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May I Wear Your Crown
may i wear your crown is a collection of poetry & prose that takes an emotional dive into many themes including love & heartache, substance abuse, sobriety, self-discovery, and LGBTQ2+ issues all while reminding us that magic is around in everything we do. Written throughout the last four years, the author takes us on their journey of falling in love, hitting rock bottom, and getting sober. This collection is divided into four sections: "may i introduce myself", "may i be your prince", "may i strike a match", and "may i take a breath".
*It also includes 14 beautiful illustrations (some adult content) to go along with certain poems*
praise for the collection:
"May I Wear Your Crown is a devastatingly honest collection that will rip your heart open. Tapp is not afraid of going to vulnerable places, opening up about addiction and mental health in a way that lets you truly see them. Anyone who's gone through transformation in life can relate to and find solace in these deeply personal poems."
- Michaela Angemeer, bestselling author of you'll come back to yourself
"Confident in its queerness, proud of its vulnerability, May I Wear Your Crown is a passionate exhale of emotions, a bold exploration of queer identity and mental health experiences that left me feeling liberated, 'seen', and above all, ready to begin working on my very own fairytale."
- Sam Payne, author of this boy is a rainbow
*It also includes 14 beautiful illustrations (some adult content) to go along with certain poems*
praise for the collection:
"May I Wear Your Crown is a devastatingly honest collection that will rip your heart open. Tapp is not afraid of going to vulnerable places, opening up about addiction and mental health in a way that lets you truly see them. Anyone who's gone through transformation in life can relate to and find solace in these deeply personal poems."
- Michaela Angemeer, bestselling author of you'll come back to yourself
"Confident in its queerness, proud of its vulnerability, May I Wear Your Crown is a passionate exhale of emotions, a bold exploration of queer identity and mental health experiences that left me feeling liberated, 'seen', and above all, ready to begin working on my very own fairytale."
- Sam Payne, author of this boy is a rainbow
- GenresPoetry
170 pages, Paperback
Published January 15, 2022
14 people are currently reading
352 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Tapp
2 books19 followersChristopher Tapp is a Canadian writer of poetry & prose. Residing in Montreal, with their boyfriend and two black cats, Tapp decided to self-publish their first collection of poetry (in 2022) titled 'may i wear your crown'. The debut collection charted at #1 in Gay Poetry & #2 in Canadian poetry. Now, with their sophomore release of 'may i come home', Tapp's goal is to inspire readers to live as authentically as they can and to ask for help when they are struggling. You can now find this poet taking improv classes on the weekend, writing in some crowded city park, or at home dancing to 2000's pop hits.
Find more of them on instagram & tiktok: @chris.t.poetry
Find more of them on instagram & tiktok: @chris.t.poetry
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 1, 2022
christopher tapp's debut is a narrative compiled of poetry and prose concerning mental health, queer relationships, and selfhood. Deeply personal, the pieces range from single lines ("the entire universe exists inside of me") to beautiful paragraphs of prose (my favorite lines: "i thought growing up meant i had to grow apart from something." and "last night when you said you'd like to have me for dessert. you filled me up with trust and all things enticing.")
The longer pieces particularly stand out in contrast to the instagrammable two- or three-liners, and out of context would inarguably be tapp's strongest work. In this book though, their shorter, starker poetry plays a supporting role in building a narrative arc around hurt and healing--not only as an individual, but also as a member of community. None of the poetry is clearly titled, contributing to a sense of cohesion between each piece. There are several two-page spreads which initially look to be formatted as if each page held a different poem, but they speak to and mirror each other. Appearing later in the book, the form for these poems shakes up the established rhythm and encourages the reader to pause, creating space for closer consideration both of these specific pages, and of how they fit into the fuller narrative.
The shorter pieces make for a quick read, and can be easy to dismiss in comparison to the longer, strikingly eloquent poems. tapp doesn't drop casual latin phrases, and much of their pieces are easy to read even for newcommers to poetry. But on second read, this simplicity is sometimes more appropriate than vast metaphors.
"do you ever/get so sad that/you can't even/write about it" tapp asks, and... well, yes. There is no simpler way to put it. tapp's poetry cuts to the quick.
Coming around again to the narrative, this book ultimately follows a story of healing. Many contemporary poets (i have to say it--in the style of Rupi Kaur) are opening themselves to more optimistic writing, and in my opinion that can only be a positive thing. Enough of the sad endings for queer or mentally ill poets. Gone are the days when either of those things could be tolarated as a death sentence: poetry is a vessel for emotion, and joy is one of the most poignant. may i wear your crown shines in this genre of contemporary poetry, with its focus on strength as something which comes as much from community as it does from within.
The longer pieces particularly stand out in contrast to the instagrammable two- or three-liners, and out of context would inarguably be tapp's strongest work. In this book though, their shorter, starker poetry plays a supporting role in building a narrative arc around hurt and healing--not only as an individual, but also as a member of community. None of the poetry is clearly titled, contributing to a sense of cohesion between each piece. There are several two-page spreads which initially look to be formatted as if each page held a different poem, but they speak to and mirror each other. Appearing later in the book, the form for these poems shakes up the established rhythm and encourages the reader to pause, creating space for closer consideration both of these specific pages, and of how they fit into the fuller narrative.
The shorter pieces make for a quick read, and can be easy to dismiss in comparison to the longer, strikingly eloquent poems. tapp doesn't drop casual latin phrases, and much of their pieces are easy to read even for newcommers to poetry. But on second read, this simplicity is sometimes more appropriate than vast metaphors.
"do you ever/get so sad that/you can't even/write about it" tapp asks, and... well, yes. There is no simpler way to put it. tapp's poetry cuts to the quick.
Coming around again to the narrative, this book ultimately follows a story of healing. Many contemporary poets (i have to say it--in the style of Rupi Kaur) are opening themselves to more optimistic writing, and in my opinion that can only be a positive thing. Enough of the sad endings for queer or mentally ill poets. Gone are the days when either of those things could be tolarated as a death sentence: poetry is a vessel for emotion, and joy is one of the most poignant. may i wear your crown shines in this genre of contemporary poetry, with its focus on strength as something which comes as much from community as it does from within.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2022
I was sent this collection by the author but all thoughts are my own.
There are some stories that just connect with you. They feel almost like they reach into your soul to find exactly what you need or what you’ve been through and it’s such a cool reading experience. That’s how I felt with this poetry collection. My highlighter by the end of it was drying out because how often I was highlighting full passages. I felt so seen and understood while reading this, it felt almost therapeutic. I was writing down almost diary entries on each page on how they made me feel and I had so many moments where I would put the book down and just stare at the wall processing how they made me feel. I absolutely adored this collection and it’s one I know I’ll be rereading time and time again. I truly cannot recommend it enough and can’t wait to pick up more from Christopher.
There are some stories that just connect with you. They feel almost like they reach into your soul to find exactly what you need or what you’ve been through and it’s such a cool reading experience. That’s how I felt with this poetry collection. My highlighter by the end of it was drying out because how often I was highlighting full passages. I felt so seen and understood while reading this, it felt almost therapeutic. I was writing down almost diary entries on each page on how they made me feel and I had so many moments where I would put the book down and just stare at the wall processing how they made me feel. I absolutely adored this collection and it’s one I know I’ll be rereading time and time again. I truly cannot recommend it enough and can’t wait to pick up more from Christopher.
December 12, 2022
This book is absolutely beautiful with many topics of interest and starting off with a continent warning page. The list as followed, self harm, suicidal ideation, sexual trauma, eating disorders, substance-abuse and adult illustration. That being said, every single poem in this book is absolutely breathtaking. I normally stay away from all of those topics since light poetry and happy thoughts is what I try to stay towards, but this Canadian author deserves every single tear I shed. With beautiful words Christopher Tapp manages to turn LGBTQ issues and heartbreak into stunning and yet awareness bringing masterpiece. It was so beautiful I could not stop reading at all and as I write this, I was on my second read.
Page 85 is a quote on my iPad background and I cannot stop thinking about the absolute beauty and imagery it creates in my mind.
Page 85 is a quote on my iPad background and I cannot stop thinking about the absolute beauty and imagery it creates in my mind.
January 19, 2022
this was a nice read. i have people in myyfamily that struggle with substances and i think they would like it. its really emotional with lots of little poems. i follow the author on isntagram and really like his writings:)
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May 10, 2022Love
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2022
Sexy, enchanting and intimate, May I Wear Your Crown is a powerful queer poetry collection for modern times. In many ways, this book chronicles the poet’s origin story: exploring themes of gender identity and sexual awakening, mental health and alcoholism, paternal relationships and childhood friendships, alongside religion, place, love and survival.
Constructed around the central motif of the crown, and complimented by beautiful line art throughout, Chris Tapp takes readers on a journey through his own poetic fairytale: a place filled with lessons and fables, armour and crowns as well as a hefty dose of grit, realism and heart. I was especially impressed with Tapp’s ability to balance proud, protesting poems with quieter, intimate ones, as well as short form with long form poems, and their ambition to cover such a wealth of topics in a debut collection.
Confident in its queerness, proud of its vulnerability, May I Wear Your Crown is a passionate exhale of emotions, a bold exploration of queer identity and mental health experiences that left me feeling liberated, ‘seen’, and above all, ready to begin working on my very own fairytale.
Constructed around the central motif of the crown, and complimented by beautiful line art throughout, Chris Tapp takes readers on a journey through his own poetic fairytale: a place filled with lessons and fables, armour and crowns as well as a hefty dose of grit, realism and heart. I was especially impressed with Tapp’s ability to balance proud, protesting poems with quieter, intimate ones, as well as short form with long form poems, and their ambition to cover such a wealth of topics in a debut collection.
Confident in its queerness, proud of its vulnerability, May I Wear Your Crown is a passionate exhale of emotions, a bold exploration of queer identity and mental health experiences that left me feeling liberated, ‘seen’, and above all, ready to begin working on my very own fairytale.
March 12, 2022
Who else likes reading poetry? I was so happy to have connected with this author on Instagram and read their debut poetry collection on kindle unlimited 💐
This collection explored themes of addiction, self love and compassion, discovering oneself, and loving who you truly are. It reads like an open and honest love letter to the author's past and hopeful future. I absolutely loved it! Some parts felt like reading a diary entry, it was so personal and raw, and others felt like a direct message to me, on topics that are near and dear to my heart.
The illustrations were also beautiful and added an extra layer of depth to it all. If you're looking for some modern poetry to help you get in touch with yourself, I highly recommend checking this one out!
This collection explored themes of addiction, self love and compassion, discovering oneself, and loving who you truly are. It reads like an open and honest love letter to the author's past and hopeful future. I absolutely loved it! Some parts felt like reading a diary entry, it was so personal and raw, and others felt like a direct message to me, on topics that are near and dear to my heart.
The illustrations were also beautiful and added an extra layer of depth to it all. If you're looking for some modern poetry to help you get in touch with yourself, I highly recommend checking this one out!
April 24, 2024
If you
Write
Like this
It’s not
Poetry.
If these were thoughts of the author, like notes about their life maybe it could have been better. I’m no one to judge the contents of this work (given that refer to their own personal issues), what made it insufferable to read was the pointless use of lines.
Write
Like this
It’s not
Poetry.
If these were thoughts of the author, like notes about their life maybe it could have been better. I’m no one to judge the contents of this work (given that refer to their own personal issues), what made it insufferable to read was the pointless use of lines.
December 21, 2022
some of it hit way to close to home
December 23, 2022
WOW WOW WOW. This entire book. How everything has told a story and how everything somehow matched. And the blurb wow. Just everything. Thanks for the opportunity to read this. ❤️
December 31, 2022
simply too good i sobbed. so beautiful.
May 26, 2022
yk what i really enjoyed this !! i just picked up on Kindle Unlimited but it surprised me
it spoke from a fresh-feeling / unique perspective & to me the poems were quite honest, somewhat relatable, and the book as a whole was beautifully written and designed. ✨
it spoke from a fresh-feeling / unique perspective & to me the poems were quite honest, somewhat relatable, and the book as a whole was beautifully written and designed. ✨
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews