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The Unempty Spaces Between
Poetry by Louis Efron.
A beautiful creation of song and scar, of emotional complexity and simple witness, Louis Efron's debut collection The Unempty Spaces Between mingles the natural and human worlds in a series of accessible, personal, universal poems. From lush to bare, the landscapes he presents us with are so intertwined with and impacted by our actions that we realize the two have always been one. Brimming with meditations deep as winter snow and boundless compassion and curiosity, these vibrant poems remain grounded in a universal familiarity that opens us up to something greater.
John Sibley Williamsauthor of As One Fire Consumes Another Louis Efron's collection The Unempty Spaces Between reveals a reverence for nature and personal connection that reminds us of Mary Oliver's gorgeous nature poems. He uses language beautifully to tell us that tides "scar the sand," "petals color the earth/a sweet jazz composition," and "death can be a beautiful thing . . . unleashing the pent-up coil spring." These poems are a deep meditation on emptiness and the searching soul.
Karol Nielsenauthor of Small Life
The Unempty Spaces Between by Louis Efron is a refreshing work of poetry. Refreshing is the respect given to the craft of poetry. In the poetic world, where prose poetry dominates the landscape, it's refreshing to read poems marked by form and end-rhymes; notwithstanding, the journey the reader will take processing the metaphoric. Evidence of form, rhyme, and the metaphoric are signified in the poems Lost, A Candle with Two Wicks, and Spaces Between, to name a few. This work of poetry is worthy of a good read and the time of those who enjoy serious writing.
Emmett Wheatfallauthor of Our Scarlet Blue Wounds
Haunting, harrowing and frighteningly incisive, Louis Efron's dark narrative poems incite terror, provoke gut wrenching memories and invite personal reflection. A nightmarish adventure-what could be better? The Unempty Spaces Between is one of my favorite afternoon reads in a decade. In his own words, "a poetic inferno," but to my mind it's "a welcome assault on the senses."
Jim Volz, Ph.D.Editor, Shakespeare Theatre Association's Quarto
A beautiful creation of song and scar, of emotional complexity and simple witness, Louis Efron's debut collection The Unempty Spaces Between mingles the natural and human worlds in a series of accessible, personal, universal poems. From lush to bare, the landscapes he presents us with are so intertwined with and impacted by our actions that we realize the two have always been one. Brimming with meditations deep as winter snow and boundless compassion and curiosity, these vibrant poems remain grounded in a universal familiarity that opens us up to something greater.
John Sibley Williamsauthor of As One Fire Consumes Another Louis Efron's collection The Unempty Spaces Between reveals a reverence for nature and personal connection that reminds us of Mary Oliver's gorgeous nature poems. He uses language beautifully to tell us that tides "scar the sand," "petals color the earth/a sweet jazz composition," and "death can be a beautiful thing . . . unleashing the pent-up coil spring." These poems are a deep meditation on emptiness and the searching soul.
Karol Nielsenauthor of Small Life
The Unempty Spaces Between by Louis Efron is a refreshing work of poetry. Refreshing is the respect given to the craft of poetry. In the poetic world, where prose poetry dominates the landscape, it's refreshing to read poems marked by form and end-rhymes; notwithstanding, the journey the reader will take processing the metaphoric. Evidence of form, rhyme, and the metaphoric are signified in the poems Lost, A Candle with Two Wicks, and Spaces Between, to name a few. This work of poetry is worthy of a good read and the time of those who enjoy serious writing.
Emmett Wheatfallauthor of Our Scarlet Blue Wounds
Haunting, harrowing and frighteningly incisive, Louis Efron's dark narrative poems incite terror, provoke gut wrenching memories and invite personal reflection. A nightmarish adventure-what could be better? The Unempty Spaces Between is one of my favorite afternoon reads in a decade. In his own words, "a poetic inferno," but to my mind it's "a welcome assault on the senses."
Jim Volz, Ph.D.Editor, Shakespeare Theatre Association's Quarto
- GenresPoetry
62 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2023
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 28, 2023
I always find it uncanny when I read a collection and one particular poem seems to fit with my current mindset. I had been thinking about keepsakes and memories, photographs, and school papers and artwork from my sons' school days. I started feeling sad because we always seem to forget to go back and look at that stuff, and want so much to do it, and make the time for it...and yet, I feel like there's no time. And so, I read the poem "Empty Attic" and there it is, pretty much what I was thinking. And I quote, "...our treasures...memories unlit by such neglected bulbs...still failing to see ourselves illuminated as dust settles again on the balconies of our mind...precious things boxed for overwhelmed hands and a crowded heart..."
"Nicked Wedding Ring"...boy, does it speak the truth. I have witnessed a couple of deaths where greed and anger are all that seemed present. I quote a couple of stanzas here...
Death brings out the very best in people
The ugly DNA of their soul
Self-righteousness hangs above the church steeple
A look into a twisted peephole
Even before the body grows cold
Vultures fighting over the money basket
Papers burned to keep the stolen gold
Jewelry hidden in the viewing casket
"Arcadian Eyes" really captures the current crisis of our so plugged in world. "...we are lonely...a world that can no longer be unplugged...where soft hands without heartbeats join then pass through to emptiness."
A lot of the poetry I've been reading lately touches on the state of our world. Poetry is so organic. I think it is one of the best forms for these topics. In "Reflection," the last two stanzas are powerful.
A rhyme that riffs a careless scrawl
A world in desperate need of peace
Two hands dropping a wanting ball
A time that now must cease
What will tomorrow's reflection hold?
Blood-stained cheeks, sockets conspiring to swell
Clocks stop ticking before the story is told
Doors now open, a quick descent to Hell
This is an outstanding debut collection. Highly recommended to anyone who loves poetry.
Thank you to Poetic Book Tours for having me on the tour.
"Nicked Wedding Ring"...boy, does it speak the truth. I have witnessed a couple of deaths where greed and anger are all that seemed present. I quote a couple of stanzas here...
Death brings out the very best in people
The ugly DNA of their soul
Self-righteousness hangs above the church steeple
A look into a twisted peephole
Even before the body grows cold
Vultures fighting over the money basket
Papers burned to keep the stolen gold
Jewelry hidden in the viewing casket
"Arcadian Eyes" really captures the current crisis of our so plugged in world. "...we are lonely...a world that can no longer be unplugged...where soft hands without heartbeats join then pass through to emptiness."
A lot of the poetry I've been reading lately touches on the state of our world. Poetry is so organic. I think it is one of the best forms for these topics. In "Reflection," the last two stanzas are powerful.
A rhyme that riffs a careless scrawl
A world in desperate need of peace
Two hands dropping a wanting ball
A time that now must cease
What will tomorrow's reflection hold?
Blood-stained cheeks, sockets conspiring to swell
Clocks stop ticking before the story is told
Doors now open, a quick descent to Hell
This is an outstanding debut collection. Highly recommended to anyone who loves poetry.
Thank you to Poetic Book Tours for having me on the tour.
August 1, 2023
The Review
This was quite a beautifully written and deeply introspective read. The author’s handle on imagery is felt immediately in this book, allowing the reader to become lost in the worlds and narratives that each poem brings to life as if they are caught in the emotional wave of creativity that spills across the blank canvas of life. The unique structuring of each poem speaks to the deep thoughts and the working world in which the author’s mind inhabits.
The poems themselves are quite engaging, allowing the reader to see pieces of themselves in the work, and even in the poems that don’t directly speak to them, the reader is able to contemplate and look inward at their own lives to the core of each poem’s meaning. The poem “Nicked Wedding Ring” is a particular favorite, exposing the depths of deep emotion in the wake of a loss and the juxtaposition of those who seek out that same death out of greed or power, revealing how death shows us our best and our worst.
The Verdict
Memorable, engaging, and thought-provoking, author Louis Efron’s “The Unempty Spaces Between” is a must-read poetry collection. The fast pace of the collection and the way readers can easily sit and read through this book in one sitting and yet return to it time and time again speak to the author’s powerful words and the heart behind them.
This was quite a beautifully written and deeply introspective read. The author’s handle on imagery is felt immediately in this book, allowing the reader to become lost in the worlds and narratives that each poem brings to life as if they are caught in the emotional wave of creativity that spills across the blank canvas of life. The unique structuring of each poem speaks to the deep thoughts and the working world in which the author’s mind inhabits.
The poems themselves are quite engaging, allowing the reader to see pieces of themselves in the work, and even in the poems that don’t directly speak to them, the reader is able to contemplate and look inward at their own lives to the core of each poem’s meaning. The poem “Nicked Wedding Ring” is a particular favorite, exposing the depths of deep emotion in the wake of a loss and the juxtaposition of those who seek out that same death out of greed or power, revealing how death shows us our best and our worst.
The Verdict
Memorable, engaging, and thought-provoking, author Louis Efron’s “The Unempty Spaces Between” is a must-read poetry collection. The fast pace of the collection and the way readers can easily sit and read through this book in one sitting and yet return to it time and time again speak to the author’s powerful words and the heart behind them.
July 7, 2023
Heavily loaded with significant symbolism and metaphors, Louis Efron's The Unempty Spaces Between is a reflective collection of short poems that intends to penetrate into the voids of the mind, the thoughtless nothings and the numbing instances. Every why has a whereof and that's what each entity in this collection proves. Right from the lover wicks to the entwining branches of two different trees, all the elements that comprise the Earth have been metaphorically addressed.
Without using fancy wordplay or cliched jargon, Efron's juxtaposition of ideas is beautiful. I liked how he's worked upon Empty Attics that cast a despondent shadow of aloofness. Irony. Yet there's a lingering nostalgia when you read about these common empty spaces which are, in Efron's world of hypothesis, unempty. It's interesting to read another perspective about nightmares and how they evolve with our age. It's enthralling to read about the unquenched longing for 'her' and the amazing analogy with a burning flame!
Read the complete review here: https://www.aliveshadow.com/category-...
Without using fancy wordplay or cliched jargon, Efron's juxtaposition of ideas is beautiful. I liked how he's worked upon Empty Attics that cast a despondent shadow of aloofness. Irony. Yet there's a lingering nostalgia when you read about these common empty spaces which are, in Efron's world of hypothesis, unempty. It's interesting to read another perspective about nightmares and how they evolve with our age. It's enthralling to read about the unquenched longing for 'her' and the amazing analogy with a burning flame!
Read the complete review here: https://www.aliveshadow.com/category-...
June 19, 2023
Moving, thought-provoking, and filled with breathtaking imagery, The Unempty Spaces Between by Louis Efron is a gripping debut collection from an author who lives to enlighten and inspire.
Even before you open the pages, the cover captivates you. The barren playground with its solitary swing set and the landscape scarred by the yellow and white lines across the entire cover invite you in.
Nature, elements, matter, light, darkness, colors, and scents come alive on the pages. Words strung together creating new meaning as the imagery comes alive before you. Favorites from this collection: "Beautiful Trees," Empty Attics," "Nicked Wedding Ring," and "God's Garden."
If you gravitate to introspective writing, you'll want to read The Unempty Space Between.
Even before you open the pages, the cover captivates you. The barren playground with its solitary swing set and the landscape scarred by the yellow and white lines across the entire cover invite you in.
Nature, elements, matter, light, darkness, colors, and scents come alive on the pages. Words strung together creating new meaning as the imagery comes alive before you. Favorites from this collection: "Beautiful Trees," Empty Attics," "Nicked Wedding Ring," and "God's Garden."
If you gravitate to introspective writing, you'll want to read The Unempty Space Between.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews