The Magic Border: Poetry and Fragments from My Soft Machine

by Arlo Parks

From Arlo Parks, Grammy Award-nominated recording artist and “voice of a generation”—a stunning debut book of poetry and a world-building companion to her sophomore album My Soft Machine . “Poetry was my place, my little clearing in the forest, where I could quietly put everything I was holding. I’m not sure what gave me the courage to open up that space to you but here I am, doing it. I am proud to show you this personal lens that life shimmers through. This book is no longer mine. It is yours.”— Arlo Parks The Magic Border is the debut book from the Grammy-nominated, Mercury Prize winning musician and poet Arlo Parks. This remarkable collection features Arlo’s handpicked original poems alongside exclusive photographs by friend and collaborator Daniyel Lowden in addition to the complete lyrics to her critically lauded sophomore album My Soft Machine . A deeply personal literary tapestry, The Magic Border beautifully showcases the full breadth of Arlo’s singular artistry.

Genres: Poetry, Audiobook, LGBT, Nonfiction, Queer, Music, Lesbian

80 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[gray (my.rainbow.bookshelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

honestly listening to Arlo narrate this was kind of a religious experience

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not super familiar with the author's music but a lot of these poems read more like song lyrics than poetry and I wonder if that might be more a of a hit for her music fans. I appreciate the vulnerability and really liked some of them, but I don't know that this was quite the collection for me. Thank you to Libro.FM for the audiobook, all opinions are my own.

[Hannah Showalter · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful poetry book by an artist i love!! love how arlo incorporates color into her work especially. loved that this was a mix of songs on the new album and poetry. also, this book was physically just so stunning!

[emma charlton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good reminder that I need to follow my instincts and continue avoiding the songwriter/celebrity to poet pipeline. It shouldn't exist! SORRY! They're adjacent but different skills :( I much preferred the bits of prose at the start and end. (I love Arlo Parks) Thanks to Libro FM for the ALC

[Sarah | The Marsies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je ne connaissais pas du tout la musique de l'artiste et ça m'a donné envie de l'écouter ! Il y a quelque chose de galvanisant à lire des paroles de chanson comme si c'était de la poésie, sans nous imposer un rythme on est centré sur le sens même des mots. J'ai bien aimé la vulnérabilité qui se dégage même si certains poèmes ne m'ont pas spécialement touché

[UnderseaDavis · Rating 2 out of 5]

the song lyrics are awesome, but to me the poetry felt formulaic and kinda dull.

Evocative adjective + food + emotional state + listening to ____ artist = poem

[suin · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh arlo 🤧

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this because I enjoy everything arlo makes, but i don't think i would recommend this like the rest of the poetry i read.

[Sam Rogowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This book is no longer mine, it is yours"

There are so many ways to consume this book, each giving a different experience, you can read the words at face value, listen to the songs as they appear in the book, or just flip through the incredible photography.

I have seen snippets of Arlo reading the poetry in her voice like butter, but I feel that it would be most enjoyed and most impactful being read by the author

[Sydney Sullivan]

I saw Arlo and Lucy talk about this book on October 10th 2023 at the Colburn School of Music btw. if anyone cares.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arlo Parks' Statement (einem Vorwort ähnelnd) hat mich völlig in den Bann gezogen - selten haben sich Worte SO magisch angefühlt. Ich habe mich ihr verbunden gefühlt, wollte in ihre Welt eintauchen und ihre Sicht auf die Welt noch viel tiefer kennenlernen. Die Verbindung aus Fotografien, Gedichten und ihren Songtexten als eine neue Art der Emotions- und Perspektivensammlung kam mir vor wie der ideale Weg für eine sanft-träumerische Seele wie ihre. Leider fand ich bei vielen ihrer Gedichte keinen Zugang. Sie waren auch schön geschrieben, jedoch so minimalistisch und spezifisch, dass ich manchmal das Gefühl hatte, nur sie selbst könnte tatsächlich ein Gefühl für diese intimen Texte haben (was sicherlich nicht stimmt). Die Fotografien hingegen haben mich in eine Trancewelt fallen lassen. Manchmal verspielt, manchmal ernst, meistens nachdenklich gestimmt, haben sie mich begeistert.
Alles in allem hat die Sammlung leider emotional nicht sehr viel mit mir gemacht, aber an das Statement werde ich noch lange denken.

[Léa Skov]

I wish that my eyes were still wide

[Hänna · Rating 3 out of 5]

feels like an evening laying on the white duvet covers of your first girlfriend, it’s the first summer you two share and everything feels tender but also dramatic

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful audiobook that left me wanting more!

[unplugget]

Non sono abituata a leggere poesie e ho fatto molta fatica a comprendere questo libro. Per questo motivo non saprei proprio dargli una valutazione.

"I know that I haven't been myself
that I lost my courage [...]
I'm sorry
it's easier to be numb [...]"

[Kendall McClain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Arlo Parks a lot and there’s many references to other singers I love so that was really fun. Some very pretty parts.

[Felisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fragmenten van pijnlijke, fijne en overweldigende gevoelens. Mijn liefde voor haar tweede album My Soft Machine is nu nog groter. 🥹❤️

[michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed this! not a huge arlo parks listener, but definitely thinking about delving more in to her discography after this.

wonderful collection of poems, song fragments, and photographs paired together. really created this intimate and melancholic atmosphere. you can definitely tell the difference between her songs vs her poems, as she pointed out in her foreword. really lovely

[Mary Rose Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsurprisingly, quite lyrical poetry which was more emotive than visual for me. Beautifully presented debut, either way, and very softly written.

[Court Schueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

September book club pick, a poetry book by Arlo Parks!

It feels like Arlo can’t help but be uniquely herself, while also being so relatable it hurts my feelings!! Such good poetic writing. Only complaint is it wasn’t longer. I also loved the photos throughout the book. I had been intentionally waiting to listen to the new album fully through until I read this. Can’t wait to listen now!

[Jessie Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ** !! some were taken straight from my head and heart n some were ok

[tollpatschki · Rating 4 out of 5]

hab wirklich in jedem gedicht sätze markiert (ich liebe sie)

[MaggyGray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collapsed in Sunbeams

Ich habe vorher noch nie etwas von Arlo Parks gehört, und Lyrik/Gedichte sind eigentlich auch nicht so mein Fall UND ich finde das Cover einfach nur furchtbar... aber trotzdem (oder vielleicht gerade deswegen?) war ich auf dieses Buch neugierig.

In diesem sind Gedichte und Songtexte zusammen mit Fotografien versammelt, die Arlo Parks zusammengestellt hat und damit ihrer Gefühlswelt Ausdruck verleihen will. Die Texte an sich zu bewergten fällt mir nicht leicht, denn viele Ausdrücke, Sätze und "Beschreibungen" (z. B. "... wir sprechen nicht mit der Großmutter, aber ihr wurde vergeben") sind sicherlich nur für die jeweils Eingeweihten verständlich. Aber nichtsdestotrotz haben viele Strophen und Zeilen ihre ganz eigene Anziehungskraft.
Es geht um Liebe und Freude, um Zusammenhalt und die Freude am Leben, aber auch um Missbrauch, Abhängigkeiten und dem Hang, sich selbst und andere zu verletzten. Gesungen und mit der passenden Musik dazu kommen diese Stücke sicherlich noch einmal ganz anders rüber.

Das einzige, was mich ab und an ein bisschen irritiert hat, waren die deutschen Übersetzungen der Gedichte. Gerade solche Übersetzungen stelle ich mir extrem schwierig vor, weil sie, anders als bei Sach- oder Romantexten, den (Hinter-)Sinn eines Gedichtes transportieren sollen, ohne allzu sehr vom Original abzuweichen. Oft sind solche Gedichte Text- Erzählexperimente, die kaum zu übersetzen sind. Die Übersetzerin Amanda Mukasonga ist selbst Rapperin (unter anderem) und hat sehr viel Gefühl in die Übersetzungen gelegt, auch wenn ich im direkten Vergleich vielleicht den ein oder anderen Ausdruck anders interpretiert hätte. Aber auch das liegt wohl immer in den Augen der Betrachterin.

Ein wirklich schönes Stückchen Gefühl zum Lesen.

[Carina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautiful. The photos, the lyrics, the poems, everything feels like entering Arlo's brain and heart. It feels intimate. A super quick read. I’m not the biggest fan of poetry books and every time I read them, they are related to musicians I follow and appreciate. My favourite one was Process, and then the lyrics from the songs I’ve already held close to my heart, like Pegasus or Ghost. I agree with the reviews that say it feels like a book written for Arlo’s fans, but since I’m one of them and you should be too, read this book and listen to the songs. My Soft Machine is one of my favourite albums and I think everyone should listen to it once in their lives. I wish I had my hands on the audiobook, I think it would make me change my 4.5 to a 5 star review.


“To talk about process is to talk about necessity, because not doing this is unbearable, because doing this is so unbelievably tender.” (From the poem “Process”)

[jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Libro.fm for providing me with a copy of the audiobook (narrated by Arlo Parks) via their Influencer ALC program.

This sweet and very tender collection explores the little things that make up meaningful existence. It’s about love and grief, family and connection and the process of creation. It contains snippets from and inspired by her 2023 album ‘My Soft Machine’ and starts with a note from the author on the creation of it, writing lyrics versus poetry and the journey of that. I think writers will appreciate that insight and the collection as a whole for that touch. Additionally this would be a terrific collection for coming of age, in your twenties, and those experiences. A short little audio that touched me and pushed me to pick up the album.

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please note: I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway.

Beautiful and lyrical and at times a little nauseating (from the good descriptions). I especially like that Parks included photographs from her photographer friend (I think that’s who she said did the work). Her style is unique and occasionally more song like with how she repeats stanzas.

[Mirjana (Mirjana_bere) · Rating 4 out of 5]

V knjigi je zbrana poezija in teksti besedil z avtoričinega drugega glasbenega albuma, My soft machine, vse skupaj pospremljeno s fotografijami.

Poezija se me ni vsa dotaknila, teksti njenih pesmi so mi bili zelo všeč. Pa zdaj tudi njena glasba.

[Milena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook which the artist herself narrated. The audiobook experience itself was a 10/10.

It's just something about listening to british people read poetry. It hits different. Especially when it comes from artists. They just know how to make words feel alive, I guess.

When it comes to the actual poetry, it was 50/50. I LOVED some parts, and then some of it was «meh». But that is very normal to me when it comes to poetry books.

[Elle O'Neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and beautiful read by the poetry queen herself

[Mary in the sky · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How do the badly loved undo?”

Arlo, I love you. I love your songs. I love your poetry. I love your photographs. Such a privilege to be alive at the same time as you.