A fascinating and sometimes damning exploration of how classical mythology has been used by the Western world to either perpetuate patriarchal norms and expectations or to dismantle them. Morales gives long needed attention too to how myth can be subverted by women, people of colour and the LGBTQ+ community; she reveals the intersectional nature of … Continue reading Review of Antigone Rising: The Subversive Power of the Ancient Myths, Helen Morales
TIMEDEATH is the first collection I have read which is solely visual poetry and Jennings’ talent for the written word and their eye for visuals is a poetic, artistic treat. Only twenty pages, TIMEDEATH is a deliberate pacing of loss, trauma and grief. There is courage and sheer brilliance in how purposeful each piece is. … Continue reading Review of TIMEDEATH, Melissa Jennings
Habib’s memoir is beautiful and found me at just the right time. Not only does she write openly and movingly about being queer and her relationship with Islam, Habib also writes about coming of age and childhood trauma in a way which has forever touched me. The prevalence of belonging in this memoir is what … Continue reading Review of We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir, Samra Habib
A Little Devil in America by music critic and poet Hanif Abdurraqib is a thoroughly enjoyable and moving read. Each essay weaves Abdurraqib’s personal experience navigating American society with his love and expansive knowledge of Black performance. Abdurraqib writes about music, space, magic, sport, dance, film and television, to celebrate and critique the array of … Continue reading Review of A Little Devil in America, Hanif Abdurraqib
George M. Johnson’s memoir, All Boys Aren’t Blue, has been described as unflinching and I have to agree. Written for young adults about growing up Black and queer, Johnson’s four act memoir honestly and hopefully provides the reader with a lived experience which can be learned from and reassures that those who feel unseen, deserve … Continue reading Review of All Boys Aren’t Blue, George M. Johnson
MANEATER by Jean-Marie Bub goes beyond being a collection of poetry and prose. It is art. It is a safe space. It is a tool for survivors and it is a voice in itself. A voice which loudly proclaims, despite the pain, ‘I am here and I intend to stay.’ Bub treats her work and … Continue reading Review of MANEATER, Jean-Marie Bub
Meyer’s second poetry collection, Tempest, is an absolute joy to read. A departure from the Gothic, horror style of Haunt, Tempest cradles its reader in bittersweet nostalgia and Meyer’s storytelling and surrealism come into their stride. In the preface, Meyer talks about the dichotomy between the beauty of imagery and underlying pain often conveyed in … Continue reading Review of Tempest, Ryan Meyer
The Fortunes by Peter Ho Davies shares four stories from varied Chinese American perspectives. Each story, spanning two hundred years, explores and charts the relationship between China and America, how those who have immigrated or have been born in America attempt to find a home in America while struggling to call China home. Davies captures … Continue reading Review of The Fortunes, Peter Ho Davies
This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery. Taking on a text which has been translated again and again for centuries is no mean feat; especially when walking in the footsteps of a scholar like Tolkein. But, Carnabuci’s translation, I believe, successfully bridges the gap between early, Latinised translations of Beowulf and Heaney’s somewhat prosaic … Continue reading Review of Beowulf: A Verse Translation, Andrew Carnabuci
Reading Expulsion by Perkovich was like uncovering a time capsule, of a person, time and place, I never knew I had buried so deep in the sand. From beginning to end, Perkovich’s imagery is sustained and vivid and her words pull you from yourself and ask you to sit at a table with your ghosts. … Continue reading Review of Expulsion, Emily Perkovich
