Quiet Screams to the Quiet Healer by Nilanjana Haldar is a coming of age tale which explores a childhood shaped by violence and regret, friendships and the quiet power of seeking kindness and healing in the face of great adversity. Beginning with Sanjana and Kriti’s childhood friendship, Haldar introduces a female protagonist who possesses the … Continue reading Review of Quiet Screams to the Quiet Healer, Nilanjana Haldar
My international giveaway for Flowers on the Wall ends today at 11pm BST! Giveaway post - comment to enter
Reading Kristiana’s words places me somewhere between a melancholic stroll through the woods with light droplets of rain hitting my face, and a car drive late at night down a long stretch of road that feels familiar yet untravelled. In both instances, the world stops spinning, and time as I know it loses its meaning. … Continue reading Flowers on the Wall – advance review from S. K. Nicholas
I first encountered the poetry of Kristiana Reed on her blog My Screaming Twenties and very quickly became a fan of her writing. Last year Reed published her first poetry collection, Between the Trees, which was a fantastic poetry cycle telling the story of her emotional life. The depth of her poetry and her skills … Continue reading Flowers on the Wall – advance review from John W. Leys
Kristiana's second poetry volume opens with a quiet assertion of power, self-acceptance and self-compassion. The poet declares herself to be 'foolhardy and faerie, clumsy and pretty, angry at the world and everyone in it, loved and unloved but always in love.' ['I will'] A more fitting opening would be difficult to find. Reed's collection explores … Continue reading Flowers on the Wall – advance review from Lois E. Linkins
To celebrate the release of my second collection, Flowers on the Wall, I am hosting an international giveaway. I will be giving away two copies of Flowers on the Wall and announce the winners on Sunday, 2nd August. You have until Saturday, 1st August 11pm BST to enter. For a chance to win a copy … Continue reading Flowers on the Wall: International Giveaway
Foreword by Candice Louisa Daquin “The old me is no longer on the shelves because let’s be honest, she never existed.” (I will) If you are an avid reader, can you remember every book of poetry or prose you have read? Of course not. Our memories require prompting. If we do not repeat what we … Continue reading Flowers on the Wall – Foreword, Candice Louisa Daquin
A. B. Cofer’s Not Enough, Just Enough is the first poetry collection I have read which strikes the beautiful yet painful balance of healing. Although Cofer masterfully considers the dark and the light, she also explores the grey. Opening with ‘depression’, Cofer immediately establishes this collection to read for comfort. I would say, at times, … Continue reading Review of Not Enough, Just Enough, A. B. Cofer
The House With The Stained-Glass Window by Żanna Słoniowska and translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones is undeniably a phenomenal piece of literary fiction. Słoniowska’s narrative focuses on a nameless protagonist and her experience growing up in Lviv, Ukraine throughout war and civil unrest. The protagonist’s story line is not linear - we learn more as she … Continue reading Review of The House With The Stained-Glass Window, Zanna Sloniowska
Reading This Brutal House in June 2020 was incredibly timely. Govinden engrosses us in the world of Vogue balls and the African American and Latin American queer community which made them what they are. The narrative focuses on the House Mothers and their desire for justice as the young people they refer to as the … Continue reading Review of This Brutal House, Niven Govinden
