Genre: Poetry, Autobiography

This collection has everything you want - intrigue, drama and nostalgia fill it's pages. Not only are we treated to ​some insightful and powerful poetry, but we are taken on an emotional journey alongside the poet.

What is unique about this collection is that each poem is created from another pre-existing poem from other well known poets, including; Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay, Andrew Motion, Seamus Heaney - to name just a few of such an incredible line-up of poets and their works included in this book.

Not only is this collection of verse autobiographical in nature it is also a compendium of poetry from other contemporary poets, which makes it act like an anthology of poetry also - thus, it has a dual purpose of which I thank Inua kindly for sharing.

When thinking about the construction of this volume it is interesting to note how hard the admin must have been for this - to obtain permissions from each of the poets for their poems that are included in this collection. It must have been quite the undertaking.

In a rare insight the poems included within this collection are supplemented by diary entries from Inua. We were treated to view the poets thought processes when construction each piece and the collection as a whole - adding context to such personal stories.

​There is some really stoic and personal poetry within this collection - which shows Inua's story from Nigeria, to Ireland and finally to England. It's a journey of not only destinations but also by emotions. All the time however not detracting from the original pieces - each piece holds resonance and form.

It's a credit to the way Inua approached and researched each piece that although he's telling his story - as the reader you can clearly see the rationale for the choice of each piece.

My reasoning for awarding this book four stars is because this collection is quite complex and I had to pop it down a couple of times to digest but also to flip between pages so I could see the relationship and connection with the original poem.

I would highly recommend this collection - it's a great and powerful read, that only looks to inspire creativity. Go and grab yourself a copy - you won't be disappointed.

Genre: Poetry

Where do I begin with The Perseverance. Raymond Antrobus has cleverly managed to merge emotions and education in this captivating collection of poetry.

Antrobus has built on the work he did with his pamphlet - Too Sweeten Bitter, published by Out-Spoken Press. 

The overarching aim of this collection is clear - to educate readers on D/deaf and British Sign Language (BSL). I must say Raymond has done this with heartfelt emotion and a sense of nostalgia.

Intertwined with the education messages were renditions of stories and memories of Raynonds personal experiences and also of family members - making it gripping and creating intrigue.

Antrobus also puts himself into the words contained in this book. He talks of his own experiences and tells tales of growing up and trying to fit-in without hearing. He does this in a masterful and disarming way.

Below Raymond performs the title poem and talks about his rationale and reasoning behind the collection and also discusses the process involved in putting together the book.

This book deserves no less than five out of five stars, as it encapsulates everything you would want from a poetry collection. Deep personal lyricism followed by a profound understanding of a much wider and topical issue that affects multitudes of people. He brings the personal and the impersonal together - seamlessly. 

Genre: Poetry, Children's Poetry

I found Little Lemur Laughing in a local library - and I got very excited seeing as I have had the opportunity to meet and see Joshua perform in person. 

The poems within this collection, however, were much different to what I had seen Joshua perform previously. It's aim was definitely to children - which is evident in both style and composition of the book.

Inside the poems are constructed in a very formulaic way, using a lot of technical devices, such as; alliteration, repetition, questions and similes. By utilising these tools the poems felt very aimed at a much younger audience.

Even though, technically I'm not really the target audience for this publication I really enjoyed it. It flowed really well and I loved the topics covered within it's covers.

Below is a poem written by Joshua in a similar style to the poems included within this collection. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Other works by Joshua include:

• I Don't Like Poetry
• Just Like Me!
• Morris Wants More
• My Grandpa's Beard

I gave this book four out of five stars because it does exactly what it sets out to do - entertain children and a young audience. This is a great collection of poetry for children. If you have children - they'll love it.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing what's next from Joshua...

Genre: Poetry, Chapbooks, History

In this short publication Hannah O'Reilly cleverly expands on the First World War poetry with this very visual and poignant chapbook.

Letter to an Unknown Soldier contains powerful imagery and very touching account of not only the life of a soldier during the First World War, but also of their friends and family and the emotional journey that they also went through.

Hannah is clever with her use of technical devises such as metaphors, similes and repetition. However, I feel her strongest asset within this poem was the simple, but delicate use of rhetorical questions. This makes the reader think and imagine the answers to these questions, therefore they create their own ideas and images of the scene that Hannah sets.

Prior to being introduced to this pamphlet styled book by a colleague before I had never come across the Chapbook styled publication before - and I must say I was not disappointed.

Alban's illustrations compliments the poem extremely well in providing a direction to the answers to the rhetorical questions set-out within the text. The style, theme and artistic style of the drawing cannot be faulted within this little Chapbook.

I gave this book four out of five stars for what this book was trying too and did achieve in its construction. It has uniquely added itself to the vast array of First World War poetry out there by giving it a more contemporary and inquisitive nature, which allowed us to question aspects of a soldiers life previously not considered.

On a whole - I enjoyed this book immensely. So much so that I may even look at producing one myself in the not-so-distant future. Watch this space...

Genre: Poetry

​I should start by saying that Numbered Boxes by Pete 'the Temp' Bearder is so good that I read it in its entirety over the course of one evening. 

When initially reading this I was hit with a complete sense of nostalgia. The way Pete spoke and the topics he talked about ignited memories from my childhood and my school life.

As I progressed through the collection I noticed that became gradually darker and darker, which was a clever move. It subtly shows the way that as we get older the world becomes a more complex place.

Within the collection the poem "Der Tale O Bellingham Yael"  is written in a 'Chaucer' esq. style. Initially I thought that reading this one was going to be a struggle, but I was pleasantly surprised. It flowed, and more than that, it made me concentrate harder and think more about what I was reading in front of me.

I gave this book four out of five stars because it did not try to be more than what it set out to be. Numbered Boxes is a good read filled with lot's of imagery, and metaphors, and symbolism. It will make you think and reminisce. It's definitely a book you want to sit and devour with a good cuppa. 

Give it a go. It's a treat...

Genre: Poetry, Real Life

First of all, this is not just a 'poetry book' - it is so much more than that, it is a poetic encyclopedia of the fight of women across the whole world.

I wanted to be thorough when reading this so when doing this there were many times where I had to put the book down after reading certain segments just so I could process it all.

​One of the more harder hitting facts, which made me stop and go, "DAMN" was the following sentence/passage from the book:​

​"It was in 2016 that women were finally considered as 'mammals' and not 'objects' in Saudi Arabia."

​One piece of advice when reading this book - 'read it cover to cover' because trust me you do not want to miss a bit of this. Plus, by reading all of the references at the end of the book you'll get much needed context to each of the pieces - making them stand out even more.

What is staggering in this collection of poetry is the vast number of really sensitive subject areas covered - from rape and murder, to child abuse and FGM (female genital mutilation). It's hard hitting stuff covered sensitively and passionately.

​It is this passion that gives this collection its edge. The passion evoked in this book brings out raw and strong emotions as Joelle skilfully tells the tales of these women and their fight for freedom, justice and equality.

Joelle cleverly constructs this book in such a way that in a weird way it doesn't feel like you're reading a poetry collection. For instance, there are pieces of prose, journalism and even segments taken from social media posts. However, the one thing that they all have in common is the poetic themes that run through with the use of metaphors and staggering imagery.

I gave this the highest number of stars I could possibly give (and trust me if I could have given more I would have) in five out of five stars. My reason for this is quite simple - I implore anyone to construct such a volume of work that makes a reader have to put it down every so often in order to comprehend the magnitude of what they have just read. Honestly, this is one of the most expressive, passionate and poignant pieces of poetry I have ever read. If you read anything this year - it has to be this!

Genre: Poetry

Do not be fooled by the size of this pamphlet collection of poetry - To Sweeten Bitter by Raymond Antrobus contains some extremely powerful and emotive poetry that grips both your mind and soul.

​Within this collection Ray clearly explores the emotions of grief after the loss of his father, which is very hard hitting. He looks at varying angels throughout the collection - even commenting on how it has effected other loved ones around him. For instance in his poem "To Say".

What is also noticeable within this pamphlet is the journey that Ray is taking. In loosing his father he is on the path to finding himself, by examining his routes and reflecting on memories and experiences of himself and his loved ones.

The poems are written in varying styles and rhyming schemes which provides the collection with enough variety to keep the reader enthralled and engaged with it's words and verse.

Below is a video of Ray performing a poem from the collection entitled: Jamaican British - as part of the 'Chill Pill Shorts' series:

My reasoning behind awarding this collection five out of five stars is predominantly due in part to the way it made me feel when reading it. I felt like I was travelling with Ray to all of the places and experiencing all of the emotions that he was going through. It really hit at my heart strings - just such a wonderful collection of poetry. A must read...

Genre: Poetry

I was approached by Tajammul to review this book, An Ode To Life, which is his first collection - and it's a good start.

For me, when I read collections I always look for ways that it is unique and different and says something that hasn't already been said by other writers. Unfortunately, this collection did not really do this for me.

For me context and the narrative of the pieces within a collection of poetry needs to have a unique and almost personal element to it, otherwise what does it offer? Being different and unique is what sets us apart from others with our field.

However, there were elements within this book that I did like. For instance, the use of repetition and rhyming schemes/patterns allowed the poems flow nicely, which made it very easy to read.

I awarded this book three out of five stars purely for the way the book flowed. Content wise I think it could have used more development to obtain the 'hook'' necessary to draw people in to read it.

Food for thought for book 2 perhaps...

Genre: Poetry, Autobiography

​I picked up this little gem of a collection at it's launch night at the Union Chapel in Islington, London - just over a week ago, and I loved it. Click here for a write up of this launch event.

Plum had everything you would want from a ​contemporary collection of poetry.

Poet, Hollie McNish, provides the reader with an in-depth autobiography within the pages of this book. She does this is a clever, funny and very unique way.

What is evident is that Hollie is focused on 'thought processes' around growing up and life experiences.

However, what makes this resonate deeply is it's powerful gritty realism and the relatable context included within its pages.

The syntax and structure of the book flowed seemlessly and it's rhythm allowed the mind to drift along to hollies words.

An example of one of Hollies poems from the book, 'Language Learning', below:

I gave this five out of five stars because frankly it delivered on every level. I could not fault it in any way.

Go get yourself a copy - you won't be disappointed...

Genre: Art, Biography, Culture, Poetry

Ok, so I admit it - I went into reading this book thinking "Oh, it's just an art book." Well, 'Dalí' is so much more than that.

​Dawn Ades has created a book that provides not only a biographical outlook on Dalí's professional life, but has also provided a psychological insight into his motivations, passions and influences.

Sociological influences were also highlighted within the book emphasising the prevalence of these on Dalí's thought processes in relation to his masterpieces.

There were frequent occasions within this book where the internal workings and occasional conflict of the Surrealist movement were brought to the readers attention - especially with the disagreements between Dalí and André Breton (the movements founder). 

Throughout the book I kept thinking, "Gosh, I never knew that", which shows that this added tremendously to my knowledge around Dalí and his work.

Ades' writing style was easy to read and digest and where there were in-depth psychological, scientific or artistic terminology used this was carefully and skillfully explained and laid-out. 

My reasoning behind awarding a whopping five out of five stars for this book is because it has everything anybody needs to know about Salvador Dalí and his creative works - and so much more.

I would highly recommend this book to any creative, artistic or Dalí enthusiast - check it out now...