Tag Archives: poetry

Book Review: HER, HIM, & I: POEMS by Christian Weissmann

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HER, HIM, & I: POEMS by Christian Weissmann

Publisher: Central Avenue Poetry (thank you so much for my gifted eCopy!)

Pub date: 6/11/24—OUT NOW!

Goodreads synopsis:

“Her, Him & I is a love letter to queerness— the joy, grief, ecstasy, and hope that accompanies it. Weissmann offers the readers an unfiltered view into his psyche during several romantic relationships. These poems magnify the reality of exploring emotional and physical intimacy with multiple genders, all while getting to know oneself in the process. 

A bold affirmation of identity and its fluid nature, this book is an unforgettable exploration of what it means to love and be loved in all forms.”

My thoughts:

Wow! HER, HIM, & I features a demographic so often left out of the publishing industry (and thus my own reading): bisexual folks (especially masculine-presenting bisexuals). Not only this but, Weissmann is unapologetic in writing about their bisexuality, which makes reading this collection a breath of fresh air.

Passion and heartbreak flow throughout the language of HER, HIM, & I. While reading it, I was right there along with Weissmann, viscerally feeling all the emotions that come with the end of romantic relationships. I love how the collection doesn’t just skip from a loving relationship starting to break-down to a clean split—Weissmann drags out the feelings of resentment and multiple heartbreaks that go into the *process* of a breakup. There comes a point in the collection where the narrator realizes he should probably break up with his boyfriend, but then switches between having hope that the situation is salvageable and feeling deep resentment for his partner. Weissmann truly has a way with words that moved and affected me deeply.

Overall, HER, HIM, & I is a phenomenal collection of poetry. I was lucky enough to read it during pride month, but the best time to read queer books is all year round. I recommend this to readers looking for something relatively short that really packs a punch emotionally. I think this would make a great choice for someone stuck in a reading slump. Thank you so much to Central Avenue Poetry for my eCopy of HER, HIM, & I!

Mini Book Reviews- Featuring Poetry Collections from Independent Publishers

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I recently came across a wonderful, eclectic collection of poetry books and chapbooks published by indie presses. So far, I’ve worked my way through three of the titles and knew I HAD to share them with the world. Their themes include, but are not limited to, mental illness, sexual trauma, queerness, and intersectional feminism. The following reviews are listed in the order that I read them.

THE RAVENOUS AUDIENCE by Kate Durbin (Black Goat/Akashic Books, 2009)

This was Durbin’s debut collection and I fully believe it put them on the map of contemporary, talented poets to keep an eye out for. Many of the poems in THE RAVENOUS AUDIENCE incorporate themes of horror that kept me hungry for the next page. Motifs such as “cum, blood, vomit, and other bodily fluids” mix into Durbin’s work (quotation from back of the book). This collection is all things I love: queer, subversive, even perverted at times… absolutely enthralling.

HOARDERS by Kate Durbin (Wave Books, 2021)

I didn’t realize HOARDERS and THE RAVENOUS AUDIENCE had the same author, because their styles and content are so different. Of course, this only further illustrates Durbin’s talent. Her 2021 collection is broken up into different chapters, each depicting the lives and perspectives of different hoarders (or individuals who struggle with hoarding; I am unsure if person-first language is appropriate here). Getting into the minds of each protagonist was enlightening and emotional. I learned quite a lot while reading HOARDERS without realizing I was learning in the moment— this is an absolutely stimulating and thought-provoking collection of work!

MAYBE SHE’S BORN WITH IT, MAYBE IT’S TRAUMA by Cait Thomson (Beyond the Veil Press, 2023)

Of course, the title and cover art immediately drew me into this chapbook, but to let those be the main focus of my mini review would be doing it a major injustice. The current political climate and (albeit slow) destigmatization of mental illness has understandably led to a rise in poetry collections about therapy, medication, and mental health. MAYBE SHE’S BORN WITH IT, MAYBE IT’S TRAUMA stands out when compared to others I’ve read, though. Thomson isn’t afraid to dive into the ‘ugly’ parts of mental illness, like struggling to brush their teeth and passive suicidal ideation. Furthermore, Thomson’s formatting choices challenge me to look deeper into their words, as this collection is anything but surface-level. I greatly look forward to reading more of Thomson’s work!

Review- Gay Girl Prayers by Emily R. Austin

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Gay Girl Prayers by Emily R. Austin

Genre: Poetry

Release date: 3/1/24

Format: Digital ARC

5/5 stars!

Gay Girl Prayers is a collection of poetry that focuses on queer themes and religious references (specifically, Catholicism). Though the title focuses on sapphics, the poems within this work include mentions of queer people of all sexualities and genders. I think it’s impressive that Emily R Austin even includes demisexual and intersex folks, who often get left out of LGBTQ works. I love books that illustrate the way different identities intersect with one another (rather than focusing on one identity in a vacuum) and this is definitely one of those titles.  

One part that stood out to me in Gay Girl Prayers discusses an experience that I have personally dealt with as a sapphic woman. Emily R Austin writes about the confusion that hotel employees often show when two women check into a room and ask for one bed. This truly happens quite frequently to queer women, since we (in the US) live in a heterocentric society. Knowing the author and I have a shared experience made me smile when I got to this part in the book. While I was reading Gay Girl Prayers, it felt like Emily R Austin was speaking directly to me about life as a sapphic woman, which was really cool.

As many of you know, I am a huge advocate for diverse books and #OwnVoices in literature and non-fiction. I loved reading through Gay Girl Prayers and appreciate the intersectionality and different identities it mentions in each poem. Emily R Austin did an excellent job insuring queer people of a variety of sexualities and genders could see themselves in her poetry.

Thank you to Brick Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is my first 5 star read of the year!

Review- I Know Your Kind

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I Know Your Kind: Poems by William Brewer

Processed with VSCO with t1 presetGenre: Poetry
Format: Paperback
Publication date: September 5, 2017
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Page count: 96
Star rating: 5/5

This is a selection of poetry about the opioid epidemic, focusing on Oceana, West Virginia (sometimes called Oxyana). The poems’ subjects range from detox,  halfway houses, withdrawal, to Naloxone. I Know Your Kind is told in the voice of a someone, first hand, struggling with addiction.

I wish I could add more to my brief summary of this collection, as it’s far beyond merely a selection of poems told in the voice of an opioid addict. These poems have so much substance to them; they’re very powerful. They are powerful for two reasons– they can teach readers about the realities of addiction and they can make other addicts feel less alone in their struggles. I was extremely pleased with how touching, emotional, and human the voice in the poems read. I truly think this is an amazing work.

I want to highlight some lines that really blew me away.

“Who can stand another night

stealing fistfuls of pills

from our cancer-sick neighbors?”

 

“We were so hungry; Tom’s hand

on the table looked like it was warm bread.

I crushed it with a hammer”

Going back and reading all of the places I marked in this book (there were a lot of sticky tabs!)  prove how raw and honest William Brewer’s words are. I’ve never read a work that outlines these particular aspects of addiction: stealing pills from sick individuals and purposely harming oneself or friends to get a prescription for pain medication. These are topics not touched upon in many books about addiction, at least out of the handful that I’ve read. I loved the articulation and authenticity that went into the experiences that William Brewer chose to write about.

I want to tell everyone I know about I Know Your Kind. I think it has the power to educate those who have loved ones that struggle with addiction. I also think this work has the power to unite those struggling with addiction, whether they’re in recovery or not. These two reasons make this collection of poetry one of my favorites that I’ve read not only this year, but in the entire time I’ve run my book review website. I Know Your Kind really hit the mark. I’m so thankful that honest, real poems about the opioid epidemic exist and are accessible for anyone to read and learn from.

I want to give a big ‘thank you’ to Milkweed Editions for agreeing to send me a copy of this work in exchange for an honest review. I wish I had William Brewer’s personal email so I could tell him, myself, how touched I was by his words. I wish I had 20 copies to give out to friends and family to share this collection of bravery and power. I very much look forward to reading more works from Milkweed Editions in the future, as I Know Your Kind was an excellent addition to my blog and my bookshelf of ‘favorites’.

Review- Milk and Honey

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Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

 

23513349“if you were born with
the weakness to fall
you were born with
the strength to rise”

 

5/5 stars

 

Self-worth, break-ups and make-ups, sexual assault, and a father’s absence are some of the many deep and emotional topics found in Milk and Honey. Rupi Kaur is very honest throughout the book and it truly shows in the quality of her work. Sometimes graphic, these poems articulate so many of the struggles that women and women of color can experience in only their first 21 years of life. The collection of works is split into four different parts: The Hurting, The Loving, The Breaking, and The Healing, and each is its own masterpiece.

I was afraid that this book was over-hyped because almost every bookworm I know absolutely LOVES Milk and Honey. I took it upon myself to go through the book’s tag (#milkandhoney) on Instagram and I found thousands of photographs of Rupi Kaur’s selected poems. As soon as I read a few of them, I knew I must get my hands on this book as soon as possible. The crazy thing is that it seems like everyone can relate to at least one poem in Milk and Honey. This collection speaks to so many different people who have gone through their own unique experiences. Rupi Kaur figured out how to unite hundreds of thousands of women around the world with her words.

Milk and Honey made me cry. Period. Many of the poems resonate so deeply with me that I know Rupi Kaur and I have felt the same way at certain points in our lives. It’s powerful to realize that another human being has been in the same emotional spot as you, even in times when you felt so utterly alone. The experiences that we have, as women, are not isolated events;  many of us go through similar things and can connect with one another through common feelings and reactions after them. It feels good to know that Rupi Kaur, myself, and so many other women are healing and growing together.

I’ve never liked poetry. It was always my least favorite unit in English class and I avoided poetry books at all costs. Now, I have 3 more poetry books on order at my local bookstore. I want to thank Rupi Kaur for reminding me that books and language can bring us together as readers and listeners. I hope she publishes more collections in the future; I’ll be the first in line to get a copy. Please, poetry fan or not, pick up a copy of this book.

Review- A New Orchid Myth

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A New Orchid Myth by Helene Pilibosian

Orchid-Myth-cover-200px_jpeg1Rating: 4.5/5 stars

-I was provided a copy of this book thanks to the author of this title-

This is a sci-fi story told through verse–so I’m unsure if I should categorize it as poetry or science fiction. This work tells the tale of a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Everydream, who have traveled to Earth from another planet. Throughout the many poems, these two learn what it’s like to live all over the USA. They paint the flowing waters of the Hudson River, see the movie production in Hollywood, and spend time exploring the streets of New York. Mrs. Everydream gives birth to a daughter named Taralee and relatives from their home planet are out to steal the child. Mr. and Mrs. Everydream must communicate with their home planet to keep their daughter safe.

This story is only 95 pages, so it’s hard to summarize it without giving too much plot away. My synopsis cannot do the intricate plot justice, and I hope Helene Pilibosian can forgive me. That being said, this is such a phenomenal work of literature. I never would have expected myself to pick up a science fiction story told through verse; I haven’t read a poetry book in ages. I’m so glad that I gave this one a try because it’s beautifully written. Pilibosian truly has a way to make the reader think about what she’s describing and really paints a picture for the audience.

A New Orchid Myth exceeded all of my expectations for such a unique genre and I’d recommend it to all poetry lovers. As I said, it’s very short and easy to read in one sitting. I hope to read more from Helene Pilibosian in the future! A big thank you to her for sending me a physical copy as well!