A Cliff Over Blue

by Daniel Wallock

Daniel Wallock's debut poetry book. Daniel's work has previously appeared in the following The Bolt Magazine, Burningword Literary Journal, ExFic Online, Forth Magazine, Agave Magazine, Planet Paragraph, Wild Quarterly, The Vending Machine Press, Indie Anthology 2014, Push Pen Press and San Jose State University’s Three Anthology, Whistling Shade Journal, Auric Magazine, One Page Love Story, Epigraph Magazine, and Nevada State College 300 Days of Sun.

Genres: Poetry

58 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2014

About the author

Daniel Wallock is a college student living in New York and the author of three books, which have been downloaded over 20,000 times across 25 countries. His poetry and prose have appeared in 20 publications including Burningword, Wild Quarterly, ExFic, The Vending Machine Press, Agave Magazine, VAYAVYA Poetry, Whistling Shade Journal, and The Bolt Magazine. Daniel has received numerous writing awards including 1st place in San Jose State University’s Nonfiction Short Story Contest. In addition to pursing a literary career Daniel spends time speaking for nonprofit organizations, doing marketing and media consulting, and designing websites.

Reviews

[Tessara Dudley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reminds me of poetry I wrote as a teen struggling with depression. It does well at capturing the hopeless, numb mindset of teen in that position.

Unfortunately, the collection as a whole seems unfocused, or perhaps unfinished. The arrangement came off as haphazard, the imagery was redundant, the word choice repetitive, the metaphor/simile uncreative.... On the whole, it felt like an inexperienced start that needs more honing to be effective.

I wish the poet well, and hope they have or will move away from that place — though I know depression can be unpredictable and persistent — but I wish they had held onto these words a bit longer, and worked them until they fulfilled their potential. Mental illness is a heavy and important topic; I'm not sure this collection was ready to address it.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blue = water = emotion

Poetry is a personal obsession, as Daniel Wallock proves in his collection entitled A Cliff Over Blue. The collection is filled with a majority of the poems falling gently down a precise stream of words, almost literally. Much of the poetry hugs the upper-left side of the page as slenderly as Daniel’s frame is depicted at the end of his book. But these words are well chosen, as tho they cling to a cliff, providing sturdy weight upon which to climb and rise above youth’s precipice.

Yes, Daniel’s youth sometimes creeps about with an overabundant use of the word ‘frozen,’ but then he does deliver gems. In Innocent he utters universal honesty in the lines, “…when I can have yet another frame. Not a picture, but more memories that invoke feelings…” Those are sentiments called to our attention for a purpose, a purpose of redirection within our often-hasty lives. Four other poems, to which I must give praise to Daniel are: Dreaming, Waterfalls Rest, Summer and My Forever.

Keep up the good work Daniel-son.