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Quiet Night Think: Poems & Essays
"One function of the poet at any time is to discover by his own thought and feeling what seems to him to be poetry at that time," writes Wallace Stevens. In Quiet Night Think, award-winning poet Gillian Sze adds her voice to Canadian literature and expresses her own definition.
Written during the remarkable period of early parenthood, Sze's new maternal role urges her to contemplate her own origins, both familial and artistic. Comprised of six personal essays, poems, and a concluding long poem, Quiet Night Think takes its title from a direct translation of an eighth century Chinese poem by Li Bai, the subject of the opening essay. Sze's memory of reading Li Bai's poem as a child marks the beginning of an unshakable encounter with poetry. What follows is an intimate anatomization of her particular entanglement with languages and cultures.
In her most generically diverse book yet, Sze moves between poetry and prose, mother and writer, the lyrical and the autobiographical, all the while inviting readers to meditate with her on questions of emergence and transformation: What are you trying to be? Where does a word break off? What calls to us throughout the night?
Written during the remarkable period of early parenthood, Sze's new maternal role urges her to contemplate her own origins, both familial and artistic. Comprised of six personal essays, poems, and a concluding long poem, Quiet Night Think takes its title from a direct translation of an eighth century Chinese poem by Li Bai, the subject of the opening essay. Sze's memory of reading Li Bai's poem as a child marks the beginning of an unshakable encounter with poetry. What follows is an intimate anatomization of her particular entanglement with languages and cultures.
In her most generically diverse book yet, Sze moves between poetry and prose, mother and writer, the lyrical and the autobiographical, all the while inviting readers to meditate with her on questions of emergence and transformation: What are you trying to be? Where does a word break off? What calls to us throughout the night?
- GenresPoetryNonfictionEssays
104 pages, Paperback
Published April 5, 2022
9 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Gillian Sze
20 books85 followersGILLIAN SZE is the author of
Panicle
(ECW Press, 2017),
Peeling Rambutan
(Gaspereau Press, 2014) and
Redrafting Winter
(BuschekBooks, 2015), which were shortlisted for the QWF A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry. She is also the author of
The Anatomy of Clay
(ECW Press, 2011) and
Fish Bones
(DC Books, 2009). More recently, she has started writing for children. Her first two picture books are
The Night Is Deep and Wide
(Orca, 2021) and
My Love for You Is Always
(Philomel, 2021). Gillian's work has appeared in a number of national and international journals, and has received awards such as the University of Winnipeg Writers’ Circle Prize and the 3Macs carte blanche Prize. She studied Creative Writing and English Literature and received a Ph.D. in Études anglaises from Université de Montréal. Originally from Winnipeg, she now resides in Montreal.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
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August 7, 2022Gillian Sze oscillates between prose and poetry, writer and mother, Chinese and Canadian in this meditative collection. I should have savoured each piece more slowly, but I was so enthralled that I flew to the end, frequently flipping back to previous pages to discover more connections, motives and nuances.
I strongly preferred the essays over the poems, but the entire collection is such a cohesive whole that I wouldn’t want to change a single thing. A work to which I can’t wait to return and contemplate again.
I strongly preferred the essays over the poems, but the entire collection is such a cohesive whole that I wouldn’t want to change a single thing. A work to which I can’t wait to return and contemplate again.
May 4, 2022
I read this book last month and really enjoyed it! This was my first time reading a hybrid book of poetry and essays. I loved the mix of writing!
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This book explores motherhood, gardening, translating Chinese and the artistic gaze. I found the flow of this book an invitation to keep reading. I enjoyed reading this from the opening poem to the concluding long poem. I found all the essays especially engaging to learn more about Gillian’s life, her family, culture and artistic process. My fave poem is Ten Translations and my fave essays are Quiet Night Think and The Hesitant Gaze. Quiet Night Think discusses translating a famous Chinese poem into English. I love poetry and translations but I’ve never read any translated poetry before. It’s so interesting how language can form. The Hesitant Gaze discusses the author’s ekphrastic writing and I’m always so curious to learn the artistic process. I’d definitely love to read more from this author. She wrote five other poetry books and three picture books.
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Thank you to ECW Press for my gifted review copy!
.
This book explores motherhood, gardening, translating Chinese and the artistic gaze. I found the flow of this book an invitation to keep reading. I enjoyed reading this from the opening poem to the concluding long poem. I found all the essays especially engaging to learn more about Gillian’s life, her family, culture and artistic process. My fave poem is Ten Translations and my fave essays are Quiet Night Think and The Hesitant Gaze. Quiet Night Think discusses translating a famous Chinese poem into English. I love poetry and translations but I’ve never read any translated poetry before. It’s so interesting how language can form. The Hesitant Gaze discusses the author’s ekphrastic writing and I’m always so curious to learn the artistic process. I’d definitely love to read more from this author. She wrote five other poetry books and three picture books.
.
Thank you to ECW Press for my gifted review copy!
Read
February 28, 2022If using only one word to describe Gillian Sze’s quiet night think, it would be “nuance”. Whether in the subtleties of language, pregnancy and motherhood, work and play, or combining two very different cultures, Sze explores the family, heritage, and writing craft.
We are so many parts, she seems to say. How do we fit these pieces together to make a whole? With a blend of poetry and prose, quiet invites the reader down the same path she travels, to share her journey and to think about their own.
Interspersed with the anecdotal and autobiographical, Sze also includes the cultural — the role of the Chinese language, its importance and its different meanings dependent on tone and emphasis.
quiet can’t be described as an “easy read,” but is thought-provoking and well worth a little extra time for complete immersion.
We are so many parts, she seems to say. How do we fit these pieces together to make a whole? With a blend of poetry and prose, quiet invites the reader down the same path she travels, to share her journey and to think about their own.
Interspersed with the anecdotal and autobiographical, Sze also includes the cultural — the role of the Chinese language, its importance and its different meanings dependent on tone and emphasis.
quiet can’t be described as an “easy read,” but is thought-provoking and well worth a little extra time for complete immersion.
March 29, 2022
I recently finished reading an ARC of Gillian's book in preparation for an interview that I am doing with her. It's such a beautiful book of essays and poetry about language, writing, personal and cultural identity, nature, and motherhood. As a Sino diaspora poet and translator, I connect to this book on so many levels, and find it truly inspiring to read. What a lovely collection.
November 12, 2021
Canadian author Gilligan Sze in her new book shares with us her insights into ancient chinese poetry and how hard it is to render condensed chinese verse into fluid english. She admonishes us that poetry is not just words but experiences. She adds the expectations of new motherhood with moments of travail and joy against the background of her family’s chinese customs that hover over pregnancy and her seclusion after birth. And all of this in the harsh winter of Toronto. I am well aware of this since my wife is asian and after our first child I prepared a fresh chicken from the chinese market using a Cantonese recipe given by a friend. Health and safety of both the mother and child is foremost. She also displays a hearty sense of humor when she relates her mothers misunderstanding of english words and tells a guest “Do you have the eyes or the balls of a wasp.” I thorougly enjoyed the book and will most certainly add it to my collection. Just the thing to take on a trip, to read in our cloistered pandemic routine with masks and Covid or give as a gift.
This was an electronic copy given in return for a review.
This was an electronic copy given in return for a review.
November 8, 2021
This was a great collection of poetry prose. The collection focused on Gillian’s life, heritage, motherhood, school/career. Some of the essays were a bit long, but I wouldn’t say that it took away from the collection.
My favorite piece was Fricatives (A Visit). I also enjoyed the poems and prose about what motherhood was/is like for her. She wrote about family and cultural traditions regarding pregnancy and postpartum care.
*Thank you Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.*
My favorite piece was Fricatives (A Visit). I also enjoyed the poems and prose about what motherhood was/is like for her. She wrote about family and cultural traditions regarding pregnancy and postpartum care.
*Thank you Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.*
November 10, 2021
I can't wait to introduce my writing students to this book! Gillian Sze offers a gorgeous collection of meditations on writing and the writing life alongside extraordinary poems about parenting, parents, observing, daily life, nature, and more. Drawing on traditional Chinese poetry as well as Western poets like William Carlos Williams, she presents thoughtful, informative, and evocative essays and works to be savored by any practitioner of writing.
January 14, 2022
This is an absolutely stunning collection. Sze writes on translation, language, and motherhood, ruminating on how the "intimacy of a family becomes the intimacy of a poem" in a collection that blends together poetry and essay, with essays both critical and personal in nature. It is beautifully written, navigating between Tang Dynasty poets, Emily Dickinson, and Sze's own path to becoming a poet and a mother.
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November 8, 2021*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own*
I thought the structure of this collection of poetry was interesting and thought provoking in how it combined traditional story telling but also poetry into one piece. I felt like I knew the authors story at the end of reading this collection.
The structure was not my favourite, as I wish there has been more frequent smaller pieces to break up the larger "life" portions of this collection. The pieces that resonated with me most were the importance of family and how that has shaped the author as they have grown and matured.
I thought the structure of this collection of poetry was interesting and thought provoking in how it combined traditional story telling but also poetry into one piece. I felt like I knew the authors story at the end of reading this collection.
The structure was not my favourite, as I wish there has been more frequent smaller pieces to break up the larger "life" portions of this collection. The pieces that resonated with me most were the importance of family and how that has shaped the author as they have grown and matured.
November 9, 2021
Sze studies poetry with an eye to linguistics, and her heritage only leads to more interesting dissections of the language we use in the English language. As someone who wasn't quite accepted for choosing to major in English and Education, I connect with many of her comments from family and reluctance from others. I'm always looking for works by diverse authors with an eye to literature, and this scratches that urge to read pretty well. If you're interested in how language works in regard to poetry and the phrases we use around society and motherhood, this one's for you.
October 23, 2021
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC!
I loved this collection of poems and essays. The essays were outstanding, and for the most part I loved them more than Gillian Szes poems. But the Fricatives (A Visit) pieces were lovely and full of emotion. I’m definitely reading more by her in the future!
I loved this collection of poems and essays. The essays were outstanding, and for the most part I loved them more than Gillian Szes poems. But the Fricatives (A Visit) pieces were lovely and full of emotion. I’m definitely reading more by her in the future!
July 6, 2022
"To sit inside the moon is to exist apart from everyone else. A day does not keep the same hours."
A collection of essays and poems, Quiet Night Think is introspective and haunting. I can't wait to read it again.
A collection of essays and poems, Quiet Night Think is introspective and haunting. I can't wait to read it again.
January 25, 2022
Brilliantly written, emotionally captivating. E-formatting was not ideal.
March 14, 2022
A mix of poetry and essays about poetry. Sze takes us on a journey along her creative process, her history with poetry, her personal life.
And it’s her personal life, pregnancy and motherhood, that becomes central, the focus of her poetry and the obstacle to it at the same time.
The author reflects on her life and on her writing on a whole new level. Motherhood has changed her approach to the creative process and affects her poetry as well.
Very dominant is Sze’s family and Chinese heritage as well. Traditional and a bit conservative, her parents weren’t too happy when Sze decided to study creative writing – and her mother was very strict when it came to her pregnancy and then her first month as a mother.
Quite interesting was the mix of actual poetry and reflections on poetry. It made it all more dynamic and it created a deeper connection with the author.
And it’s her personal life, pregnancy and motherhood, that becomes central, the focus of her poetry and the obstacle to it at the same time.
The author reflects on her life and on her writing on a whole new level. Motherhood has changed her approach to the creative process and affects her poetry as well.
Very dominant is Sze’s family and Chinese heritage as well. Traditional and a bit conservative, her parents weren’t too happy when Sze decided to study creative writing – and her mother was very strict when it came to her pregnancy and then her first month as a mother.
Quite interesting was the mix of actual poetry and reflections on poetry. It made it all more dynamic and it created a deeper connection with the author.
October 29, 2021
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review from the publisher and Netgalley.*
This will be another short review.
I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it. The essays are quite lengthy and I found it hard to stay focused on them, but there were a few poems that I liked and didn’t have trouble reading. I don’t particularly dislike her poetry style, but I wish the book had more poetry and less essays. I feel like I learned a lot about the author through this book though and I can say she definitely has talent. I’m not sure if it was just the online copy I received, but some of the pieces were written sideways and I didn’t like that. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but I found it kind of annoying. Most of her poems are personal memories, but are written in such a way that you could relate to pieces of them. Again, I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. And what I mean is, I didn’t find myself saying “wow” very often.
This will be another short review.
I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it. The essays are quite lengthy and I found it hard to stay focused on them, but there were a few poems that I liked and didn’t have trouble reading. I don’t particularly dislike her poetry style, but I wish the book had more poetry and less essays. I feel like I learned a lot about the author through this book though and I can say she definitely has talent. I’m not sure if it was just the online copy I received, but some of the pieces were written sideways and I didn’t like that. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but I found it kind of annoying. Most of her poems are personal memories, but are written in such a way that you could relate to pieces of them. Again, I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. And what I mean is, I didn’t find myself saying “wow” very often.
June 11, 2024
I will find poetry I like I'm sure of it. The author talks in one of her essays about how it's the space in the poems that hold meaning and nostalgia. Not necessarily the words. I just don't think I related to these.
November 29, 2021
•~Book Review~•
"𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭,
𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝.
𝐈 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧,
𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞."
Gillian Sze's new poetry and prose book 'quiet night think' is her meditation on her roots, language, family and on being a mother and a writer.
The poems and proses keep revolving around her life and focuses subtly on the anatomy of her being with respect to being a mother to two children, being a daughter, her ethnicity and the world around her. Her lucid contemplative tone prods the reader to think about their own lives.
Her words talk about existence and transformation and brings in a soothing melancholic touch to them, this book is beautifully human, soft and heart tugging and introspective.
I think this is absolutely one of my favourite books and I'd never stop recommending it. It's subtle nuances has touched my heart and I think I haven't felt it for a long time. I'll keep this book with me forever, cherishing every words that she has written, feeling them in my core.
This is a small space and I have so much to say. It feels abruptly short and my heart aches for it. I think I'll sing about it forever.
"𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞:
𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡.
𝐈𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫,𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫."
"𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭,
𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝.
𝐈 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧,
𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞."
Gillian Sze's new poetry and prose book 'quiet night think' is her meditation on her roots, language, family and on being a mother and a writer.
The poems and proses keep revolving around her life and focuses subtly on the anatomy of her being with respect to being a mother to two children, being a daughter, her ethnicity and the world around her. Her lucid contemplative tone prods the reader to think about their own lives.
Her words talk about existence and transformation and brings in a soothing melancholic touch to them, this book is beautifully human, soft and heart tugging and introspective.
I think this is absolutely one of my favourite books and I'd never stop recommending it. It's subtle nuances has touched my heart and I think I haven't felt it for a long time. I'll keep this book with me forever, cherishing every words that she has written, feeling them in my core.
This is a small space and I have so much to say. It feels abruptly short and my heart aches for it. I think I'll sing about it forever.
"𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞:
𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡.
𝐈𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫,𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫."
June 11, 2022
This was a giveaway win and here is my honest review!
Really incredible collection of essays and poetry about family, identity, poetry itself, and motherhood. I particularly enjoyed the insight in the essays, and reading this authors work felt soo.. smooth? I wish I was a poet to describe it better.
They have a way with words for sure. Grateful for winning this book because I wouldn't of found it on my own, but it truly is a gem of a collection.
Really incredible collection of essays and poetry about family, identity, poetry itself, and motherhood. I particularly enjoyed the insight in the essays, and reading this authors work felt soo.. smooth? I wish I was a poet to describe it better.
They have a way with words for sure. Grateful for winning this book because I wouldn't of found it on my own, but it truly is a gem of a collection.
October 10, 2022
To steal from Spinal Tap, if only this could go to six (stars).
* First, begin with full disclosure: Many touchstones shared with this writer. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Hokkien-speaking parents originally from Fujian. Saturday Chinese school. Father an avid reader, including Reader's Digest Condensed books.
* Even a half-hearted attempt at pre-med, and a discovery of greater personal fulfilment in creative writing. Leaving home to study a different field in a different city.
* Then, divergence as this book's author exercised greater courage than this reader in daring to pursue writing as their occupation and career.
* Now speaking specifically to this collection...
* Aptly, the essays read as poetry themselves. Each piece is elegantly written. Words have been selected with care and deployed with nuance.
* Every entry is itself a quiet night think. Thoughtful, contemplative, reflective. Subtle, evocative, heartfelt.
* As with other instances of the best art, the author tells stories which are specific and universal, deeply personal, immediately recognizable, entirely familiar.
* Motherhood/parenthood. The physical exhaustion and mental fog of the first hours, days, weeks, months. The harried and frenzied moments, the quiet and peaceful moments, the unexpected and fleeting joys hidden and found in any of these moments.
* The tension between the parent and the child, their expectations and their desires, their vision for the other and their vision for themselves.
* Who are we, who do we think we are, who are we to this other or that other, and how do we stay or change.
* What do they mean, the words we use, and why do they mean so much. Why do we do things this way; why do we say things this way. What did we mean, and what did it mean to others.
* Words are plentiful, meaning is everywhere, but words are fragile passing things, and meaning slips away easily if unnoticed or unattended.
* Beauty passes, necessarily. But, when captured in thoughts and words, and made visible as marks on a page, we have the privilege of living and re-living it. Writers like this author offer this privilege to us.
* First, begin with full disclosure: Many touchstones shared with this writer. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Hokkien-speaking parents originally from Fujian. Saturday Chinese school. Father an avid reader, including Reader's Digest Condensed books.
* Even a half-hearted attempt at pre-med, and a discovery of greater personal fulfilment in creative writing. Leaving home to study a different field in a different city.
* Then, divergence as this book's author exercised greater courage than this reader in daring to pursue writing as their occupation and career.
* Now speaking specifically to this collection...
* Aptly, the essays read as poetry themselves. Each piece is elegantly written. Words have been selected with care and deployed with nuance.
* Every entry is itself a quiet night think. Thoughtful, contemplative, reflective. Subtle, evocative, heartfelt.
* As with other instances of the best art, the author tells stories which are specific and universal, deeply personal, immediately recognizable, entirely familiar.
* Motherhood/parenthood. The physical exhaustion and mental fog of the first hours, days, weeks, months. The harried and frenzied moments, the quiet and peaceful moments, the unexpected and fleeting joys hidden and found in any of these moments.
* The tension between the parent and the child, their expectations and their desires, their vision for the other and their vision for themselves.
* Who are we, who do we think we are, who are we to this other or that other, and how do we stay or change.
* What do they mean, the words we use, and why do they mean so much. Why do we do things this way; why do we say things this way. What did we mean, and what did it mean to others.
* Words are plentiful, meaning is everywhere, but words are fragile passing things, and meaning slips away easily if unnoticed or unattended.
* Beauty passes, necessarily. But, when captured in thoughts and words, and made visible as marks on a page, we have the privilege of living and re-living it. Writers like this author offer this privilege to us.
April 26, 2022
A thought-provoking book of essays and poetry by a woman as she contemplates her roles as mother, daughter, and poet in a rich Chinese tradition. A lovely collection.
[I received an advanced e-galley from Netgalley.]
[I received an advanced e-galley from Netgalley.]
April 18, 2022
Hmm i feel like i would appreciate this collection more if i had any personal experience with early motherhood lol
I preferred the essays over the poems tbh. Sitting Inside the Moon, Perennials and The Hesitant Gaze stood out for me
I preferred the essays over the poems tbh. Sitting Inside the Moon, Perennials and The Hesitant Gaze stood out for me
May 1, 2023
A masterfully crafted collection of poetry and essays that discuss motherhood, identity, language, writing and creativity, and tradition. Her poems evoked beautiful imagery and her essays were thoughtfully penned. I enjoyed this collection immensely.
November 30, 2022
I may be biased but I am also right. I loved this book so much.
September 11, 2025
4.5 Stars
****
I loved this collection of poems and essays about motherhood, poetry, art, and life.
The essay "Sitting Inside the Moon" was especially touching to me as it talked about losing your former self when having children and becoming someone different, and how that effects your writing. Sometimes it steals your writing from you as your brain reconfigures to caring for another being. I felt that viscerally, as I went through that same loss of poetry when having my first child.
The poems felt hefty in their brevity, with lots of emotion and meaning. I was moved constantly by how Sze portrays herself, how her usage of certain words provokes thoughts and feelings.
The essays were a good reflection of her admiration of other poets, her admiration of art, the poets need for art and expression, and of who she is now as both a mother and a poet.
Such a wonderful and short book, highly recommend.
****
I loved this collection of poems and essays about motherhood, poetry, art, and life.
The essay "Sitting Inside the Moon" was especially touching to me as it talked about losing your former self when having children and becoming someone different, and how that effects your writing. Sometimes it steals your writing from you as your brain reconfigures to caring for another being. I felt that viscerally, as I went through that same loss of poetry when having my first child.
The poems felt hefty in their brevity, with lots of emotion and meaning. I was moved constantly by how Sze portrays herself, how her usage of certain words provokes thoughts and feelings.
The essays were a good reflection of her admiration of other poets, her admiration of art, the poets need for art and expression, and of who she is now as both a mother and a poet.
Such a wonderful and short book, highly recommend.
January 1, 2024
I liked some of the poems, really made me think and liked the information as well.
March 7, 2023
the best essays are quiet night think and sitting inside the moon. the rest you can take-or-leave imo, though i grant that my disconnect mainly stems from the fact that i’m currently a sleep-deprived uni student (as she fondly and briefly recalls herself once being) and as such can’t even imagine motherhood (the majority of this book’s content).
January 4, 2024
My appreciation of this volume deepens and widens with each rereading.
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