I will come out, back to your world of tears, A stronger soul within a finer frame.
3.5 stars. Really lovely! At first I just thought this collecti
I will come out, back to your world of tears, A stronger soul within a finer frame.
3.5 stars. Really lovely! At first I just thought this collection was okay; I wished it would touch more on Jamaica and immigration than it did, and also, a lot of the poems rhyme and are metred. That isn't always my favourite form of poetry, if it isn't precisely and skilfully done, because with a lot of poets it tends to sound forced, as if they're trying to choke the idea into the format, and trim the edges so it fits. And I have to say, a few of these poems did feel like that to me, and I found myself wondering what they would sound like in free verse. But about halfway through the collection, things just sorta picked up, and I started enjoying it a lot more. Especially just for the poetic language, and how he spoke about romance. A lot of pretty phrasing. I do kinda wish there'd been more dialect, but, ah well. Listened to the audiobook as read by Ron Butler, which was pretty okay. Not my favourite performance from him, but good. I'd love to read more of McKay's poetry, especially his works about Jamaica....more
Very beautiful verse, often with a simplicity that works great for laments, a lot of them written in the ve
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
Very beautiful verse, often with a simplicity that works great for laments, a lot of them written in the vernacular that speaks to the people and the time. AAVE in poetry can be so lovely, and Hughes achieves that remarkably well, whether he's writing about joy or friendship or injustice or love. I found myself wanting most of these poems to be longer, but some of the best ones delivered a gut punch in two verses and then it was over. You have to respect that. Listened to the audiobook as read by Dion Graham, who did a great job of adapting his voice to the vibe of the different poems. This was a lovely little collection.
Every now and then, I dress my thoughts in the clothing of a poem. Try to figure out if my world changes once I set down these words.
3.5 stars. A
Every now and then, I dress my thoughts in the clothing of a poem. Try to figure out if my world changes once I set down these words.
3.5 stars. A lightning-quick but super impactful read, following a young girl and her growing relationship with her family, a new love, poetry, and herself. I loved that it discussed what an alienating experience it can be, growing into your body and finding that so many people, especially men, suddenly feel free to comment upon it. It's also a great look at what happens when you start questioning the mores and doctrines you grew up with, and what it's like having a complicated and tenuous relationship with your parents. The poetry in this was really really beautiful, so lyrical, and it blows me away that Acevedo took some of it from her actual teenage journals; they were so good. Poetry can be incredibly healing, and I loved Xiomara's journey in learning that. Novels in verse just have a vibe that I love, and it's always great reading about people descended from the Caribbean diaspora. Some parts of it were very YA in ways that just weren't for me, and I do wish that some things hadn't been wrapped up quite so neatly. (Especially with her mother.) But I found it a super enjoyable read, all told.
I want to be close to the inferno of you, even if it kills me.
4.5 stars. Gorgeously written, hard-hitting YA about an intense relationship between
I want to be close to the inferno of you, even if it kills me.
4.5 stars. Gorgeously written, hard-hitting YA about an intense relationship between two girls. Written as a long poem, it hit me in the gut every other line, or made me think, or took me back to my girlhood, or offered thoughtful commentary on growing up as a queer black girl. There's not a lot that I can say about this, other than the fact that Woodfolk perfectly captured the painful nuance of being a teenager in love with your best friend, the kind of co-dependency that isn't great but you want to cling to anyway, all wrapped up in gorgeous, gorgeous language. It was musical but brutal, and I just adored all the fire/water imagery. Listened to the audiobook as ready by Amani Minter: such a great performance. Even the author's note at the end had me in my feelings. I don't read a lot of YA these days, but this is exactly the kind that I want to read. Definitely merits a reread someday. Huge kudos to this.
This is about learning to read again: the naked face indoors, the masked face without.
Good, but as someone who's read better from Senior, I'm left
This is about learning to read again: the naked face indoors, the masked face without.
Good, but as someone who's read better from Senior, I'm left a little disappointed. These are poems that she wrote during the pandemic, about the pandemic, and they're all exceedingly simple and kind of dry? Not that simple and dry are qualities that automatically preclude poetry from being good. From what I remember, (and to be fair it's been a while since I studied her at uni) in some of the poems I like best from Senior, she doesn't use particularly elevated or flowery language; it's the simplicity that makes them work. But these were mostly just kinda surface-level. Insightful, yes, and I love that she looked at not only the pandemic and it's attendant social tragedies, but also events that happened during the pandemic, like George Floyd's murder and a few ecological issues. It's just that they were so matter-of-fact. A lot of the time I felt like I was reading short articles, rather than poetry. Some of my disappointment is also because I admittedly forgot that Senior now lives in Canada. When I picked this up, I was expected to get poems about the pandemic from a Caribbean perspective, and this... wasn't that.
Still! This was effective in what it set out to do and there were a couple striking lines that made me catch my breath. Just in terms of commentary, there's a lot to be gained here....more
My heart is so full!! It genuinely makes me so happy to think about all the queer stories for teens t
You cannot unbake a cake. You can only slice.
My heart is so full!! It genuinely makes me so happy to think about all the queer stories for teens that there are these days, and the stories about and for black queer teens. Literally makes me tear up a bit! This was really lovely; a coming of age novel in verse that's written in extremely accessible poetry and is full of eye-opening experiences and learning and acceptance. Michael's story is simple and beautiful, and it's not one that I've been lucky enough to read before. I especially liked the ruminations on drag as it relates to gender, how Michael struggles and fights back against all the forms of racism geared towards him (and how racism, internalised and otherwise, affects people around him), and some of the poems were especially lovely. Identity is obviously an important theme here, and I really enjoy seeing different books and characters tackle that (esp. with regard to queerness) because the result is often unique and heartfelt. And the little romance was so cute!
Listened to the audiobook as read by the author, which was a joy! Especially given that it's poetry, you just know you're listening to it as it's meant to be heard. <3
I tell her people show for the fruit. she reminds me beauty is found in the roots.
Poignantly described by the poet as dealing with "loneliness and be
I tell her people show for the fruit. she reminds me beauty is found in the roots.
Poignantly described by the poet as dealing with "loneliness and being unarmed in a knife-fight against myself", and ultimately growing from that, Into the Orange Grove is a strikingly-written, very personal, but also deeply relatable collection of poetry. As with all anthologies/collections, I didn't love every single poem within this, not all of them elicited the same volume of feeling, but the ones I liked, I liked a lot.
The subjects covered range from family, to nature, to depression, to queer love. A few poems deal with historical or mythological figures (like Michelangelo and Medusa) which was really interesting. Poems like that can be hit or miss for me, but I liked these. I really enjoy when poetry collections take you on a mini journey in themes, and this did! The writing is very often beautiful, but not so dense as to be totally inscrutable, so I can easily recommend this to people who are new to poetry/unsure how to dive into it. I also just really liked the style of the poetry. A lot of internal rhymes, good use of sound. A lot of it was in free verse, but every now and then there'd be a perfectly metred rhyming couplet, and I'm in love with the effect that that gives. Really arresting! Sometimes I'd find myself thinking that it would be interesting to study a particular poem in an academic setting, which is how I know I'm really enjoying poetry. :3
we african remnants, we're pendulum of choices, we're running out of breath or silencing our voices.
Lovely, atmospheric, really gripping. Thoughts on we african remnants, we're pendulum of choices, we're running out of breath or silencing our voices.
Lovely, atmospheric, really gripping. Thoughts on being black and gay and how that intersects, but also a lot of meaningful reminiscences on relationships and family and sex. Beautifully written, with some really striking pieces of verse. A few of the pieces had a cadence that reminded me of rap; all of this just flowed so well. Hugely enjoyable, all in all....more
I shall be ever maiden, If thou be not my lover, And no man shall possess me Henceforth and forever.
Lovely! A lot of the fragments made me so SAD thI shall be ever maiden, If thou be not my lover, And no man shall possess me Henceforth and forever.
Lovely! A lot of the fragments made me so SAD that a lot of Sappho's poetry has been lost, because even the fragments are beautiful. This was my first time reading her poetry (other than various snippets and quotes) and it was great. I loved all the expressions of longing and love, all the sea-side and ocean imagery, all the colours she evoked (she seemed to be really fond of hyacinths/purple!). I liked this edition because it gave you various translations, from what seemed to be straight up word-for-word translations of the Greek, to more poetic interpretations. It was interesting to see, whenever I saw a poem translated more than once. I have to admit, I didn't really care for the translations/paraphrases where the interpreter tried to make the poems fit into a certain metre, or make them rhyme. Even without knowing or being able to understand the original Greek, most of these seemed awkward and stilted. Square peg, round hole. There were a few that were apt and flowed well (the bit I quoted up above) but in general I think I'd just prefer direct translations. And if not, at least don't bend over backwards to make it rhyme in English.
I'd still like to read Anne Carson's translations, but until such a time, this was great! Let's go Lesbians!...more
perhaps nobody is born broken / but once you acquire a piece that makes you feel that much more whole / maybe you think / there must be more pieces ofperhaps nobody is born broken / but once you acquire a piece that makes you feel that much more whole / maybe you think / there must be more pieces of me out there / and don’t I deserve to have them?
I must confess to not being exactly wowed, but I was very moved by several of the pieces in this book. I like Eileen's simple, straightforward writing style that doesn't prevent real beauty and profundity from sparking in a few lines. There were some great poems on writing, on love, on heartbreak and recovery, and I feel like the collection took you through a whole little journey. Made me remember why I like reading poetry, and how much can be gotten out of it.
Really lovely stuff. I of course can't comment on the translation quality (from some of his notes I do think I wouldn't hI am ready to split the moon.
Really lovely stuff. I of course can't comment on the translation quality (from some of his notes I do think I wouldn't have minded a bit more literal translation and a little less lyricism... though as I said, the poetic language was really beautiful) but I enjoyed it a lot....more
Loading...
