I read some really good poetry in 2022 as well as some that wasn't quite as good. I spent much of the year reading a large volume of poetry by Bertolt Brecht.
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman offers an interesting collection of Gorman's poetry. For the most part I really enjoyed Call Us What We Carry. I winced when I got to the erasure poem section because I'm generally not a fan of erasure poetry, reading it or writing it, but when I let go of my aversion, it was better than I expected. Overall, Gorman offered a book of thoughtful, emotional, thought-provoking poetry that addresses the world in which we live with realism mixed with hope.
The Drowning House by John Sibley Williams bleeds pain and confusion onto the page in these poems. While many of the poems are dark and questioning, they somehow left me with a feeling of hope even while making me think. These poems examine the threads of past, present, and future reminding us all that the past informs both the present and the future no matter how much some people wish to ignore it. John plays with words in some interesting ways that are heart wrenching and thought provoking while also feeling disorienting and at times a bit overwrought yet somehow the places that feel overwrought somehow add to the overall message of the poetry.
Verseweavers: the Oregon Poetry Association Anthology of Prize-winning Poems Number 26/2021 is filled with poems that felt honest and heartfelt. I could see why many were chosen as winners even without reading the others in the category. The book is compiled into the categories of the contest complete with comments from the judges. I enjoyed reading it.
Rise Unstoppable by Michelle G. Stradford is the third book of poetry by Michelle G. Stradford I've read. I enjoyed it as much as the first two. The poems are impactful often in their simplicity. Stradford writes from the heart of the common human experience as well as her personal experience in ways that expand out and contract in to bring the reader along for the ride. Stradford provokes both thought and emotion in her examination of injustices, relationships, trauma, and self-care. Rise Unstoppable inspired me to keep rising!
Verseweavers: the Oregon Poetry Association of Prize-winning Poems Number 25/2020 is a compilation of the winners of the Oregon Poetry Associations contests held in 2020 with comments by the judges who chose the winners. As usual it was an interesting compilation of poems from a diverse group of poets. I found many quite compelling and almost all of them interesting. This book is only available in the Oregon Poetry Association's store.
The Collected Poems of Bertolt Brecht translated and edited by Tom Kuhn and David Constantine is a very long book of poetry. I finally finished reading The Collected Poems of Bertolt Brecht. It took me a full eight months to read this book having started it on January 1, 2022 and finished on August 31, 2022. Brecht's poems made me smile, squirm, and wince. Brecht's range of topics combined with his examinations of emotions makes for an intense, thought provoking, emotion provoking read. While some of the poems are definitely poems of the time in which they were written, they provide a glimpse into life during those times and often feel more apropos to today's world than one would think at first read. While I am very glad to be finished with this book, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys poetry and/or those interested in World War II.
Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you click on those links and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
If you'd like to follow what I'm reading in real time, please follow/friend me on Goodreads.
If you'd like to see when I publish new books, please follow me on Amazon.
If you'd like to learn more about me, please visit tlcooper.com.
Comments
Post a Comment