Melba Toast Butterfly: A Poem a Day for A Year

by Mandi Hidalgo

When a poet makes a decision to write a poem a day for a year, you get a lot of random poems inspired by a variety of random things... Verses about love, loss, life, and sometimes even about a lack of inspiration. What started as an exercise in poetic expression turned into the freshman literary project from a small town artist with big dreams of touching the world, or at the very least a single soul, with the wordplay constantly stirring in her mind. Could you be that soul?

420 pages, Paperback

Published April 13, 2023

About the author

Mandi "Monster" Hidalgo is a poet and artist from a small town in Louisiana. She started drawing as soon as she could hold a pencil. She started writing poetry at 9 years old. She dabbles in many arts and constantly strives to be as creative as possible. Art is in her veins, poetry is in her brain, and she wants to share all her ideas and creativity with you.

Reviews

[Meepus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forcing yourself to write a poem every day for a year sounds like a tiring, monotonous process, but Mandi “Monster” Hidalgo executes it about as well as anyone could.

Diverse in both the forms of poetry she writes in and the topics she covers, the author manages to keep things creative throughout the book before the concept stretches itself thin. The freshness lingers through very clear examples of a year being lived - anniversaries of deaths, specific holidays passing, drama at work, getting through a spell of coronavirus, but all dressed up in Mandi’s unique voice. There are pieces full of anger, some heavy with sadness, many with a sharp bite, as well as some surprising bits of humour throughout, including some meta passages about the highs and lows of being a writer trying to complete this exercise.

Something that stood out to me was the sense of narrative that formed over time, despite this being a collection of poetry. Along with the self-awareness of the poem-a-day idea, there are also recurring characters that pop up over the course of the book, making it feel less like a standard book of poems and more like you’re actually spending a year with the writer, hearing about her pets, the complex relationships with certain family members, and a misogynistic co-worker that doesn’t ever seem to take a hint.

With all of that said, it’s quite obviously a very personal work, whether it’s the author talking about her struggles with mental health or something as simple and sweet as being gifted a couple of books and spending a day relaxing with her cats. You’ll learn a lot about Mandi, yet there’s also enough meaningful content here to make you feel something yourself, maybe even inspiration to take a similar journey.

[Laura Ruetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved poetry because it is so versatile, and there are so many forms for it to be used. I've always felt that poetry is deeply personal and gives the reader a glimpse into the soul of the writer. This could not be any more true than with Melba Toast Butterfly. The author wrote a poem a day, and through the use of various styles, she truly takes us on a journey of what makes her, well, her. From light to heavy, she doesn't shy away from all topics, and the emotions and feelings that come with it and her mastery of vocabulary gives her writing a fluidity to it that makes each poem a delight to read. Each page was a new discovery into the author's mind and many of them really hit home and I felt a connection to the emotions and topic. In addition to the poems, she illustrated the book, and the drawings and illustrations are interwoven through the book providing pops of color.

[Mitchell Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot stop telling people about this book! I'm a little more than 3/4 of the way through, and cannot wait for more works from Miss "Monster". I purchased a copy of the book, for my mother, as a mother's day gift, and she is thrilled with it. EVERYONE needs some poetry in their life, and this is the perfect book for that.

[jesse f hidalgo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly unique book of poetry and artwork. Every day has something to offer be it inspirational insight or just something wonderfully entertaining. And the artwork really adds to the experience. Would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys poetry and/or artwork.

[Edward Dahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

In these pages you'll see someone open their soul in bite-sized chunks of poetry that was crafted over a year. And over the year you'll see her growth in a fantastically honest writing. I cannot wait for the next one.