A Model Archaeologist

by Leilanie Stewart

Archaeologist by day, glamour model by night.

These 80 poems playfully explore the uncertainties of an archaeology graduate entering the workforce in an uncertain economic climate. A Model Archaeologist comprises a series of lyrical anecdotes using poetic license to turn lemons into lemonade. The collection can at times be deceptively simple, show subtle humour and have a self-deprecating edge of satire, reflecting the naiveté of youth.

Genres: Poetry

121 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 16, 2022

About the author

Leilanie Stewart is an award-winning author and poet from Belfast, Northern Ireland. She writes ghost and psychological horror, as well as experimental verse. Her writing confronts the nature of self; her novels feature main characters on a dark psychological journey who have a crisis and create a new sense of identity. She began writing for publication while working as an English teacher in Japan, a career pathway that has influenced themes in her writing. Her former career as an Archaeologist has also inspired her writing and she has incorporated elements of archaeology and mythology into both her fiction and poetry.

In addition to promoting her own work, Leilanie teaches creative writing to sixth form students and works in a library, where she indulges her passion of books.

Aside from literary pursuits, Leilanie enjoys spending time with her author husband, Joseph Robert, and their lively literary lad, a voracious reader of sea monster books.

Reviews

[Sal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poet’s plainspoken thoughts during her budding years

This is the second book of poetry I’ve read by Leilanie Stewart, and I wasn’t disappointed. While the poems by Stewart in her book The Redundancy of Tautology seemed more poetic to me, the writings in this one felt less like poems and more like I was reading tidbit thoughts about her former life as an archaeologist and part-time model. I didn’t find the poems in A Model Archaeologist to be as clever as the ones in Tautology, but her straightforward prose kept me entertained. A Model Archaeologist might have worked better as a memoir.

Some of Stewart’s poems in this book nicely convey the enormity of the passage of time, the writer's observations as an archaeologist as she held in her hand certain material from thousands of years ago. We all think our existences right here, right now are the absolute center of existence, but many generations have come before us, and many more will come after.

One of the things I like about Stewart as a poet is that she doesn’t take herself too seriously and is not filled with angst and sadness. Yet she also doesn't hold back on what she thinks. I liked the dichotomy she conveyed in this book between the grittiness of being an archaeologist and the dolled-up world of being a freelance model. There are a few instances in which she relates her life as a good-looking female model in an almost boastful way, but I think it was youthful exuberance at the time that made her portray herself like that.

These are not sweeping or obscure literary verses that some may prefer when reading poetry, but they were interesting because of Stewart’s intersecting worlds of working as an archaeologist and model.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

The strength of this collection comes when the poet digs in deep into history and our struggle to connect to those that came thousands of years before us.

The protagonist of this collection, if you will, is a young student on the verge of a promising archeology career...who is also attractive and might become a model instead...

The modeling and references to the poets looks threw me right out of the collection and I struggled to see the point of including all that other then it may just have been happening simultaneously in the poets own journey and they decided to include it. With the exception of the poem Warfare - "And I was shocked to find out the Amazon women who were trained to use bows from birth cut off one breast so that they could perfect their aim by pulling their arm back across a flat chest it's really just to show I can't speak for women at all" - I couldn't see the poet making a connect between archeology/the past/modeling.

The reason I stuck around were for poems like Reeds, where the poet really reflects on the spirit of uncovering ancient artifacts and addresses it with a poets eye.

One of my favorite lines from the collection: Maybe it was the spirit of the dead, old ghosts cursing the display of their lifetime of treasure, now a sideshow attraction for the living.

[Lyndi Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Model Archaeologist, is a collection of narrative poems by Leilanie Stewart. To me the title implies the poems are about an archeological role model in the field but as the blurb explicitly says, they are a juxtaposition of two careers—that of a model and an archaeologist as set out in the poem by that name. I enjoyed the questions asked by the archaeologist about who was the last to hold newly found objects and who mourned the buried loved one. The poem took objects and breathed life into historical people. The poet ponders the fragility of life, while on a dig in the Indus Valley, wondering how a culturally advanced and artistically sophisticated civilization are, all but the undeciphered languages, wiped out. I could personally relate to the narrator in Research Past who declares she is an adventurer and a roamer who will float about until she finds her niche and if she doesn’t find one, she’ll create it.

[Ryan Kanaley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book of poetry I’ve read by Leilanie Stewart, I love it. I love how she doesn’t take the art of poetry too seriously and is playful in how she speaks; It keeps my interest. The difference between the writing styles of the first and second are stark. Most say writers mature, and I would say they do not write the right words. More like she blossomed into a perfect fit for her work. The story is interesting at that. Take the poetry out of it; it still makes for an exciting read. I always appreciate a different style of storytelling. I especially enjoyed the description of digging. She helps paint the picture as if you are there. It’s hard to talk about something most might find mundane, but she does a great job of portraying the interest many might find in it if they tried. Overall, Leilanie made poetry fun for me to read. I only say that as someone who typically cannot stand poetry. This poetry, however, I’ll read.

[Cathy Lynn Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a Poetry Book We can Understand

I enjoyed this poetry book written in plain English that anyone can understand. It’s written as a journal, reliving days or events in the poet’s life. From first day at university to touring her home country of Ireland, it’s a joyful read. It’s a memoir, written in verses. It’s not pretentious, not even rhyming, but tells the story of a young woman, who is an archeology student and part-time model, as the title suggests. The reader goes along for the ride, very quickly reading the poetry like paragraphs. It’s a delightful way to read about this young woman’s experiences. The author shows readers that poetry doesn’t have to be stuffy or rhyming to tell a good story and her feelings. I especially liked “Hadrian’s Wall” about how the author and another beautiful model were in a mall handing out pamphlets, wearing skimpy outfits when a man approached, more interested in the models, than the flyers they were handing out. Great read!

[Aubrey Cleeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Model Archeologist by Leilanie Stewart is a different type of read to what I have previously read from this author. I enjoyed the prose like style to the short and snappy poems, and I found the idea of the juxtaposition of a model and a Archeologist matched well with the writing.

As a lover of history and antiquity, the little nods to Celtic history and traditions were interesting and the cliche sayings which the author encountered in her work life were humourous and quippy. It made me think what questions I would ask an Archeologist if I ever were to meet one. I found the little notes about the team and their relationships showed a deep and human side to the writing, and how close they worked together.

The poems felt very personal and while I found them engaging enough, there wasn't enough emotion to make me feel or drama to get me heavily invested. It was nice to get to know the person behind the books though and I admire her work and her career choices to date.

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each of the eighty poems gives a tiny snippet of the author's day as an archaeology student.
Some hint at a deeper meaning and some at the humour in everyday life, but all from a monotone perspective.
The author keeps her style consistent over a year of writings, showing her steady baseline as a poet. The duality of our personalities and lives is something I find fascinating, and something I was excited to read about in this collection, but I was left wondering what she was trying to say. It felt the collection was no more than samples of the most brief moments of her life, the mundane moments we forget over time. The idea of focusing on those moments is a really interesting take, and I wanted to develop a deeper sense of understanding of her, or the world.
I loved the historical and professional knowledge littered through the pieces, I wanted so much more of this! The modelling stuff quickly lost my interest, it felt a bit self-masterbatory.

[Ricardo Medina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just finished reading "A Model Archaeologist" by Leilanie Stewart on my tablet using my girlfriend's Kindle Unlimited subscription.

What you'll find in this book is a unique setup. The story follows an Irish student of archaeology who also does modelling jobs on the side. What makes this story unique is that it's told through almost 100 poems, tracing her journey from her early days as a student to her years working in the field.

Leilanie completely hooks you with the story of this intelligent and beautiful girl from the first poem to the last. You become so invested in the character that you want to know more. When is Leilanie going to release the continuation of the story? We want to know about her adventures in Japan!

Overall, this is a very entertaining read. It's quick and enjoyable, even if you're not typically a reader of poetry books.