimpse into a life that might otherwise remain in the dark. One closes the book overwhelmed by a sense of how humanity can come from the occasional inhumanity of work."

Postal worker Patrick Irwin calls the collection "outstanding" and says the poems "address the drudgery, humor, frustrations, triumphs, and ultimately the dignity associated with work."

Poet Kim Garcia describes "The Book of Jobs" as "surprisingly playful" and praises Murphy's "ear for the music and mechanism of good poetry," noting that the selections "are brimming with a compassionate curiosity about our fellow citizens of the world, a thoughtful meditation on our comrades in love and work."

Emily Miller, a hospital nurse practitioner who worked in a COVID ward during the pandemic, says she was moved by the poem "Good Friday, 2020" by emergency room physician Rachel Mallalieu, which captures of fear many healthcare workers experienced during the pandemic. Miller said the line "I no longer kiss my children" especially resonated with her.

The collection also features a poem by Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Liberal Arts Professor of English at University Park.

Murphy hopes instructors will consider adopting the collection for courses in sociology, business, economics, human development and family studies, creative writing, and literature. She is also confident that it will have a broad appeal to general readers.

As flight attendant Stephanie Allison suggests, "'The Book of Jobs' would be the perfect in-flight read for your next trip-after you follow along with the flight attendant's safety demonstration, of course!"

Murphy is the author or editor of more than a dozen previous books, including two anthologies that received Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards. She will be reading from "Human Resources," her latest poetry collection, on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 4 p.m. at ArtsAltoona. A staged reading of "Human Resources," directed by Jonathan O'Harrow, will be held Thursday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, featuring performances of selected poems from the collection.