It's been said that one cannot write well if he does not read well, and Joel Holland reads well. The collection draws inspiration from dozens of poets and hundreds of stories accumulated in thoughts and journals from Holland's first 22 years of living. Ever-present through the collection is Holland's advice, ultimately to himself, to let these stories orient him toward an intentional present. Through the celebration of life and the heartache of its inevitable end, Holland vulnerably lets the reader know of his own deep need for a Savior and how that Savior helps him to see others' stories as real and meaningful. In just the first line of the collection, Holland tells of how he collects stories that stir his heart and it is evident throughout that he allows them change his heart through pondering, journaling, and prayer. The title After All may seem arrogant for a 22-year-old's poetry collection, but the collection serves as an earnest attempt to tell others' stories. Through grandparents' wisdom, roommates' heartbreak, and other poets' eye for beauty, Holland writes of wisdom he's still learning to apply through the lense of those about whom he cares most deeply. After All is, ironically, an admission of ignorance and a call to listen and to understand.
