Last year began as the previous one ended - quite literally and in the sense I still had vast mountain ranges to climb. It’s a metaphor we use constantly but I couldn’t think of anything more apt; anything more deceptive than a mountain peak disappearing into the clouds. A few months into the year, I … Continue reading Age 25
STRESS IS AN OPEN DOOR "She is sat at the bus stop, arms crossed, when I reach her. Her eyes lift to mine as she hears my scattered breaths and clunky steps. I see in hers a hate and kindness I cannot untangle. Necklace chains of every emotion she must have felt in the last … Continue reading The Dee Diaries #5
I know it has taken me a while to do this but signed copies of Between the Trees are now available on Etsy. £12 with Free UK delivery Or $15.99 plus $2.66 for International Shipping. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/760618337/between-the-trees-poetry-and-prose Praise for Between the Trees: "I have always been a huge fan of English poets and Kristiana’s work is … Continue reading Signed copies: Between the Trees
Part 1 & Part 2 "Thank you, I'll be okay." She reassured the woman by her side. "This happens sometimes. I shouldn't have been standing in the middle of the aisle like that. Honestly, it's fine." The kind lady's frown relaxed into a smile and she took the fallen woman's hands to help her up … Continue reading Platforms & aisles (3)
Part 1 "Oh, sorry!" The wayward wheels of a trolley plunged into her ankles, causing her to stumble; shattering the isolation she had enclosed herself within. Pain seared up her shins and her thighs. - An alarm blared. Red lights swung lucidly, signalling a breach on the track. If the delays were not bad enough, … Continue reading Platforms & aisles (2)
The station was rammed with impatient thoughts commuting to and from every nerve ending in my body. Colossal screens blinkered with new information every two minutes or so; the fluorescent orange text stinging my retinas. Several delays had been announced and the transport centre was yet to decide when normal service would be up and … Continue reading Platforms & aisles (1)
Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. There is no denying Muchmore can write, and write within a variety of genres. When I first began reading Black Flowers I was looking for something which moved through the poems and short stories; the religious allusions, the appearance of the devil and the evil of mankind. Yet, I soon realised it … Continue reading Review of Black Flowers, Jesse Muchmore
“My reflection in the train window settles/between the trees/beyond the glass/lining the field of gold.” In itself, the opening of the title poem speaks of forlorn reluctance, wishes, and wonders. It must be because there’s something so powerful and intimate about one’s reflection; we study ourselves and pick up every nuance, whether we want to … Continue reading Advance Review of Between the Trees, Kindra M. Austin
“For the first time, I saw a way out and it was beautiful.” Many known poets were older, for the simple reason, by the time they become known they are either dead or have lived many years. Kristiana Reed is one of those exceptionally gifted writers who like Mary Shelley, was able to find her … Continue reading Advance Review of Between the Trees, Candice Daquin
The first word that comes to mind when reading Reed's work- which is not limited to her customary free verse, but prose and shorter poems like “Hope”, - is haunting. At the same time, that seems a primitive, schoolyard adjective. Haunting are the ghost stories we told our younger siblings and friends in hopes of … Continue reading Advance Review of Between the Trees, Nicholas Gagnier
