Fairytales: A Poetry Collection by M.E. Aster
twisted lies and poisoned trees
you are more than that to me
a volatile orchard perhaps
This is a collection of introspective, emotive poetry and prose that is definitely worth checking out! I can’t wait to read more of Aster’s writing.
Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku
by Cendrine Marrouat and David Ellis
Today
questions still
haunt old stone.
Ooooh, I do adore photography blended with poetry. I’d never heard of Kindku and Sixku before, so learning about these types of poetry was very informative!
I loved so many of the poems, especially the one quoted above and the one inspired by William Ernest Henley, who is a personal favourite of mine. The photography in here is absolutely stunning, too! \o/
Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography
by Cendrine Marrouat, David Ellis & Hadiya Ali
I have seized the light! I have arrested his flight! The sun himself in future shall draw my pictures! – Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, 1839, quoted within.
Oh my gosh, the photographs in here are so stunning. I saw some familiar places, but so many new ones and it’s making my desire to travel so much bigger! Ugh, seeing beautiful pictures while locked inside during a pandemic is just MEAN (but in the best way, haha). \o/
Anyways, this is a lovely little collection of photography and poetry and I totally recommend it!
Thank you so much to the authors for the review copies!
You guys know how much I adore poetry, and I was so fortunate to stumble across Emotionally Raw and Loveable Losers and Romantic Monsters this week! These two titles are by indie poets Leaner and Cabrera, and they deserve so much more attention than they’re getting! Man, poetry seriously does not get enough attention. Thus, allow me to shout from the rooftops POETRY IS GREAT AND THERE ARE MANY NEW POETS OUT THERE!
In Emotionally Raw, Cabrera writes straight from the heart, and you feel his words in every line. There are so many good lines in his poems, but here are some of my favourites:
This must be a dream, vivid as they come,
What did I do to deserve someone like you?
Whatever it was, I must have love from someone above.
If I could, I’d show you the universe
If I could, I’d leave the darkness for good
Land of the free, home of the brave
If you are not exploitable
You won’t be saved
So many of these lines just hit me. Such brilliant writing!
In Loveable Losers and Romantic Monsters, Leaner evokes emotion with every word, spinning lines beautifully and provoking introspection.
We are the creepers,
the weird, the strangers,
the witches and warlocks,
the monsters
the woods stretched infinitely into black oneness with all of us and our otherliness.
The most powerful thing you can do for yourself is to love all the ugliness in your soul.
Because art is telling us, whispering in our ears, warmly and congenially:
Come to me you hurt people.
I’ll give you all solace.
I love, love, love poetry like this. So impressed. Otherliness is a word I feel in my bones, yo.
I definitely recommend these poets! If anyone has any poetry to share, do link me in the comments!
if you haven’t fallen in love with an addict
don’t talk to me about love
your husband’s friends may be a handful, it’s true
but I sometimes have to wonder if my man will make it home in a single piece, or maybe in two
This is a very raw, gritty book of poetry that deals with addictions and love. I definitely recommend giving it a go. ‘Don’t Talk to Me About Love’ and ‘Superman’ were my favourites.
I managed to read a good few poems today, yay! (/◕ヮ◕)/
Uncanny Magazine Issue 3: March/April 2015
First, the cover of this issue is *everything*!
‘Cloudbending’ by Jennifer Crow was wonderful.
If mortal hands could map the skies,
make clouds into countries
or sunsets into salvation,
what strange markets would open
I loved this part especially. The whole poem just flows so well. Read it for yourself here.
‘Deep Bitch’ by C. S. E. Cooney was also very striking and had some great lines.
She tuns her blunted head my way.
Nips me, rips me open slightly.
Her smile is all teeth.
*chills* Read it for yourself here.
Uncanny Magazine Issue 8: January/February 2016
‘tended, tangled, and veined’ by Kayla Whaley was beautifully intense and raw. It’s a story in a poem and I love the imagery Whaley uses!
she practiced her girlhood with heat–stricken hair, sheared nails, scrubbed skin.
she baptized herself with fat wrung from beans and battered into butter.
she oiled her joints with poise,
scented her flesh with propriety,
and clothed herself in performance.
she practiced girlhood,
but she never quite perfected it.
I thoroughly recommend this poem and I can’t wait to read the rest of this issue. Some seriously good writing here. Read it for yourself here.
Uncanny Magazine Issue 9: March/April 2016
OH MY GOSH ‘FOXGIRL CYCLE SONG: 1‘ IS SO GOOD.
Trap her in thorn, and she’ll slip her skin
Drown her in water, she’ll learn to swim
Burn her, she’ll turn into smoke and wind
Think you can catch her?
Well, think again
This poem is by C. S. E. Cooney and I’m SHOOK. What a fantastic poem! Read it for yourself here.
‘The Book of Forgetting’ by Jennifer Crow was also great!
You taught me heaven is not a place, but
the magic circle drawn around two souls
I loved the emotion in this one. Read it for yourself here.
Uncanny Magazine Issue 11: July/August 2016
I started this issue with ‘The Persecution of Witches’ by Ali Trotta. It gave me chills.
Tell me what ‘legitimate’ means—
how much proof do I need
to convince you
that blood is blood
and bruises are bruises?
Why is my voice a casualty
of violence you won’t examine?
It’s a commentary on modern rape culture and I recommend everyone read it. Very strong, very poignant. Available online here.
Read any poetry lately? I’d love some recommendations!
JONAS (2018) | lgbt+, french, drama
Jonas [aka I Am Jonas] is a gut-punching, haunting addition to lgbt+ films. The film follows the eponymous main character Jonas after he’s arrested on night out at a club, Boys. One of the police officers knows him from school and they reminisce for a little while in the back of the car. The film then begins flashing from the past to the present and we learn how Jonas ended up so angry and adrift. We see Jonas as a teenager meeting Nathan, a new boy in school. They quickly fall in love and, despite homophobic peers, start a relationship that’s kind, sweet and supported by Nathan’s mother, who also welcomes Jonas into her home.
Back in the present, Jonas follows a man around the city, keeping his distance until he goes into a hotel where the man works. They talk a little. The man doesn’t know him, but it’s clear Jonas knows the man. After setting off the smoke alarm in his room and getting kicked out, the pair start to talk in the lobby. When Jonas is invited to go drinking, he accepts, and we slowly start to learn more.
The story moves along with slow determination. There’s clearly some mystery to be unfolded. This is definitely a heavy kind of drama. Prepare for tears. I do recommend it, though. Félix Maritaud is an incredible actor and I really want to see him in more films! A very well done film over all.
Mr. Right (2015) | action, comedy, romance
Okay, I honestly really liked this one. It’s silly and over the top and implausible and ridiculously good fun, and it is totally worth a watch! The movie follows Martha (played by Anna Kendrick), a risk-seeking woman who’s allergic to good advice and wise decisions, and Francis (played by Sam Rockwell), a notorious killer for hire, apparently (?) and former spy, allegedly (?). Basically, you’re not sure what’s up with Francis for most of the movie, or whether he’s good or bad, but he’s clearly had a lot of training and is good at dancing and has enemies coming out of his ears. Oh, and he wears a clown nose. You’re just not told why for a good bit. You only know that he’s kind to Martha and completely honest with her. (She thinks he’s joking when he talks about his job and how he got his scar.)
I think what I liked so much about this one was how honest and straight to the point all the characters were. There was no side-stepping around topics or slow, predictable build up. It’s kind of like when you’re watching a movie about someone first learning about magic and they keep denying it and you’re like, c’mon, just believe in it already. This movie isn’t fantasy, it’s action, but it’s great that the characters just jump straight to the point.
Martha and Francis are clearly made for each other (and clearly on a frequency that no one in their lives finds normal), but they suit each other. And their chemistry is fantastic. If you like fun, romance and action, I recommend giving this one a shot!
POEMS POEMS POEMS (/◕ヮ◕)/ Seriously, why don’t I read poetry more often? I’ve read so many poems this weekend and I have missed poetry. *chef’s kiss* These poems are all from Uncanny Magazine Issue 21.
‘Found Discarded: A Love Poem, Questionably Addressed’ by Cassandra Khaw was absolutely breath-taking.
The Greeks believed
that a human being
is one entity unseamed at the spine,
opened at the breastbone, parted at
the lips, which is why we spend all our lives pressing
together at the hips, at the fingertips
RIGHT?! How lush. I’m in awe. Read it here.
‘The Fairies in the Crawlspace’ by Beth Cato is so dark and twisted and really, really well done. If you like Grimm’s faerie tales, this one is for you.
the fairies needed no web
to snare the girl
Read it here.
די ירושה by Sonya Taaffe is short and poignant. I really liked it!
History drops a hot potato in your hands,
tells you to walk uphill with it, both ways.
Read it here.
I also quite liked ‘The Sea Never Says It Loves You’ by Fran Wilde. Poems about the sea are some of my favourites.
But the water is warm and the salt spray tastes your lips
And you say yes.
Read it here.
I hope everyone has a lovely week. Stay safe out there, my friends.
I’m definitely on a poetry kick. There are some seriously wonderful poems published by Uncanny! I do find there’s not enough poetry these days. Which is such a shame. Poetry’s so fantastic. #poetrystan
In this issue, I’ve so far read ‘Steeped in Stars’ by Hal Y. Zhang, which was beautiful. Some great turns of phrase!
but the ghost
of the old stone wall still
streams your meteor shower
Read it for yourself here.
Jennifer Crow’s ‘Red Berries’ was also wonderful.
Tell me what the winter whispered to you
Read it for yourself here.
Cassandra Khaw’s ‘A Letter from One Woman to Another’ was fantastic. This one was probably my favourite from this collection! There’s something very raw and brutal about it.
not love he proffers, but lies
by the dozen, semen-thick and
serpent-slick.
Read it for yourself here.
I also read ‘The Watchword’ by Sonya Taaffe.
a song must outlive its singer
or it dims bitter in a land of milk and honey
That line really struck me. I kept rereading it. Read the whole poem for yourself here.
The poems in this are beautiful! I’ve read three so far and I recommend them all! The word play is just lovely.
a city whose heartbeat I’m learning to carry
in a pocket left of a sound like the word home
‘things you don’t say to city witches’ by Cassandra Khaw. Read it here.
I never liked the trick
with the girl and the swords.
‘Other Forms of Conjuring the Moon’ by Chloe N. Clark. Read it here.
aromas of caramel arnibal mingle with
the tangy bite of auburn dust
‘Taho’ by D.A. Xiaolin Spires. Read it here.
The fire is her mother’s arms, it is the love
in her mother’s breast, as hot as a train furnace.
If you have that kind of love, not even death
can defeat it.
AMAZING POEM IS AMAZING.
Theodora Goss’s ‘The Cinder Girl Burns Brightly’ is definitely worth a read. It’s Cinderella with a twist. Read it here.
I started with ‘Monsters & Women—Beneath Contempt’ by Roxanna Bennett.
Dismiss reversal of promises & missing curatives,
who notices holes in the old narrative
Read it here.
I really liked all of the poems I read from these issues. It’s reminded me that I ought to take the time to read more poetry. Let alone write more poetry.
Also, aren’t these covers so beautiful?
Anyone have any favourite places to find current poetry? 🙂
I’ve been having trouble with longer fiction novels of late. Being elbow deep in study definitely affects that, as I went through quite a bit non-fiction this week. I do really love reading old newspapers and archives, but I am missing fiction! I combed through two memoirs, this week, though. Both are from the Korean War.
I am really enjoying Days Without End on Audiobook. And Humankind, which is so darn optimistic and upbeat. I totally recommend it given what I’ve listened to so far. Bregman reframes so many moments and shows a different take on the narrative that makes headlines. It’s very hopeful.
mini reviews;
Little Free Library by Naomi Kritzer
If you can bring me more such books, I will leave you every scrap of gold I can find.
Oh my goodness, I really liked this one. A little free library becomes a way to correspond with a mysterious, grateful seeker of books. J’adore!
3 a.m. Blues by Joseph Fulkerson
doing the backstroke in the ocean of other’s opinions, navigating the minefield of could’ve and should’ve
This was quite a good collection of poetry, I only wish it were longer!
When Two Swordsmen Meet by Ellen Kushner
It’s a beautiful fight. They each want the other to win. Not so much duel as duet.
Ooooh, this was goooood. Something very lyrical and fanciful about this one. I definitely recommend it. Available here.
What’s everyone reading this week? 🙂
This was an audiobook and poetry weekend, to be sure! After finishing Gold Rush Manliness and Everything You Love Will Burn, I decided to pick up some romance and poetry. I have a lot more nonfiction on my list, but mixing it up definitely keeps things interesting. I’m also enjoying Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky, an epic sci-fi book.
Almost Love by Louise O’Neill
All she wanted to do was stand there and look. Being by the sea always made Sarah feel small. Insignificant in a way that was comforting somehow.
I’m actually setting this one aside for now. About halfway done, and whilst I really do like O’Neill’s writing and I’m definitely going to try one of her other books, I’m not in the right mood for this one. I think what the book is trying to depict is an important topic to discuss – how bad relationships can become – but I don’t think I’m in the head space for it. As well, Sarah is a character that I’m struggling to connect to. I’ll probably come back to this at some point though. The story certainly does draw you in.
I also picked out a few poems to read this week as I was definitely missing poetry. Uncanny Magazine has a lot of great poetry, so I checked out some of their recent issues
I started with ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ by Ada Hoffmann.
Have you ever torn through a forest of books, trawling the half-naked
flotsam
of dream and the tarnish of myth, desperately seeking
a memory?
Pretty, right? I liked this one. What a lovely poem. Available here.
Followed it up with Brandon O’Brien’s ‘Elegy for the Self as Villeneuve’s Belle’, which was brilliant.
Wanting pretty things is hunger, too,
and having is feasting, denied by few.
Available here.
I also read Annie Neugebauer’s ‘The Wooden Box’. Really liked this one!
It’s a wooden box,
ornately carved, beautifully
stained a dark mahogany.
It’s dry as I lift it up
and gently slide out the
tongue-and-groove top.
Gave me chills, to be honest! Read here.
What’s everyone reading this week?
I read quite a few books this month and I’m trying to be better about writing up reviews! (These are cross-posted to Goodreads.) 😉
1. The Monsters We Deserve (Fantasy, Gothic) —
I AM SHOOK.
About two pages into this book, I came across a quote that I wanted to leave in my review and put a post-it on the page; about five pages later, I put another post-it. This kept happening and now my book is full of bright orange post-it notes of wonderful quotes and I want to use them all. But alas, I’d probably end up quoting the whole bloody book.
But this is definitely one of my favourites:
Yet every writer worth a good-god damn knows this too, for it is graven into each of us: no one cares for beauty. Not in fiction. Not on its own, not pure, untroubled beauty; not in fiction. It’s what we crave in the real world, of course; beauty, and you know I mean that in its broadest sense: the sense of kindness and wisdom and peace and joy: all the things in the world that are beautiful, and all the things we crave in real life, but which are not sufficient to count, on their own, for anything in the world of stories.
There are so many fantastic questions and curiosities in this book. It’s also eerie and Gothic and beautiful. It’s got ATMOSPHERE. And the author’s unending quarrel with himself over hating Frankenstein is in equal parts funny, interesting and thought-provoking.
Almost everyone has an inborn need to create; in most people this is thwarted and forgotten, and the drive is pushed into other actives that are less threatening, less difficult, and less rewarding. In some people, the need to create is transmuted into the need to destroy.
I actually had no idea what this book was going to be about and I feel like that almost made it better. I didn’t see any of the twists and was just along for the ride and totally loved it. There are so many gorgeous paragraphs and I read the whole thing in an afternoon. It full on distracted me from my Buffy rewatch, so you know it’s gotta be good.
I 100% recommend this to everyone.
2. Little Mouse’s Sweet Treat (Children’s Books) —
The drawings in this are utterly adorable and the rhymes are cute. I did notice that the font on a few pages was hard to read in places due to the colour, but that’s only a minor thing. Definitely recommend it for kids. 🙂
3. 1984 (Dystopian, Science Fiction, Classics) —
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.
1984, along with V for Vendetta, Children of Men, Brave New World and Harrison Bergeron (and many others), is amongst my favourite dystopian tales. If you haven’t read it yet, get cracking!
4. Starting New (LGBT, Romance) —
Everyone is born into something, and from the moment of birth our paths are somewhat influenced by who and what is around us.
This book was a total random read and I ended up enjoying it more than I anticipated!
5. Happy for You (LGBT, Romance) —
He was like family and she asked him to leave.
I really liked the previous book, Made for You, but this one didn’t work quite as well for me. The romance was good (and the author’s writing is always wonderful!) but the background plot was a bit confusing and I was just left wanting more. The main guy was definitely the best.
6. Last Bus to Everland (Fantasy, LGBT) —
There’s bravery in surviving this world when your mind can only focus on the bad in it.
This was a lot more … real than I expected. Like, I felt quite melancholy whilst reading it. Overall I did really like it, but I was holding out for a different ending. 😦
7. The Time Machine (Science Fiction, Classics) —
From the edge of the sea came a ripple and whisper. Beyond these lifeless sounds the world was silent. Silent? It would be hard to convey the stillness of it.
At last! I’ve been meaning to read an HG Wells book for ages. Glad I started with this one. The ending was fantastic.
8. Thoughts from the Borderline (Poetry and Prose) —
Ask me of life, and I’ll struggle
to pen a sentence.
Ask me of death,
And I’ll spit the alphabet without intention.
This collection of mixed poetry and prose was wonderful and reminded me why I fell in love with writing and poems to being with. Honestly, this book left me desperate to read poetry for hours, which says a lot. (I’m picky with my poetry.) King’s words are raw and real, and flow together so well. There’s also a great visual layout to the poems that changes up the rhythm of how you read it, which was a really cool effect. I don’t want to give too much away, because I think the poems unfold beautifully without spoilers, but I thoroughly recommend it.
9. Notes on Nationalism (Essays, Politics, Classics) —
The point is that as soon as fear, hatred, jealousy and power worship are involved, the sense of reality becomes unhinged. And, as I have pointed out already, the sense of right and wrong becomes unhinged also.
I can’t believe I haven’t read this before now, but I’m so glad I found it in the bookshop the other day. Written in 1945, many of the quotes and observations about nationalism and hatred continue – depressingly – to be applicable to today. I thoroughly recommend this to everyone, not just those interested in politics and history.
10. The Other Boy (Children’s Books, LGBT) —
‘And the reality is that life sucks?’
‘Not always.’ She sat back down and crossed her legs. ‘You got to take the bad with the good, you know? It’s all about figuring out what your choices are, and trying to make the right ones. The ones that don’t hurt people.’
I devoured this book in one sitting. The main character, Shane, is so lovable and relatable. We share a love of Firefly and I loved the references!
And I ADORED Josh, the best friend, Alejandra, the new friend, and Shane’s mum. She was wonderful and such a shining star throughout the novel. The comics between the chapters were an adorable addition, too! Loved them! I’d totally read Shane’s comic.
I recommend this for anyone looking for an uplifting read. Great representation and message. ❤
a writer’s blog. 