It’s official: I have the yips. I finished reading this book three weeks ago, but every time I’ve tried to write a review, I freeze, not because I have nothing to say but because I can’t seem to calm my mind enough to write the review this book deserves. For you see: Alexander Chee’s How to Write an Autobiographical Novel is my favorite book of the year. Chee shares essays about his life and writing career, keeping the subjects separate at first, then integrating them […]
Blooming good read
Due late January/early February, Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau is another in the First Second graphic novels dealing with growing up and with sexuality and gender themes. This time, Ari and Hector are exploring what they want now that school is over. And part of that learning is they realize they want each other. The interesting thing about this book, compared to the others, is the simplicity in the sexual and identity exploration. This time there is “only” a gay couple. The other […]
When a complicated writer finds their audience
Andrea Gibson is a complicated person and that shows in their poetry collection, Lord of the Butterflies. They have several collections, this being their newest for Button Poetry. Winner of awards, writer of almost any liberal subject Gibson has a mix of poems about their personal journey, depression, lovers, current events and life in general. Personally, I prefer the poems where Gibson is not the “main character” of the story. Not to say, I did not like the other poems, I just prefer the ones […]
You are bound to find something that speaks to you
Bound is one of the shortest books I have probably ever read. The longest poem is several pages long, but it is just a bunch of blacked out text. It is called (black box). I cannot put the symbol here as it is literally the black box/line that is used to block out wording in important documents. I am assuming this is the real speech of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I will call this poem “IPMBN” just to make it easier. If this is […]