Poetry Reviews: Somebody Give This Heart a Pen, Finna, and Depersonalise

Somebody Give This Heart a Pen by Sophia Thakur

5 stars

Y'ALL! Y'all this collection is amazing. I want everyone to read it and bask in and I recognize that there is a group of people who will not like it because there is a lot of Thakur's relationship with Christianity and God interwoven in here through talks about policies of injustice in Europe as well as being a Black woman, but immediately after finishing this I went into my group chat with four of my best friend's and shouted about this book and hyped it up because this poetry collection is so powerful. It has heart and is interwoven with pain and bravery and boldness and the fierceness that is inside all women, but doesn't come out due to oppression and the world being a horrible place in general. You can feel that this collection was therapeutic for Thaku and the message of using a pen to write is so important and writing unleashes the mind and helps soothe the spirit. I highlighted almost every single poem and I can't wait to purchase my own copy.

Whimsical Writing Scale: 5

Plotastic Scale: 5

Cover Thoughts: I adore this cover. I love the font, the photography, and the background. Just a great cover.

Thank you, Netgalley and Candlewick Press, for providing me a copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Finna: Poems by Nate Marshall

4 stars

Can I be honest? I don't read Black male poets often. I'm trying to change that, so I am so happy that I picked up Finna. Finna is collection of poems in four sections: The Other Nate Marshall, What's My Favorite Word?, Native Informant, and Finna. This collection tackles identity, reality of racism and its impact on young Black boys who become men who have to still deal with racist situations, and language. Marshall plays with words and diction a lot and I really enjoyed that aspect of his collection. The poems in this collection are intense and packed with a lot of commentary on his experience. I loved the dissection of his name and its heritage as well as how it makes him uncomfortable to share the same name with a White Supremacist and other people who are so different from him. I am obviously not the target audience. I will never live the Black experience, but I want to hear from those who live it and listen to them. Poetry demands to be heard and there needs to be more listening ears to the genre today. So much of today's top poetry collections are empty and lacking in true voice. Poetry at its core is not always about romance or experiences, but about protesting and giving a voice to the voiceless. That is a sub-genre of poetry that seems forgotten or nearly obsolete in today's most famous collections. So this was a breath of fresh air in brining a voice to the poetic realm that I believe many are longing to hear more often. I enjoyed this collection and recommend it for those looking to read poetry with heart and a strong voice. Also, it is very obvious that Marshall writes music as well and you can almost hear the beat with some poems and the rhythm in the cadence of the flow of the words. I'm so happy I checked this collection out and I hope you will, too.

Whimsical Writing Scale: 4.25

Plotastic Scale: 4

Cover Thoughts: I adore and love this collection's cover. It's beautiful.

Thank you, Netgalley and One World, for providing me a copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review. 

 

 

Depersonalise by MSJ

3 stars

This poetry collection is collected by MSJ and features a multitude of artists from social media. I enjoyed the blending of the two formats and seeing them compliment each other so well. I liked this collection well enough, but I think it's important to keep in mind that the author is very young and there is still so much room to grow. I can see MSJ becoming a fantastic poet one day. It is very impressive to read poems from someone her age and collaborating with so many creators. This is an innovative collection that is worth checking out and I can't wait to see where this poet goes in the future.

Whimsical Writing Scale: 2.5

Plotastic Scale: 3.5

Cover Thoughts: I really like the cover for this one.

A copy of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Have you read any of these poetry collections or do you plan to? What are some of your favorite poetry collections or poems? Let me know down below in the comments!