Finally, a book that I can say, “DANG!” about and not have anything really negative to say about it. Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up by Sally M. Walker and illustrated by William Grill has everything in it I am looking for in a book: good text, good facts, a story within those facts and interesting artwork. It also is accessible to the reader. It might not become a classic, but it is modern and would be a great addition to a personal or […]
“I remind myself of the fundamental notion of what it means to be a writer. A writer is the one who controls the narrative.”
Reading this book, I was reminded of a moment near the end of season 3 of Top Chef, when Casey presents her dish to the judges as a coq au vin inspired by memories of her grandmother. Tom Colicchio scolds her for calling the dish coq au vin when it wasn’t, but he also tells her it was a good dish and probably would have won the challenge if she had just called it what it was: chicken braised in wine. The moral of the […]
Lin-Manuel Miranda and I recommend this collection
I struggle with poetry. Reading it never has the same effect as listening to it, even when I read it aloud to myself. But, since April is National Poetry Month I thought I’d give it another shot. In an example of past me having current me’s back, one of the books I picked out for last year’s Read Harder challenge that I never got to was No Matter the Wreckage by Sarah Kay and it is a book of poems. I don’t know how I […]
Black Girl Magic: A Poem
Black Girl Magic: A Poem is Browne’s way of responding to the way black girls “should” look and act. Change this to: white girls, fat girls, skinny girls…. any female. The theme is not exclusive to the population Browne speaks of. We “should” act a certain way or else society shames you: “Be Different as long as it’s Different like Me” screamed off the page for me. “Society: Be Yourself. NO, not that way…” also is loud and clear. Browne challenges this “should” mentality. […]
For Every One
For Every One by Jason Reynolds is my first attempt at this young adult author. I have not read his novels, which are getting much praise and press, but I found this one and thought “Why not?” Unfortunately, I was surprised at the content as it did not fit what I expected. Fortunately, I was surprised at the content because it gave me something else. This book is not poems as I first thought. But one long poem. But then again, it is not a […]
“love takes you / where you need to go”
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but that’s how I pick a lot of poetry out at the library. I browse the stacks and just look for what stands out to me on any given day. Since the library is free, there’s nothing to lose by taking a chance! The cover of Jim Moore’s Invisible Strings evokes a melancholy and thoughtfulness that I was in the mood for last week. The back of the book mentioned “death”, and I knew I was […]
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