"Algedonic"

“Algedonic”

Written by R.H. Sin

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

Algedonic is a collection written by the prolific and well-beloved modern poet, R.H. Sin. His type of poetry includes themes of mental health, romance, confidence, self-care, and self-love. Sin creates many dark poems with light tones and vice versa, allowing the reader to indulge in his figurative language and appreciate the deeper meaning to his words. The word ‘algedonic’ means: characterized by or relating to pain, especially as associated with pleasure, says Merriam-Webster. This collection’s theme is poetry that fits into this category: how pain from love and life can be mixed with pleasure. Sin creates the poetry in this collection to incorporate the full scale, of how painful love can be attractive and how it can be deadly.

The two sections, PAIN | CHAOS and PLEASURE | PAIN, have small poems inside without titles. The poems speak to the survivors of these experiences. Using beautiful figurative language and twists on common phrases and idioms, Sin creates wonderfully written poetry.

In conclusion, I absolutely adored this collection. Due to its interesting theme, I felt myself very entertained. Many verses in these poems feel truthful yet heartbreaking. As I had borrowed the book from the library to read this, I now will be planning to purchase it and keep it in my collection.

I rate this collection at 5 out of 5 stars.

“She Felt Like Feeling Nothing”

“She Felt Like Feeling Nothing”

Written by R.H. Sin

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

 

A favorite romance poet of mine is R.H. Sin, who writes on bad relationships, self-worth, mental health, abuse, alcoholism, friendships, and raising children. This prolific writer has created many poetry collections so far, writing hundreds of poems for each book. His poetry feels genuine, as if he just speaking to you from the heart while you’re having a cup of coffee together. Sin’s work is just so impressive to me, and I perfectly plan to own all of his collections.

 

She Felt Like Feeling Nothing specifically hones in on female emotion before a relationship, during, and after. I appreciate how Sin creates poems that encourage his readers to strive to be their best and to wish to be treated well. He also seems to write more wisely and more about the real world as he grows older, his poems becoming more realistic and less dream-like. The collection is split into some sections, such as the Scenes and the Hymns, with other poems spaced in intermittently.

 

The poems I enjoyed most from this collection are:

Scenes: “Two, Three, Twelve, Fourteen, Twenty-Six, Twenty-Nine, Thirty, Thirty-Two, and Thirty-Five”

Hymn: “Four, Seven, Nine, Twelve, Seventeen, Twenty-Two”

“My Life After You”

“I Blame the Movies”

“22 Minutes Beyond Midnight”

“Broken Fuse”

 

I rate this collection at 5 out of 5 stars for the content, the poems I enjoyed, and the themes. This is one of the stronger collections in his repertoire.

"You Can't Kill Me Twice"

"You Can't Kill Me Twice"
Written by Charlyne Yi
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

"You Can't Kill Me" is the first work that I have encountered by Charlyne Yi, a poet, comedian, writer, actress, and musician. Yi's collection of poetry and illustrations was so incredibly unique, in such a ridiculous and fun way.

Yi's poetry is comedic, serious, feministic, and fun, all in one incredible package. At first, I had to come to grips that some of her poems and illustrations are just plain ridiculous, in a fun and interesting way. Yi's poems are highly likable, once you come to the understanding that some of them are strange and weird on purpose. Her words almost feel like satire sometimes.

A wonderful aspect of her poetry is the serious themes that are underneath the dark comedy elements. Her poetry asks of the reader to take care of themselves, to love carefully, and be a great person. Sometimes, her metaphors and silly verses do really take ahold of you.

Although I am not typically a fan of comedic writing and funny poetry, I still enjoyed the collection. Accompanied by the odd illustrations, the book was quite fun.

Yi has interesting segments in the book, "The Study of Types of Love, Friendship, Family, and Romance" and "The Optometrist". Her peculiar insight creates interesting reading material.

I personally liked her work very much. I plan to look into her other works. I truly think a great career for her would be to write and draw cartoons. Her comedy definitely needs to be brought further into the world. I cannot wait to look more into her art and writing.

I rated this collection of poetry and illustrations at a four star rating out of five stars.

I received a complimentary edition of this book from the publisher in exchange for reading and reviewing purposes. Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing.

"How to Be a Poet"

"How to Be a Poet"
Written by J.M. Farkas
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

"How to Be a Poet" is the second book written by J.M. Farkas, in the style of black-out, or in this case, white-out poetry. Farkas draws from Ovid's poem, "Ars Amatoria", an epic poem about love.

Farkas uses seven bottles of white correction fluid to mark out about 90 percent of the poem, leaving words out that help make a cohesive poem for herself. Her encompassing poem sets out to teach the reader how to be a poet, using the secluded words to create metaphors and personification.

Personally, this is not a type of poetry that I had delved into before. In reading the pages and thinking how many of Ovid's words had been manipulated, I found myself drawing a dislike for this style of poetry. I think using someone else's poetry in this way is a bit cheap. Although her final poem reads nicely in a style of poetry I would read, I do not like the entire poetry style.

The second half of the book is Ovid's original poem, but Farkas's poem's words typed in a bold font. I personally did not enjoy this section, because I do not enjoy Ovid's poetry. I felt that this book used a certain level of effort that just does not appeal to me. I feel that the creation of this book feels disengenious, taking advantage of the source material.

I would not recommend reading this book. I do not plan to continue reading Farkas's work.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for reading and reviewing purposes. Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity.

"The Boatloads"

“The Boatloads”

Written by Dan Albergotti

Review written by Diana Iozzia

“The Boatloads” is a short collection of modern romantic and religious poetry written by Dan Albergotti, a winner of the A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize. This writer includes allusions to many films, books, myths, classic literature, and more. The symbolism, metaphors, similes, and personifications take inspiration from those sources, creating new and interesting poetic themes. Personally, I do not often read religious poetry, but I felt that this collection was still adult and serious, with topics such as sex, rape, murder, abuse, aging, and more, rather than only fluffy vignettes about angels.

This was a very interesting collection to read, and I look forward to reading more by this writer. I was thoroughly surprised and yet fulfilled. I enjoyed the voice of this author, one of wisdom and candor about life and death. There is a sweet, melodic flow of the verses, leading most poems to sound like a lullaby. I had chosen this book from a little library, and I am glad to have found it.

Here are the poems I enjoyed most. The ones with asterisks beside them are my favorites.

“Vestibule”

“The Chiming of the Hour” *

“Turning Back” *

“What Everything Could Be”

“Song of the Gods”, “Another Song of the Gods”

“Testimony”

“The Eve of Ever After”

“Moon Daughter”

“Song 378” *

“What Else Means Death” *

“Exeunt”

“The Maenads”

“Lessons of the Elements: Earth” *

“Song 437” *

“The Boatloads”

"Twilight and Homecoming"

"Twilight and Homecoming"
Written by Uzoechi Nwagbara
Review written by Diana Iozzia



"Twilight and Homecoming" is a book of poetry, which is very opinionated and political, but in a way that many people can appreciate. This book is very honest, but very in your face about the struggles that many people from Nwagbara's culture have experienced and are still currently experiencing. This book is a call to arms, a call to attention of issues that many people might not know about. There are warnings about war, globalism, and corrupt politics. There is also a lovely underlying sentiment of hope.

Nwagbara's poetry is very eloquent, similar to the writing styles of a modern Edgar Allan Poe. There are many interesting similes, metaphors, and allusions. His poems are a bit exclamatory, and most sentences end with exclamation points. Sometimes, I cannot tell if it's a grammatical error or editing error, but some words are randomly capitalized and differently font formatted.

The poems I enjoyed most are:
"Homecoming"
"No Matter What"
"Summer of Rain" *
"I See A New Day" *
"Cultural Converters" *
"Fatal Beauty" *
"The Other Side of Silence" 
"Full Moon" *

I received a complimentary copy for reading and reviewing purposes.

"Care"

"Care"
Written by Mary Briggs
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia


"Care" is a wonderfully crafted book of poetry, written about the loss and grief Mary Briggs endured when her young son passed away from a battle with cancer and health complications. Our hearts break with Mary Briggs as we read poems about before he was sick, while he was sick, and we also hear her son's last words. This is an incredible work, and it should be praised, similarly to books by Joan Didion and Joyce Maynard.

There are many great poems in this collection, so I will mention the ones I like. If there is an asterisk next to a poem's name, it signifies a favorite:

"Tomorrow" *
"Winds" *
"Elusive Happiness" *
"Waiting"
"The Sun Shines on the Outside"
"I Am a Bench"
"I Am a Child / Was"
"Past Resurrection"
"I Know"
"A Great Wall"
"New Year" *
"Come Home"
"Grief and Your Blazer" *
"Haunting"
"Quiet Morning" *
"So I Stood on the Hill"
"Stop 7:30 a.m. Silence"
"13 Diaries"
"God's Soul Primaries"
"Could I Have Captured?"
"Early"
"Breathing, Trapped in a Submarine"
"Packing A Life" *
"Grief Blazes Red" *

In the end of the book, we have a list of lovely but saddening memories of Mary and her son. This was reminiscent of the final portion of "Mortality" by Christopher Hitchens, told by his wife.

Unfortunately, I have to point out quite a few grammatical errors. Also, one of the poems is printed twice, which is quite confusing.

Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this book of poetry. I received a complimentary copy for reading and reviewing purposes from Olympia Publishing.

"Sticks and Stones Falling From the Sky"

"Sticks and Stones Falling From the Sky"
Written by Andrew Daniels
Review written by Diana Iozzia 



"Sticks and Stones Falling From the Sky" is a very romantic but mystical book of poetry. When beginning to read this book, I instantly felt connected on a fantasy level, with elements of knights, kings, queens, elves, mythical creatures, vikings, dwarves, giants, different type periods, samurai, and more. I read this book not long after finally watching all of the Lord of the Rings films, so I felt a bit of fantasy connection there. 

Andrew Daniels creates great personification, metaphors, and similes to create his poetry. There is a dream-like quality to his poems, and it's greatly appreciated by me. The cover of this book is beautiful, and the font and layout inside the book are great as well. 

I had many favorite poems in this collection. Here are the poems I enjoyed most:

"Autumn" *
"Grass"
"Waves from a Mermaid Violin" *
"Steel Love and Steel Faith"
"Gardens of Honor and Respect"
"Gift of the Silver Tongue"
"Spring, Summer, Winter"
"The Sunshine Here and the Sunshine There"
"The Sun Dances with the Moon"
"Playing Hardball with God"
"A Ladder to the Moon"
"Dancing to Italy"

I fully recommend this book of poetry. It was a wonderful read for me. I received this book of poetry in partnership to read and review it.

"The Suicide"

“The Suicide”

Written by Amy Tollyfield

Review written by Diana Iozzia

           

            Poetry is always a fickle read for me. At this point in my reading experience, I have concluded that sadder, angrier, and darker poetry can be a fantastic read for me, or something I would like to avoid like the plague. Sometimes, I draw a line straight down the middle.

            With “The Suicide” I found poems I enjoyed, but I also found poems that were just not the right style for me. Some of Tollyfield’s poems are similar to Silvia Plath, whose poems and prose I have always enjoyed. Quite a few of the poems also reminded me of the book, “Girl, Interrupted” as well as Plath’s “The Bell Jar”.

            Amy Tollyfield’s poetry is full of similes, metaphors, and allusions. I do like a great allusion, but some of the mentions seemed necessary only to complete the rhyme couplet, as the typical style is 1212 or 12 32. For example, I thought rhyming “Pocahontas” with “orthodontist” was a bit of a stretch. I remember my younger adolescent years when I used a rhyming dictionary and came up with similar rhymes. To continue, I also enjoyed Tollyfield’s use of different colors to describe actions, emotions, and more.

            I personally felt that the majority of the poems in this collection were not for me. I enjoyed reading the collection, but I do think poetry is very subjective. The poems I enjoyed most are:

“Ask”

“Rosé”

“Big Sea”

“Dice”

“Johanna”

“Tide”

Courtesy of Olympia Publishing, I received a complimentary copy of this book for reading and reviewing purposes.

“You, Me, The Sun, and the Stars”

“You, Me, The Sun, and the Stars”

Written by G.P. Loehr

Review written by Diana Iozzia

            “You, Me, The Sun, and the Stars” is a poetry collection, with many poems centering around love, heartbreak, and faith. This book grants a cute, Southern American charm, if that was intended or not. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, through the perspective of the author. Loehr speaks of many emotions in a very natural and believable way. The reader can imagine the emotional experience he has been through and sympathize, relating in their own ways to their own loves. For instance, I related to quite a few of his poems surrounding long-distance love, because I myself am in a long-distance engagement. I felt very at peace reading Loehr’s books. I can imagine reading this on a nice, wooden porch with a glass of something cold and sweet.

            To continue, I enjoyed that many of Loehr’s poems have similar themes. Certain colors, days, times, and themes of nature are present throughout the book. The most noticeable recurring theme is the one of nature: the sun, the moon, the stars, the universe, day, night. I understand why he has titled the book after these. I often enjoy a theme in a poetry book’s organization. They feel more cohesive and as if you are experiencing the journey with the poet.

            I enjoyed many poems of his. I would like to share the titles with you:

“Tomorrow, We’ll Be Together”                           “These Summer Nights”

“The Foxtrot”                                                           “A Dream That You Inspired”

“Sunburst”                                                                “Shooting Stars”

“Atlas”                                                                       “Lullabies”

“Cycles”                                                                     “The Summer Rains”

            “Foxtrot” was my absolute favorite.

Courtesy of Olympia Publishing, I received a complimentary copy of this book for reading and reviewing purposes.

"I Wrote"

“I Wrote”

Written by Alice Bogen

Review written by Diana Iozzia

 The experience of reading “I Wrote” was absolutely wonderful. “I Wrote” was written by a seventeen-year-old poet. Jeez. Way to make the rest of us look unaccomplished! Alice Bogen’s poetry reflects a certain wisdom she has learned so far. Her writing also reflects a deep maturity and understand of her experience in the world. Her poetry is a large mix of different emotions, tales, and times in her life.

Her poems can be a bit sad or startling, but they have a genuine hope to them, which I find refreshing. There are many beautiful metaphors to nature, but they come across very realistic. Often, we find metaphors that just have sprinkles of random things thrown in. People are turtles, in the slow movements they make. He was the ocean after a storm. It can be a bit like Mad Libs, sometimes. However, Alice’s metaphors, similes, and other comparisons are very simplistic and believable.

To continue, an interesting technique that Bogen has implemented into her book is using general abstract themes or emotions like bravery, fame, happiness, youth, beauty and more. She creates original poems that are more than just their titles with a spin.

I enjoyed a multitude of poems in this book. They are:

 “I Wrote”                              “Happiness”                          “They”           

“Last May”                           “Youth”                                  “Beauty”

“Bravery”                              “Last Huge Breath”            “Life Shall Be Lived”

“Sacrifice”                             “Seen”                                    “The World is Not Enough”

“To Her”                                “Wings”                                 “To Leo”

“Acceptance”                        “Ears Don’t Lie”                  “Lion”

“Brother”                               “To M 2”                                “Goodbye”

“Consequences”                   “Sinners”                               “The Devil”

Courtesy of Olympia Publishing, I received a complimentary copy of this book for reading and reviewing purposes.