Disintegrate/Dissociate

by Arielle Twist

In her powerful debut collection of poetry, Arielle Twist unravels the complexities of human relationships after death and metamorphosis. In these spare yet powerful poems, she explores, with both rage and tenderness, the parameters of grief, trauma, displacement, and identity. Weaving together a past made murky by uncertainty and a present which exists in multitudes, Arielle Twist poetically navigates through what it means to be an Indigenous trans woman, discovering the possibilities of a hopeful future and a transcendent, beautiful path to regaining softness.

Genres: Poetry, Indigenous, Queer, LGBT, Nonfiction, Canada, Transgender

80 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2019

About the author

Arielle Twist is a writer and sex educator from George Gordon First Nation, Saskatchewan, currently living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is a Cree, Two-Spirit, trans femme supernova writing to reclaim and harness ancestral magic and memories.

Within her first year of pursuing writing, she has been able to attend Naked Heart the largest LGBTQ literary festival in the world and has attended a residency at Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity. She has work published/forthcoming with Them, Canadian Art, Fiddlehead and Prism International. Her debut collection of poetry ‘Disintegrate/Dissociate’ is forthcoming Spring 2019 with Arsenal Pulp Press.

Reviews

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot get enough of this new generation of queer BIPOC poets smashing the hell out of colonialism through stellar collections such as this. Twist's poetry is vulnerable yet ice cold; grounded in love yet fiercely honest in its portrayal of abuse and grief and trauma and displacement. She is such an exciting voice in contemporary poetry and this debut collection is must-read.

[Ashlee Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visceral and evocative, this collection of poetry cuts through to the spine of indigenous transmisogyny and colonial erasure. It lends a candid burning voice to a group of people who are largely left out, unheard, and it trembles with trauma and healing all within the same word at times. The body is depicted as a vessel of pleasure and pain, of lust and loathing, which allows Twist to rupture figurative language in such a way that it wails urgently, beautifully, with blunt teeth about what it means to be displaced--"a space left unbodied." It also strips identity to the seams, examines love from a lens of yearning anguish, and flows through the past, present, and future like a song lapping across the prairie.

Each poem is so expertly crafted it's difficult to believe this is a debut anything. If you let them, however, the words will throw you into awed silence with their eloquent intensity.

That said, one of my favorite things about this collection is the sparseness of the lines. There's something resounding about them and the way they grind in your mouth, grilling into your bones so you're forced to pay attention. To truly see and feel them. I also appreciated Twist's manipulation of punctuation (particularly with the back slashes) and poetic structure (like when she collapsed whole phrases into one word, established stream of consciousness-like paragraphs with questions, and added an extra space between letters) because it's such an ingenuous way to highlight broader themes. By doing this, she physically deconstructs conventional language and/or grammar in order to emphasize feelings of disintegration and dissociation - showing how/where they break apart as she endeavors to name, describe, or locate her personhood. It's such a creatively inspired choice.

More than that, it's an important choice. Here are words that both need and deserve to be heard by all.

Thanks so much to Edelweiss for providing me with this ARC! It's one I'll come back to again in the future.

[Care · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hard for me to rate, let me explain. I will avoid graphic sexual content if I'm warned ahead of time. This book doesn't warn you, though I soldiered through. I don't think this is a draw-back for many, but for me it hampered my enjoyment for sure. Otherwise, beautiful compositions about love, identity, cultural trauma, family relationships, and self-worth.

[Rhiannon Robear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant first book from emerging author Arielle!!! The poems covered such a beautiful array of topics and really took me through emotions!

[Ruxandra Grrr [in a slump :(((((] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Painful, graphic, yet beautiful poems that speak of trauma, ancestry and healing.

[dovesnook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read. Striking and raw poetry. I’d say Arielle Twist has her voice, it’s the world’s turn to listen.

[Rebecca Meyrink · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find it challenging to write a reviews for poetry but this was beautiful, honest and vulnerable. I can’t wait to read more of Arielle Twists work in the future.

[Ditte · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing collection of poems with an overall impactful message about trauma, identity, transmisogyny, and ancestry. My favourite poems were In Dying I Become, Bear, and Who Will Save You Now.

That said, I thought the poems got fairly repetitive, and I wasn't the biggest fan of the execution, finding that the poetic form could've been used in more interesting ways. The many uses of "cum" and "fuck" also weren't to my personal taste.

[Salem ⛤⃝ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Queer poetry that focuses on the depravity of sex and uses shock value in replacement for prose with literary merit will never impress me. Too many "Daddy's" and "Throatfucks" and "Cums." Based on some of the poems, the author has lived a very hard life. I feel for her. Maybe I would enjoy some of her other poetry. This collection wasn't for me.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I’ve become a poetry snob (insufferable) because I can’t do tumblr poetry that emulates natural speech with random line breaks, no metaphors, and random letter spacing to seem “deep” :( Quite similar to the way Rupi Kaur writes, where poetry rules don’t exist to her

[Fantasminoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was just as important as it was painful to read. So many trans people (especially BIPoC) share these experiences and it hurts.

The poetry itself left something to be desired, for me. I found some of them to be overly explained in the last couple lines, some lost their flow and I wasn't sure whether it was intentional or not, some felt too bland and simple compared to the more playful and creative ones. By the end I wanted something new. I get that Arielle worked with repetition of themes and words a lot, I was just craving more. She has such a good way with words and I wish she'd have transformed them more as the collection progressed.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super quick, but incredibly powerful, read. The first poems immediately hit you hard right in the stomach. The pain that has been expressed in these pages is so tangible that it will break your heart. Definitely recommend this read.

[Shan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important, heartbreaking, beautiful, eye-opening. An incredible debut collection from an Indigenous, two-spirit, trans writer. A must-read.

[Emily McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

!!!!!!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arielle Twist’s debut collection of poetry is beautiful, tender, and powerful. She explores what it means to be an Indigenous trans woman through the parameters of grief, trauma, and displacement. She weaves language together in a way that is fresh, exciting, and full of possibility. The fierce emotional intensity is felt in every line, as clear and cutting as a hard prairie wind. The honesty with which she portrays abuse and what it means to exist in a colonial environment that tries at every turn to kill her is balanced with the possibility for a rebuilding that only love and kinship can accomplish. This is one of the most intelligent and deftly written works of poetry I have read in a long time, and I can’t wait to return to it again.

[River · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful and incredible debut poetry collection from two-spirit trans femme indigenous writer Arielle Twist.

Twist's poetry collection is not only vulnerable but also incredibly powerful as it explores her experiences as an indigenous trans woman.

This is the kind of story we need to see more of. There needs to be more queer POC, BIPOC and indigenous author's published so their stories can be heard so younger queer youth of color may find solace in knowing they are not alone in their experiences of intersectionality.

It was easy to rate this 5/5 due to the incredible writing. Hopefully this collection is not Twist's last, as well is indicative of other indigiqueer writers being published as well.

[Angelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Raw, brutally honest and unflinchingly direct. Not an easily digestible voice, but one that needs to be heard!

An if we must survive
which means we must write,

I'll weave you into a poem,
this art of quilting words.

I think that's the closes thing
I will ever feel to love.
(from Manifest)

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid debut poetry collection. I love the way Arielle discussed gender, race and sexuality rolled into beautiful, heartbreaking and sometimes hard to read verses. As with every poetry collection, there were some poems I found more effective than others.
Some of my favourites were:

- Prelude
- Vacant
- Residential
- I am the Boundless Space between Oceans of Water and Wheat

[Hailie Tattrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful text of poems & stories. It will tug on your heart strings & make you think. A real eye opener. This book is a gift- Arielle lets us glimpse into her world. A must read!

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful poems about violence, love, and identity by a Cree trans girl who has moved to Nova Scotia. Lots of reflections about the prairies. I really liked this book.

Very powerful. Great voice.

[sallanvaara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently I can only focus on poetry nowadays and yet I still never feel like I get it.
This was probably my favourite of the ones I've read this year, though!

[Lulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an arresting and powerful collection, so personal to feel almost like I'm seeing that which I'm not meant to be privy to. The thoughts on gender, on being Indigenous, on feeling connected and disconnected from your body and all the things you can do it with it. The self-destructive feeling was something I really related to. I think that's the part that made me want to step back, because it is with a searing honesty that Twist relays her own self-destruction, in a way that I have not yet been able to. It is beautiful.

My favourite poems are hard to pick, but I ended up highlighting lines in these: Arsonist, Priarie Beneficiary, The Girls, Rain, Is This My Home?, MANIFEST, Constellations & Iskwêw. Arsonist & The Girls in particular were two where I have already gone back to re-read.

Will definitely be keeping an eye out for Twist's collections in the future.

[Kayleigh Wiebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Freedom is safety in its truest form, a luxury not ours.”

This book has been on my tbr shelf for 3 years after having been recommended to me by almost everyone I know. I’m so glad I finally picked it up! These poems elicited a deep well of feeling from me and I found myself crying at many points. As a prairie dweller, I appreciated the care and beauty with which Twist described the landscape and her relationship to it. “Iskwêw” was a stand out for me, how she expressed gratitude and pride in Nêhiyaw sisters for those shared threads of connection warmed my heart.

[Tiberius McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea how to review poetry. It's been a long while since I've even WANTED to. But this book is special. My favourite poems were Cold, Reckless, and Is This My Home?
A must read for any trans Cree kids from the prairies but also anyone else who has been heartbroken, beaten down, scared for their lives and still somehow managed to grow into a beautiful mosaic of a fairly functional person.

[Ems · Rating 5 out of 5]

Losing control
of names chosen
and names given,
losing track of
selves I killed,
buried under
uprooted trees.
__

Loved this collection. Such hard hitting poems, navigating the authors trans and Indigenous experiences with identity, grief, cis white supremacy and more, with power and beauty.
Would love to read more by Arielle Twist.

Look up trigger warnings before hand if you need to!!

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

incredible and stunning debut poetry collection, I liked so many, but these stand out in particular:

dear white, cis men
reckless
under uprooted trees
who will save you now?
is this my home?
MANIFEST

[Andreia · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wasn't going to read today because i didn't feel like it but then i remembered it was world book day and i should probably read something.

and i am SO glad i did. this poetry collection was beautifully written and beyond powerful. not ashamed to say i cried. stunning.

4.5

[꧁ ꕥ James ꕥ ꧂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evocative and poignant, Disintegrate/Dissociate is an incredibly candid look at colonialism, transphobia and misogyny from the eyes of an indigenous person, and Twist uses her voice to speak for a group, society often forgets!

Expertly crafted!

[pili gaudiello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each poem feels visceral and leaves me instantly hungry to read the next one. This collection is a treasure.

"Is this my home?
. . .
Is it the bar where I spun in circles, dancing not with coyotes but with snakes and thieves that made me feel alive but stole my will to live?"

[Rose Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐
i don't know what to say so here's a list of my favorites from this collection:
Dear White, Cis Men
D/REAM ME
Prairie Beneficiary
Reckless
The Girls
Brother
Who Will Save You Now?
Is This My Home?
Newfoundland
Constellations
Date #2