Reviews with TLC

Prodigal New and Selected Poems: 1976-2014 by Linda Gregerson pushes the reader to think through use of creative and provocative language. Many poems that feel simple on the surface hold an underlying complexity. The poems reminded me that often speaking in seemingly straightforward language can push readers to think beyond the words presented. There's a reverence and an irreverence woven through the poems in ways that connect the unconnected demonstrating just how connected the world truly is. Prodigal lives up to its name in that it examines how reckless and wasteful human beings can truly be but also demonstrates there is hope to find our way again.  

The Inflectionist Review: Anthology of Poetry celebrates words in a way that immerses the reader into the minds and souls of the myriad poets within its pages. The poetry offers a journey through life, nature, and human nature in a way that both nurtures and provokes thought. While some poems spoke to me more loudly and more clearly than others I enjoyed the book tremendously. The art included portrays a fluidity that invites the reader to rest and float through the pages of images on the way to the next journey of poetry without ever losing its poetic feel. The Inflectionist Review: Anthology of Poetry presents poetry that manages to be bold, inspiring, and comforting all at once.

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde pushed me to think about equality from yet another angle. It's easy to think about equality from the point of view of one's own benefit, but when one expands out to think about equality from the point of view of people with myriad experiences, the struggle isn't quite as easily defined as once thought. Sister Outsider explores myriad attitudes toward people facing inequality and explores how a one size fits all feminism isn't going to fix the problems of inequality. She explores division and judgment and conflicting attitudes mirroring racial issues, class issues, and ingrained belief systems. The essays and speeches included in Sister Outsider drive home the point that we need to listen to one another and find ways to work together instead of assuming one group's work will benefit everyone or that other people's equality can wait until later. Lorde spoke from her experience to provoke thought and perhaps an understanding that...