"i am stretched out supine across the surface of the earth. / i am the forgiveness that followed the flood. / i am the authenticity of the snowflake. / i am the god in the river you were baptized in. / i am the strike of lightning | surging through water | / making proud … Continue reading Review of catharsis, Solomon Elijah
They read a poem about a girl who is forced to leave a war-torn country, a home swarming with tanks and sunlight. The teacher asks them what they know about refugees; what it means to be displaced. They are shown a picture of a child washed up on the shore; the picture which made us … Continue reading Classroom study
What struck me about Reynold’s first collection, How Best to Stage a Breakdown, was how viscerally and honestly she wrote about mental health. Mislilac builds upon this sturdy foundation and flourishes. Reynolds’ style has matured further and her voice is exceptional and unique. There is something so very honest in Mislilac even though most of … Continue reading Review of Mislilac (Thinker), H. M. Reynolds
This week on My Screaming Twenties celebrates the release of Devika Mathur's collection of poetry and prose, Crimson Skins. Devika Mathur is loved and known for her celebration of the abstract and surreal; she plays with words like toys and bites into them like ripe fruit. Everything Mathur yields is original and unique. Even when … Continue reading Advance Review of Crimson Skins, Devika Mathur
Alluding to the posthumous album of spoken word by Tupac, Shay Belt’s The Rose That Never Grew From Concrete is a collection which ruminates upon and explores the self. Through her poetry, Belt seeks to find a sense of self and belonging. Consequently, the journey the reader embarks upon is tumultuous as Belt writes about … Continue reading Review of The Rose That Never Grew From Concrete, Shay Belt
This week on My Screaming Twenties celebrates the release of Devika Mathur's collection of poetry and prose, Crimson Skins. KRISTIANA: Crimson Skins is your second poetry collection, what has been the most rewarding part of reaching the point of publication? DEVIKA: Over the years I have grown into a more persistent writer honing my … Continue reading Interview with Devika Mathur
after Emily Brontë & Emily Dickinson Hope makes herself comfortable in the dark. the moon has run away Even if she looked up, she would not see the sky but for the hairline crack in the lid of the jar. Her wings no longer flutter; they collect dust like swollen sapphires found glistening in … Continue reading Hope
Ryan’s first poetry collection, sweet hearts, was a debut of softness and love. Ryan wrote tenderly about the intricacies of falling in love with yourself, someone else and the world around you. the reckless kind is a triumph of a follow up. In this collection, Ryan bares more than she did in sweet hearts and … Continue reading Review of the reckless kind, Bella Ryan
My first harvest was bittersweet: the smell of wheat cut at the knees. Golden dust swirling in gusts, collecting in the sun-baked tractor tracks; waiting for an augur of untold fortunes to tell me which way is life. And so I watch again the propensity of my heart to fall, to fail, to start … Continue reading The second harvest
Nia Mora’s collection, she’s come undone, is a book of love and healing. Her words empower the reader to kindle their voices and words; she demands to be heard. The journey Mora charts in this collection emanates with self-love and acceptance, even through heartbreak and loss. she’s come undone celebrates being a Black woman. Nia … Continue reading Review of she’s come undone, Nia Mora
