30/4/18 - Monday Book Reviews - Poetry Edition - Rapture

Today is a very special day! As it has been sixteen Mondays since the first post on this blog, it means, it's finally time for the fourth Poetry Version of Monday Book Reviews!

The subject of today's review will be Rapture, a collection of poems by Carol Ann Duffy. 

I was a huge fan of this collection! Duffy has a way with words. These pieces, focussing on relationships were heavy and emotive. I had several favourites from this book! I want to discuss them because I felt that they encompassed so many different emotions. But which one was my all-time favourite?

Hour.

I studied that particular poem in GCSE English with my best friend and we swooned over the use of language in such a short piece to encompass the emotions Duffy, or the character she was depicting, had experienced.

Finding this poem again was an amazing surprise. I had loved it five years ago and I loved it rediscovering the poem. I felt like coming back to such a beloved piece was refreshing and insightful. When I was in secondary school, my classmates didn't seem to understand why my best friend and I were so enamoured with Hour as a piece, for it was so short! Especially when compared to the stronger more narrative pieces like Quickdraw.

The poem is short and sweet and beautiful. In just a few short stanzas you can imagine that situation, place yourself in the shoes of the narrator and it is so captivating. Every word seemed to be so precise and explicit in explaining that state of mind!

I have been a fan of Duffy's work for a very long time and hope that this tiny rant about Hour provides you with some substantial reasoning to justify giving this collection a look!

Thank you for reading! See you in two weeks for another instalment of Monday Book Reviews! - Next time, we will be going back to prose! 

And remember:

Per Ardua Ad Astra

-Imogen. L. Smiley

26/3/18 - Monday Book Reviews - Poetry Edition - Too Black Too Strong

Today is a very special day! As it has been twelve Mondays since the first post on this blog, it means, it's finally time for the third Poetry Version of Monday Book Reviews!

Today I am reviewing a collection called 'Too Black Too Strong', which was written by Benjamin Zephaniah. I found this collection in my local library in Derby and would like to use this platform to take the opportunity to say that libraries are immensely important to the local community and it is best to take advantage of the resources available to you or otherwise, they may not be for much longer. Libraries across the UK are being closed due to a lack of usage and therefore a lack of funding. This is a heartbreaking reality of life today and I apologise for forcing you to engage with it in this manner but I encourage you, here and now to please, take advantage of these facilities and use your local library!

Now, back to the collection at hand.

This collection, like the title suggests, is very strong and emotive. The pieces within this book are very vocal about black issues and the significance of specific factors in improving and worsening them. The voice, therefore, was easy to hear. When I was reading this collection, I felt as if the words were being spoken aloud to me, it was that prevalent. It was a refreshing experience.

Another standout aspect of this collection is Zephaniah's use of flow and rhythm when telling the stories he wished to within verse. It flowed with ease. I found it very simple to grasp and apply the tempo to the words. I was happy that I could, therefore, read the poems as they were meant to be read as when I read poetry usually, I struggle to understand how it ought to sound, even my own spoken word can do that to me at times. I was glad that it was so easy to apply as it made my reading experience so much more enjoyable.

I would recommend reading this collection. It is very powerful and engaging!

Thank you for reading! See you in two weeks for another instalment of Monday Book Reviews! - Next time, we will be going back to prose! 

And remember:

Per Ardua Ad Astra

-Imogen. L. Smiley

26/2/18 - Monday Book Review - Poetry Edition - Killing The Black Dog

Today is a very special day! As it has been eight Mondays since the first post on this blog, it means, it's finally time for the second Poetry Version of Monday Book Reviews!

Today, I will be looking at Les Murray's Killing The Black Dog! I was introduced to this collection on the recommendation of one of my lecturers last semester. A classmate of mine lent it to me during the latter end of the previous semester and I figured it was worth reviewing! 

Killing The Black Dog is a collection of poetry which discusses depression and how it impacts the sufferer. In this book, the pieces which refer to "the black dog" are discussing depression directly. I found the idea of establishing a prominent metaphor interesting and helpful when conducting analysis of individual pieces which I could use for my portfolio at the end of the previous semester.

As someone who does not suffer from depression, I was hesitant when reading this collection, afraid that I would not be able to completely grasp the motifs behind each piece in the book. But I did in fact manage to comprehend the imagery and the depth of the pieces produced, despite not having experienced depression first-hand.

I felt that the voice of this collection was heavy and upfront and I really enjoyed reading the collection itself! It was very interesting! I would totally recommend giving this a shot!

Thank you for reading! See you in two weeks for another instalment of Monday Book Reviews! - Next time, we will be going back to prose! 

And remember:

Per Ardua Ad Astra

-Imogen. L. Smiley

29/1/18 - Monday Book Review - Poetry Edition - The Best Of A Bad Situation

Today is a very special day! As it has been four Mondays since the first post on this blog, which means, it is finally time for the first Poetry Version of Monday Book Reviews!

How befitting that the first Monday after the UniSlam competition, that I have my first poetry-based instalment of Monday Book Reviews!

To honour the UniSlam competition and honour one of my mentors in the process, I have decided that the first collection of poetry that I will be writing a review of will be Jamie Thrasivoulou's The Best of a Bad Situation, a collection of poems that I have seen performed in person and adore reading on the page!

I have been a fan of Jamie's spoken word poetry since September 2016, when I saw him live at the Twisted Tongues Fresher's Special event, my first ever spoken word event. His name was imprinted in my mind, a flashbulb moment cementing that his work was incredibly evocative. His pieces were political and gritty, and as my lecturer would say "to the bone".

His work, on paper and in person gives off such a heavy resonance of Jamie's pressence! His voice is loud and clear with every word in the collection, and when I read the pieces, I could visualise his performance of them. This not only is me ((attempting)) to articulate high praise in terms of his written words, but also the ones he speaks and how he performs. Jamie's work is, in essence, amazing!

Unfortunately, the collection is currently sold out, which sucks because I would totally recommend reading this piece should you be into left poetry! The pieces in there are great!


Thank you for reading! See you in two weeks for another instalment of Monday Book Reviews! - Next time, we will be going back to looking at prose! 

And remember:

Per Ardua Ad Astra

-Imogen. L. Smiley