Jeremy Mifsud's Blog, page 2

Poetry Book Review: ‘Tempest’ by Ryan Meyer

Tempest

Tempest is Ryan Meyer‘s second publication in which the author challenges himself to be more personal. In these poems, Ryan dances eloquently around the eye of the storm, not shying away from the darkest of thoughts. I commend his open vulnerability – a vulnerability that has allowed me, the reader, to connect with the author and experience the poems through his eyes.

Tempest, by Ryan MeyerSetting the Narrative of a Mundane Life

The first poem of a collection sets the tone for the book, and in Flamingo, Ryan just does that. In this poem, Ryan travels between the mundane and monotous life and a fantasy of a vacation, laying on the beach – a dichotomy between reality and desire. The transition of imagery is smooth and genius:

A blaring horn pulls you back to shore
Your surfboard cursor
Bobs along the surface

(Flamingo, p. 1)

The phrases of beach-related words with office life, such as “surfboard cursor”, blur the lines so much that these two worlds become one. And on a deeper level, perhaps that is a scarier truth; to need to dream. Without such fantasy, the author does not show any motivation for his life. I think Flamingo was the perfect poem to open us into the storm of emotions that Tempest holds.

A Lonely Search for Hope

The following poems carry on a similar tone where the author searches for hope, for growth, for a better future. I appreciate that each poem still had its own voice, imagery and length. As I read the poems Somewhere Else, Can’t Fly Forever, and On Evolution, I had gotten heavily invested in where Ryan is taking us, and I could not stop reading. Is the process of life similar to a caterpillar’s metaphorsis; a stagnant cocoon?

I hope growing wings
Doesn’t have to hurt.

(On Evolution, p.8)

Reaching The Eye of the Storm

It doesn’t take Ryan long to arrive at “the place where they say Death resides”. The poems has slowly led us to a place of metaphysical darkness that requires our silence as we watch. This darkness has an intense grip on us as it takes over the mood. But in Ryan there is a hope, a fire that burns despite the hopelessness that led us to the stage. Out of the hostility of the accumulation of negativity, the author’s inner spirit resurges, perhaps in an unexpected yet very real way:

It makes me yearn for life’s monotony, …

… I want to scrub
Clean the bathtub in my childhood home

(Threshold, p.12)

In contrast to the previous poems, the monotonous life we were escaping primarily has become the sought prize; a refound appreciation for the smallest things in life. And this is what courage is in real life; fighting the most intrustive of thoughts to find a way to survive, to want to be a alive. One does not need to break barriers and accomplish achievements – no, the true change starts from wanting to live, no matter the reality.

Emerging from the Existential Crisis

After Threshold, we continue to struggle with existentialism, at which point Ryan starts reminiscing about childhood and teen years. What was just a lone shell of thoughts, the shell started to crack, shedding light into a past, and a life where it is not just the self versus the world. There were family, there were friends – doesn’t mean it was all sunshine and rainbows:

We were young: fooling around,
Downing cheap vodka,
And smoking stale cigarettes
From our mothers’ purses.

(Unsteady, p.33)

As Ryan lives back through his past, he starts pulling himself out of the present darkness and grounds himself into the world where a person has not only past, but also a future. As the collection goes along, I witnessed the author experience self-growth. And while life may still not be perfect, Ryan’s mindset has changed. I can feel it as I read through, a perhaps unapologetic tone of being oneself, of being okay with not being okay without the resignation that led us originally to the Tempest. The soil is still wet from the aftermath, but the Tempest has definitely calmed

Summary

In the preface, Ryan stated that in this publication, he wanted to go deeper and be more personal. I feel like he successfully achieved being vulnerable with the reader while still retaining the genius of imagery he used throughout, blurring the lines of reality, imagery and fantasy. There were a few poems here and there where I wished to be taken deeper, but alas, as a collection, I was compelled to read it without pause (more than once). I would definitely recommend poetry readers to pick up this book as I would easily give it a 4.5/5 rating, and I have high expectations for whatever future work Ryan Meyer publishes. Make sure to check out Ryan Meyer on nothingpeak.com

Disclaimer: I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

LinksRyan Meyer’s site, NothingPeakFollow me on Twitter: @PoetryByJeremy

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Advanced Book Review: Why Can’t Billy Idol Love Me?

The novel is a typical coming-of-age story for a gay teen in high school where he feels like he cannot be his authentic self. The story starts with signs of suicidal ideation, but then doesn’t deal with those thoughts or feelings in the first half of the book, which I found to be a little inconsistent. However, the story continues with Shane Noble living his pretend-straight life with his girlfriend and homophobic friends, a life he’s not happy about. Eventually, the story takes a few interesting and perhaps unexpected turns.

The author understands well the shame that a gay teen might experience, in being different and in disappointing parents. However, the jumps in emotional states did stunt me a bit, disallowing from connecting emotionally to the main character, or any other character, for that matter.

More critically, although this is a YA, LGBT+ fiction, the written voice does not feel fresh or YA, at all. It comes across that the author’s voice has seeped into the writing, and this is unfortunate at best. Whilst reading, I spotted phrases that don’t seem to belong to the narrator; they’re just out of element. And then, in most chapters, if not all, there are references to songs from last century. I found that to be quite jarring. Firstly, explaining thoughts and emotions by stating that they’re like the lyrics of so-and-so is more of a tell; it doesn’t show me anything. Moreover, because this is YA fiction, I doubt that the audience would particularly get most references. In fact, from so many references, I only got one:

“The words from Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’ came to mind, about life being a mystery, and we must all stand alone.”

and that’s because Madonna is huge in gay culture, unlike most other referenced artists. And from that sentence, you could understand how little description it adds to the narrative.

Despite these caveats, the outline of the story is solid. Overall, I rate this book as average (3/5 stars), as I was interested enough to continue reading. However, I do wish that the writing would’ve been more fresh and exciting, and that some parts of the story were a little less forced or given enough time to blossom.

I received a free copy from Reedsy’s Discovery in exchange for an honest review.

Inside a Poet’s Mind: Too Sacred to Write About

Up to a few weeks ago, I used to say that whoever enters into my life must accept that I am a writer and will express myself in writing. That means I would write whatever I have to, no matter what is said about them. But with time and new experiences, beliefs change.

I’ve been seeing this guy for a month now, and it’s been quite great. And I like him so much, that what we have feels sacred. He is special to me, and I don’t want to do anything to fuck it up. That include being hesitant from writing about him, about us, because there is a lingering feeling of ‘wrongness’ to write about something so sacred.

The second of the ten commandments in the Catholic religion is “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,” and that’s how I feel about this guy. I shouldn’t be revealing this thing I have with him to the world. I want to keep him to myself, and to not expose him to the world in the intimate way poetry does, because, he is the most intimate part of my life.

I never really felt like this with anyone before. Perhaps I don’t want any of my words to affect what we have now or in the future. But this blog post, as anonymous and secretive as it is, is my first step to writing about him in public, and I acknowledge that he could be reading this. And I know in the future, I’ll succumb to writing more deeply about him, and all the things he makes me feel. For now, he’ll be my secret to cherish.

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Poetry Book Review: Your Heart is the Sea (Nikita Gill)

Your Heart is the Sea

Your Heart is the Sea
is divided into eight sections; each a stage of an emotional journey. The
presentation is well thought out as the author gives us a story to follow,
through the emotions evoked within the poems of a section. However, it almost
feels a little too thought out, as I became detached to emotional content of filler
poems, used to repeat a pattern or attempting to be ‘smart’ that it creates a
barrier. This especially happens in the abstract or almost clichés, usually occurring in second-person poems more than
others:

“But what you must remember
is every time you crash downwards,
you learn to stitch your spirit
back faster.”



(The Fall, p. 45)

Rewording the saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” doesn’t make a verse in any way exciting, unless the new image is extremely effective, which in this case, I don’t feel like it was.

Having said that, where
the collection lacks in creative imagery, it makes up for it in honest,
heartfelt verses. And at times, she does this beautifully. One of my favourite
verses is the following:

“I crave loneliness so much
I do not want it at all.
Wanting someone’s touch
whilst not wanting any other soul.
Needing another voice to say my name
whilst cringing when I am actually called.
There is an empty attic in my head
with a secret chasm where I fall.”



(A Ghost Called Depression, p. 23)

I
love paradoxes, especially when they are so human and logical, even in their
conflict. And the examples are relatable, ones that readers can easily
understand. Unfortunately, Nikita often ends up explaining the poem or the more
creative verses in either the first or the last lines, which slows down the
reader and dilutes the most effective of verses.

All in all, the book has a solid story-line, which I appreciate in poetry collections. However, I did not have the strongest of connections with these poems, and at 200 pages long, half of the book feels like filler poems. Is it worth buying? Possibly, but not for myself. Personally, I’d rather have more focus on the individual poems, rather than have a great outline for a collection and centering a publication around that idea, rather than putting together sets of poems. To each his own.

I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Check out the book in one of the following links:

Book: https://thoughtcatalog.com/book/your-heart-is-the-sea/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42630586-your-heart-is-the-sea

Also, consider supporting me by donating directly or purchasing one of my books:

Amazon Author Page: http://bit.ly/authorjeremymifsud
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/poetrybyjeremy
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From the Backseat of a Bus

[image error]Cover art by Ramon Azzopardi Fiott

In From the Backseat of a Bus, Jeremy Mifsud encounters a variety of experiences during his commute. Published by Ghost City Press (2019), the microchap contains 9 poems about bus passengers and observations of the outside world. This edition is freely available from the publisher’s site.

The extended chapbook includes 7 additional poems that reflect on the poet’s personal experiences (pertaining to bus travel). From these 7 poems, “Reminscence” and “Situationship” have been published in Door is a Jar Magazine and Marias at Sampaguitas respectively. This edition can be purchased on Kindle, payhip, and Kobo, amongst other bookstores. Reviews can be found on Goodreads. Book reviewers could also for a review copy preferably through email on jeremy.mifsud.writer@gmail.com

This is what Carla Sofia Ferreira, High School Teacher and Poet, had to say about the chapbook:

“This is such a fun and delightful read that manages to ask serious questions while playfully bending form! Also, Mifsud is so skilled at enjambment: I love the clever bend and tilt of the lines, imitating the movement of a bus on city lanes, sometimes smooth, often jolting.”

Carla Sofia Ferreira, Teacher and Poet

The following is a poem from the collection.

Overheard

I overheard
a teenage girl
telling her friends
she can’t go out tonight.

Her parents
can’t pick her up
            & it’s too dangerous
            for a girl
            to walk alone
            after 9pm.

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Cover Art Reveal: From the Backstreet of a Bus

[image error]Cover art by Ramon Azzopardi Fiott

In 3 days, my latest small collection of poetry will be published by Ghost City Press! It’s finally time that I share with you the cover art which Ramon Azzopardi Fiott has designed. We wanted the cover to showcase the classic Maltese bus in its vibrant glory. I’m extremely grateful for Ramon, who in his vision encapsulated both my poetry and the love we have for the Maltese culture. I’m also amazed by his artistry and by the details included that reflect how unique our buses used to be.

In From the Backseat of a Bus, Jeremy Mifsud encounters a variety of experiences during his commute. The microchap published by Ghost City Press (29th July, 2019) includes nine poems about other bus passengers or observations of the outside world. The extended chapbook, to be released at a later date, includes six more poems look inwards, reflecting on personal experiences he had on buses. “Reminscence” and “Situationship” first appeared in Door is a Jar Magazine and Marias at Sampaguitas respectively.Reviews could be found on Goodreads.

Book Review: The Murmur of Bees

The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia

When Amazon put a couple of international novels for free, I was one of those readers who was ecstatic about this opportunity. The Murmur of Bees was the one that intrigued me most, both because of the beautiful cover and the title — who doesn’t love bees? Fortunately, the quality of the book satisfied the excitement I had to read it.

From the start, we are greeted with prose that is
beautifully written; vivid and poetic. Here’s a description of Nana Reja:

“All
those years on the rocking chair caused the townspeople to forget her story and
her humanity: she had become part of the scenery, put roots down into the earth
she rocked upon. Her flesh had become wood and her skin a hard, dark, furrowed
bark.”

Once I read that, I was sold. I would read the whole novel, and I’m glad I did. It did take me a couple of chapters to completely grasp the setting and the story, as there is a bit of a time jump and a change in POV between one chapter and another. I usually have my reservations about this type of narration, because I often find it confusing, but I found that Sofía Segovia did it in a way which was clear when and where each chapter took place from their first paragraph.

The novel is mainly historical fiction with some
manipulated elements to break the realism. It takes place in the early 1900s in
Northern Mexico, and I believe it is inspired by a lot of real events. I became
quite invested in each of the characters, perhaps because that is the strongest
suit of this novel. You know how in some stories you just want to know what the
resolution is, or how the protagonist solves the problem, or just how the
book/series ends? I didn’t have the feeling with this novel. No, I wanted to
read about this family. I wanted to follow them through their lives, the ups
and the downs. And I dreaded the ending, because I want more of them.

The author is am impeccable storyteller, and I could feel the suspense coming when they wanted to do so. No part of the novel disappoints, and I am low-key obsessed with this book. It’s something that I don’t have to think about twice to rate 5 stars. It deserves it. I keep thinking about the characters every now and then, because they have permeated into my mind. And by living vicariously through them, I have learnt a lot. This book is such a great reading experience, that I truly recommend others to read it.

Links

Goodreads: The Murmur of Bees

Would you like me to review more books? Support me by donating to my to my Ko-Fi or PayPal.

For a list of my published works, take a look at Publications.

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Poetry Book Review: Forgiveness, by Chelsea Bunn

Forgiveness by Chelsea Bunn (Finishing Line Press, 2019)

In Forgiveness, Chelsea Bunn struggles with forgiving herself. In this book, you could peel layers upon layers of vulnerability, penned ever so delicately. I have been struggling to translate my reading experience into words, and have been rewriting this book review for a couple of weeks. The poetry was so intimate that I almost want to keep it for myself, a private dialogue between the words and I.

To show you a clearer idea of what the chapbook entails, I selected two extracts. “These Stories Are True” is an erasure poem in which Chelsea adapted from the statements of men accused of sexual misconduct. The following lines are an erasure of Senator Al Franken’s statement:

“The first thing is the most
important thing.

Only you care—
I don’t.”

These Stories Are True (p. 3)

Isn’t this the most genius thing I’ve ever read? To take words of the accused and form the implied reality. I was stricken by both the idea and the delivery of the poem.

Later on in the book, I was completely blown away by “The Meeting”, both due to its emotional strength and its craft. The writing appears to be like a ramble, backtracking at every few lines, giving us pieces of the story in a way that, although disjointed in time, is understood by the reader. Chelsea writes about attending a meeting in which, finally, she has finally found others who understand her drinking. She writes,

“I was there because that is all I ever wanted—
for someone to see exactly
and entirely what I felt
and what I had done and to tell me
that it wasn’t my fault”

The Meeting (p. 12)

I thought the overall poem was beautiful, and perhaps the extract doesn’t do justice to the context. I have highlighted several other lines, but for the same reason of being water down outside their context, I decided not to show them here. There is a wholeness to each poem and to the collection as it is presented.

On a critical note, I may have not completely liked certain forms used, but enjoyed others. It is one of my pet peeves that indentations and line breaks should help the reading process. Each reader is an individual, and I acknowledge that it is perhaps an issue with how I read, but I felt interrupted (in a non-productive way) with some of the forms, as if the choice was aesthetic but not functional.

Having said that, it does not take away from the solid writing and the emotional delivery of the chapbook. I have reread this four times by now, and each time is like the first, and perhaps that is a testament to the poetry. I am left haunted by some of Chelsea’s poems and the need for forgiveness.

Forgiveness is available to pre-order and will be published on 21st June, 2019.

I received an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Links:

Book: Forgiveness by Chelsea Bunn (Finishing Line Press, 2019)

Would you like me to review more books? Support me on Patreon or donate directly to my PayPal. For a list of my published works, take a look at Publications.

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Poetry Book Review: pomegranate seeds

pomegranate seeds by melissa jennings

This microchap contains six poems about unrequited love. Although the author describes the book as exploring polyamory, I wouldn’t have realised without being explicitly told. In general, the poems seem to be dedicated to a specific person. Each title is dual, portraying a contrast within itself. I liked this aspect of this collection, as the titles give us multiple lenses to read the poems through.  

you said you didn’t like the taste.
you said things always taste better if they are fresh.

IT WOULD KINDA BREAK MY HEART / MY HEART IS ALL OVER THE PLACE

In these lines, jennings explores the polyamophobia of a person they were interested in. The metaphor speaks well for the reality of how polyamorous hearts are sometimes observed as rotten or corrupted — as if our love is any lesser, less satisfying. When reading (critically), I got the message, yet I didn’t quite feel it the same way I expect to when reading poetry.

Even after reading each poem multiple times,
some of their meanings still elude me.

I don’t want it, not like that, you said.
that’s why I want you to have a piece of it;
maybe it could feel something other than a burden.

I MISS YOU / IT WAS A MESS

I personally see the words dampen what the author intends to say. The other person not wanting the heart is similar to the first poem. I know several readers who like a challenge when deciphering what a poet meant or what you are getting as a reader. I am not one of those readers. I prefer the concrete and the clear, and due to that factor, I found it challenging to enjoy jennings’ writing.

Overall, I consider this book as average, rating it at 3/5 stars. The poems had a natural progression and they had some pleasant imagery. I did find it somewhat frustrating at times since the writing style does not fit my personal preference — it must be said that it is not bad writing. I admire the author’s commitment to exploring polyamory and polyamophobia, and it piqued my interest in reading and writing poetry around this topic.

pomegranate seeds will be published on 21st June, 2019. I have received a free advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Add pomegranate seeds to your to-read-list on Goodreads.

Do you like what I post? Support me on Patreon or donate directly to my PayPal. For a list of my published works, take a look at Publications and consider getting a copy of my full-length collection, Welcome to the Sombre Days.

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Book Review: Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson

Months ago, a friend of mine recommended
me Jeanette Winterson, and as much as Oranges
Are Not the Only Fruit seemed interesting, I was attracted to her memoir Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?
With a title like that, I knew I had to give it a read.

I don’t recall having read a memoir
before, so I went in without much expectations. In some passages, I wasn’t even
sure if I was reading fiction or non-fiction, partly because of the
eccentricity of Jeanette’s mother, Mrs Winterson, and partly because the prose
is written so beautifully.

The memoir takes us on a journey and
exploration of happiness. Much of the book is dedicated to growing up in
Accrington, specifically focusing on the author’s relationship with her
adoptive mother. Jeanette was a feisty kid from the likes of it, and this has
often led her mother to say that the devil led them to the wrong crib. Feeling
unwanted is one of the worst things a child can feel when growing up.

Jeanette lets us into her darkest thoughts
and does not keep secrets when it comes to her emotions. It’s such
vulnerability that makes the memoir so compelling. From the exterior, perhaps
to her teachers and family, Jeanette seemed very angry and rebellious. But what
child wouldn’t be when you put them in that kind of life?

I find it also important to discuss queer
issues especially when they centre so much on one’s destination in life. When
it was discovered that Jeanette was seeing a girl, her mother led her into an
exorcism. I can only begin to fathom how traumatic that was. Jeanette writes
about her past in a somewhat distant and detached way, letting us observe what
happened without drowning us in her emotions. This event might have happened
decades ago, but the truth is that queer people still suffer from these
experiences, and part of our duty is to talk about it and raise awareness.
Nobody deserves to go through that, and I think it’s useful that there are
people like Jeanette Winterson who discuss and show us these awful experiences.

Towards the second half, we are taken into her adulthood, briefly through her writing career and to where she is now. Overall, it is a story of inspiration on multiple factors. Firstly, because she is self-made, making it out of Accrington as a very successful author. Secondly, because there is paramount honesty about the self and how her trajectory isn’t linear, but it is continuous and the seek for happiness and personal growth does not end with success.

Link: Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

Do you like what I post? Support me on Patreon or donate directly to my PayPal. For a list of my published works, take a look at Publications and consider getting a copy of my full-length collection, Welcome to the Sombre Days.

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