Review: Songs From Under the River

Purchase Songs From Under the River here.

Synopsis:

If someone says a poetry reading is a perfect opportunity for a nap, check to see if their head is under a rock. Today’s poet performers have kicked it up a few hundred notches. Poets like Anis Mojgani, a two-time National Poetry Slam champion, winner of the International World Cup Poetry Slam and author of Over the Anvil We Stretch and The Feather Room. Mojgani has put together his third gathering of poems, Songs From Under the River: Early and New Work, a striking collection of his best out-of-print and new works that jump off the page and prove a performance on their own.

Songs From Under the River showcases what is expected from an artist of Anis’s considerable talent. His words have the fluidity of paint strokes, creating vivid imagines while structured to invite rhythmic reading. Anis’s poetry proves a universal art form, telling his story while at the same time evoking the reader’s own personal interpretation.

Songs From Under the River exhibits all the brilliance Anis’s fans have been reveling in for years. He is playful and whimsical and has the uncanny ability to lift us up while grounding us; flawlessly exemplified in his performance of Shake the Dust, the YouTube video of which has had more than a million hits. The popularity of Anis and other like him proves poetry is not just alive — it’s flourishing. 

Review:

There is nothing so refreshing during a poetry slam as a poem that makes you laugh. Slams are filled with so much sadness and anger and anxiety that they are emotionally draining, so any bit of laughter is beautiful and appreciated. In his most recent collection (released today), Anis Mojgani manages to convey all of the sadness and anger and anxiety that other poets express, but he manages to infuse humor and hope into his lines as well, saying we kiss and breathe like poetry and also "they poop like poetry!" Anis Mojgani manages to weave a beautiful collection that does not lose anything in an attempt to make his readers smile. If you like Mojgani or slam in general, this is definitely a necessary addition to your poetry collection.

Until next time, happy reading!
-Amanda

Review: Drunks and Other Poems of Recovery

Purchase Drunks and Other Poems of Recovery here.

Synopsis:

There are rock stars of the slam-poetry world; poets who not only sell thousands of books but travel the country and perform for hundreds of fans at a time. Poets like the late Jack McCarthy, writer of eight books of poetry and whose newest work, Drunks and other poems of recovery, is a masterful collection for those who have made and are making the thorny journey through addiction.

In Drunks and other poems of recovery, McCarthy likens an AA meeting to an island of shipwrecked survivors. “Every night we gather around the fire and tell our stories. And the more we tell our stories, the clearer it becomes: it isn’t many stories we’re telling, it’s The Story,” says McCarthy.  That’s what he was unparalleled at doing: telling his story while at the same time telling the tale of thousands.

Drunks and other poems of recovery will be McCarthy’s last book. He left this world earlier this year at age 73. His life was a full one; 40 years sober, a touring poet who traveled much of the United States and Canada, Ireland, Germany and Spain and an innovative writer of poetry and recovery. McCarthy is gone but due to his poetry and recorded performances, the essences of him will always be here.

Review:

I read this book while at the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational.  What better place to delve into a book of poetry when surrounded by some of the best poets I've ever met?  Write Bloody Publishing continues to publish authors with so much to offer, this time showcasing a man who shows incredible versatility, even in a book based around one subject.  Yes, most of these poems focus on Alcoholics Anonymous and other parts of the author's life being an alcoholic, but they echo sentiments that anyone in recovery feels.  Whether you are recovering from alcoholism, drug addiction, self harm, or an eating disorder, or if you are close with someone who is, you will find pieces of yourself in these poems, along with something that seems scarce in the recovery community: hope.  This is a beautiful final connection that, if I have anything to say about it, will be read long after people have forgotten Aliens.

Until next time, happy reading!
-Amanda