book reviews
Reviews of the best poetry books, collections and anthologies; discover poems and up-and-coming poets across all cultures, genres and themes.
Landscape of the Soul: poems in Spanish and English
President John F. Kennedy, well-known as a patron of the arts, famously said, “When power corrupts, poetry cleanses,” adding that art humbles the arrogant by reminding them of their limitations. (For more on JFK's views on art, see HuffPost https://tinyurl.com/57d52yxw).
PK ColleranPublished 2 years ago in PoetsHow do we remember love?
It was nearing the end of the night, a couple of hours after a small coffee with a splash of cream but one and a half until smoking a joint at the bus stop, when Emmy grabbed the book from the streetsmart poetry titles in the back of the bookstore and held it up for me to see: “A Hundred Lovers,” the second collection from Richie Hofmann. It comes out today from Knopf. I hadn’t even heard of it until last week, but only because someone told me about it. Its sudden appearance in my little world excited me. I’d seen the cover online, so I wasn’t surprised by the stunning Greek marble bust of a broken male form, which I did love. The bold insistence of the book’s trumpeted announcement into my sphere and the physical presence of the newly on-sale product was what really captured my attention. I tried to resist, but I had to read it immediately.
Black Feelings
Black joy is when we are free from slavery, Black joy is when we are treated equally and not a color, Black joy is when we can go out without being scared something will happen,
Devilisa WarnerPublished 2 years ago in PoetsAquí estamos. Here we are.
Happy to be able to share with you today poems from the forthcoming book, Poems of Community and Hope, by Hipólito Orlando Sanchéz, which will be coming out in 2022, published by Cafh Foundation, Inc., New York.
PK ColleranPublished 2 years ago in PoetsReview of Grzegorz Kwiatkowski's 'Crops'
I don't often review poetry. In fact, this is the first time I've reviewed any poetry here on Vocal. But, every once in a while, words without music, or words with music entirely in the head, call.
Paul LevinsonPublished 2 years ago in Poets"Life in Review"
“Life In Reviews” She took my hand to write our story She wanted her coffers filled
Jeffrey P BaileyPublished 2 years ago in PoetsIntroducing Mohammed El-Kurd
Born in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem, Palestinian poet Mohammed El-Kurd rose to international fame amid this year's Israeli assault on Gaza and East Jerusalem. Although his credentials as a writer and activist have long been known to followers of Palestinian politics, his debut collection, Rifqa, introduces us for the first time to a poet of global stature.
Rebecca Ruth GouldPublished 3 years ago in PoetsSonnet - To Science and Alone
I present to you two examples of Poe's desire for a different life, something many of us still pine for. In Sonnet - To Science, Poe expresses his dreams of a simpler time when Nymphs still roamed the land, mysteries still to be solved, and places to be discovered. In Alone, Poe gives us a rare glimpse into his childhood and his early separation between him and his fellow man.
Tales from a MadmanPublished 3 years ago in PoetsRainbow Souls & Giving Hearts
I don't know which book f*cked me up more The Rainbow Fish Or The Giving Tree.... For those of you who need a refresher in these staples of a childhood library:
K.C. KENNINGSPublished 3 years ago in Poetsfour letter words...
Ever notice that some the most important things in life are four letter words? Like... We got fams for the hard times, and drugs for those that won't try, and hugs for when we can't stop cryin'.
Richard CropperPublished 3 years ago in PoetsHome
Home. What is home, and what does it mean to me. Well home is the place that I want to be. See. Being home less has tried to destroy the meaning of home to me.
Review: Two Poetry Collections
Review of Dinner in the Fields by Attracta Fahy There is something of the wild about Attracta Fahy’s first poetry collection, Dinner in the Fields. It draws frequently on pantheist mythology, much of it, unsurprisingly, Celtic. This is, however, no wistful new-age collection. Through the use of ancient archetypes Fahy explores what it means to be a woman in the 21st Century. In the first poem, The Woman in Waterside House, we hear the voice of a woman experiencing domestic violence: the reader is left with little doubt of the poet’s intention to address difficult themes. In the final stanza of The Woman in the Waterside House Fahy states:
Lauren M FosterPublished 3 years ago in Poets