Love and Ink

by Kiana Donae

Kiana Donae’s first poetry collection is a journey of experiences inspired from her personal life. It was through her love of writing poetry that she was able to convey her thoughts and emotions in times of both chaos & calm. Poetry became an escape; the light on a path to mental clarity and freedom. Love & Ink is… in part, the reason for her healing.

78 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2014

About the author

A true lover of the written word, Donae writes free-verse poetry that has been touted as: "powerful, bold, and authentic."

Donae is a published poet, author, and serial creative. Using her gift with words she is able to depict the world and times we live in with an observant clarity of the human experience.

Reviews

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

These poems have a spirituality, infused with brutal honesty, soul and solitude. Their flowing is tranquil in each aspect and have a peacefulness that is remarkable. Each poem is like breathing and has its own personality making this book of poetry a three dimensional read. Very nicely done! The poem "Naked Soul" was my favorite.

[Sarahbeth Caplin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love and Ink is not a poetry collection for the faint of heart. This collection tackles difficult subjects, such as rape and bullying, along with some sensual wordplay (my favorite being "Wordgasm," a clever love affair with descriptive words). I appreciate Donae's abiliy to venture into unsafe places, such as in "Predator," which looks into the mind of a serial rapist. The poems that make the reader squirm are the ones that stick in my mind most.

I would have liked to see a bit more detail in other poems, such as "Naked Soul" and "Poetically Unique," which express insightful ideas in too few words. Overall, however, this was an enjoyable collection from a writer worth watching.

[Kiana Donae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I'm the author, so of course I love my book. I do hope that you will love it too. :)

[Linda Jenkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was gifted a copy of this book for a review, but beyond that, I don't know Kiana except through her words written in this book.

Love and Ink is a poetic journal that could only be penned by a poet who has personal and intimate insight into life's tragedies and joys, faults and virtues, mistakes and atonements all expertly woven into a song of life, love, and love of life.

The vivid imagery in selections such as "Mourning You" and "Called Home" will pull your heart strings to near breaking and then snap them back sharply as you read more about the "Predator" and other miscreants that Kiana skillfully brings to life.

"Behind Enemy Lines" is a gut punch and a Reveille for every woman and the man who loves her. With courage, Kiana dares to open the depths of dark desire and go beyond to a point where desire is lost to darkness in poems like "Pole Junkie" and "Marketed Dreams".

Then she brings us back with "Unconditional Love," explores the love "Within Us." and shows us that "This Love Is Sublime".

Kiana is a poet who knows her craft. She has the hang of setting and keeping a poetic rhythm whether rhyming or not. Her use of line breaks often cause you to stop and savor each word or small phrase as if it were a fine wine, first tasted and then resting on your tongue. Her love of language and writing speaks loudly in every poem, whether she is writing about a "Wordgasm" or her "Naked Soul".

This slim book will stay with you long after you close its virtual covers. It will wait for you to open if for a second and a third reading, each one giving you another surge of understanding of the vulnerabilities of today's modern woman and the strength she needs to overcome them.

I look forward to seeing more from Kiana.

(My personal guide for ratings are as follows: 5 stars, equal to any book of its genre, better than most; 4 stars, content that easily moves past a few formatting errors that do little or nothing to impact it, still highly recommended; 3 stars, technical errors or format choices impaired the flow of the book although I did enjoy the content. It's a mixed bag, but you may want to take a chance on it; 2 stars, I struggled with the book due to either technical errors and/or a concept that was trite or underwritten. 1 star signifies a book that I abandoned before finishing due to structural errors in either plot or mechanics.)

[Mallory Smart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love and Ink is a poetic journey of sensuality and life. That’s not to say that it’s light or patient. Instead it plays with a kind of sledgehammer morality between the rhyming and prophetic lines.

Strong sequences like "Your hunger causes my rush” and
“Years of living in black and white
Caused her to only see the world in grays” denote a cathartic element that is all too relatable.

For anyone who has heard of love and is also confused about it, Kiana Donae will prove to be a kindred spirit.

[B.K. Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love and Ink is a great little collection of poetry. The poems are intriguing, exciting and some are down right sensual. The best way for me to describe it would be to say that Love and Ink is a roller coaster of passion. The author flowed the essence of her soul through her pen straight to the pages. I especially loved the work entitled "This Reality". I highly recommend this book. Pick up a copy even if you do not like poetry, I bet you will see poetry in a whole new way!!!.

[Lori Jenessa Nelson]

Are you "playing nicely with normal"? Kiana Donae is. Although this book contains some lovely phrases like "…where it can be free inside the spaces of mind—where love and ink combine" and some strong repetitious phrases, the poetry collection is normal. It contains some stirring erotic and emotional content that most any woman can relate to. It's an easy read with constant rhyming to guide you through the book.

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I write some poems myself so I know if can be a challenge to write great ones. This author does just that for me. This book has so many great poems in it. I enjoyed it. The book tells of life's tragedies and joys, faults and virtues, mistakes and atonements all woven delicately into a picture of love of life. I enjoyed all part of these poems. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

[Kimberly DuBoise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of poetry does tackle a wide range of topics and is not soft and moody at all. It is a bold look into emotion and perceptions. I found these poems memorable and strong. It is a stirring and moving collection of writing that will evoke emotion in you.

[Skylar Nightingale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her poetry is very descriptive with each line. Her poetry embraces self-acceptance and sexuality. She also pens about writing, which her gift. I enjoyed reading each poem and hope to see more from this poet in the future.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of poetry. It wasn't all flowers and sunshine, although it did talk of love and self importance, and it touched on more taboo subjects. I really, really enjoyed it!

[Jim Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not sure if I should rate this book as a poetry collection, or as a set of literary exercises that introduce a wide variety of forms. So as always, do not let my star count override your judgement of content. More on the stars, counting, and my rating challenges later.
Each of these poems is introduced as an exercise: “write a poem with certain attributes;” where those attributes are of considerable variation. You will learn about many poetry formats in this book of 34 examples. The poems are not titled, merely dated.
From the opening poem (2012, Day 2) you will learn Donae’s voice. This is a sexy poem, a great start.
Spoiler: this is the entire poem 2015, Day 12: “*write a poem about the stars //I've lost count of how /many stars you've hung for me; /a moon's love letter.”
Then turn to 2015, Day 14 where you will find a dialogue in a similarly short and sweet poem.
For a strange and very entertaining poem, turn to 2015 Day 13 which begins thus:
“*write a poem of chance, take a deck of cards and pull out one as inspiration //10 clubs /9 drinks /8 guys /this went on night after night /and still she couldn't find her true mister /right so she locked her heart up tight...” This just keeps on going, becoming a love quest narrative.
Again in 2016, Day 26, we have a new form: a persona poem. You will be surprised at who the first-person speaker is. Then in 2017, Day 10, “*write a poem using the book titles in your bookshelf...” is quite clever. This is a fun read.
All that said, how do I come up with a star count? My personal guidelines, when doing any review, are as follows: five stars means, roughly equal to best in genre. Rarely given. Four stars means, extremely good. Three stars means, definitely recommendable. I am a tough reviewer. I try to be consistent. As a book of poems, it is very good. As an intro to writing in a scattershot of forms, it is very good. Four stars feels right to this reviewer. Your personal rating may be higher.