Poetry Book Reviews

Poet Andrew Chiniche celebrates the concepts of magick and sensuality in the embrace of the goddess in his tranquil collection of poems, Eternal Seconds.

Themes of longing for love and the touch of his adored are visceral as each short piece brings forth emotions awash with reverie. Although each piece is meant to be read independently as a work in its own right, the book holds a narrative journey as each page turns, pushing the reader to explore cosmic ideas of time and space. A mystical love affair expands as the seconds tick down, and the poet pays tribute […]

A stirring collection that feels both ancient and contemporary, The Living Wound: Conquering Hope and Loss (Urban Poetry & Soul Book 4) by Shamir Kali Griffin is a testament to resilience and healing, for individuals and for the world.

Like other books in this powerful series, this is a kaleidoscopic memoir in verse and experimental storytelling. As the title implies, these pieces reveal a myriad of griefs, both great and small, physical and abstract, societal and psychological. Painful confessions and nakedly honest revelations abound: “Today I took a breath praying to die / Hoping that this last one would be […]

A mournful and musing collection of poetry in every form, Pricking Balloons by James C. MacDonald is both existential and immediate, dissecting a myriad of events, ideas, and feelings through his unique lens.

Divided into four sections titled with names of cities, some poems do feel tied to locations, but many others are biblical, philosophical, familial, and nonspecific. The New Orleans pieces feel like poetic questions, touching on sacred words and secret messages, ideals, and beliefs, but there are also intimate snapshot poems of tragedy and change, such as “The Little Girl in the Canal Street Mall” and “Crescent City […]

A poetic collection dedicated to writers who have changed the world with words, Masters of the Craft by Don Gutteridge is an impressive homage to the written word and a pleasure to read.

From Shakespeare and Shelley to Blake and Wilde, each poem upon these pages honors the skill and impact of a legendary lyricist. Importantly, Gutteridge knows the work of these masters intimately enough to gift them a worthy tribute: “the fury / of his fame could not save him / from the ruin of Reading Gaol / and he perished a pauper in Paris,” or “There isn’t a […]

A “Western-born author with Eastern sensibilities,” Barton Johnson delivers a one-a-day collection of intimate haikus with Five Seven Five. Drawing less on natural imagery and more on deep, personal introspection, these 17-syllable offerings are stark and powerful, each one polished and tightly edited for maximum effect.

Just as months and seasons have their own personalities, Johnson has grouped these haikus under loose themes – “January” questions independence and personal disappointment, “February” focuses on the trials and triumphs of family, “March” is a series of prayers and reflections on divinity, and so on throughout the year. Whether readers consume this […]