Reviewed by Samantha Hui

A bright collection that illustrates how love and poetry are intertwined, continuously inspiring one another

“Spaces, times, light crawl upon each other like flapping fish in a net. / The enigma of ‘to be.’ / The simplicity of me.“

Gabriela Marie Milton’s Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings is a haunting, lyrical exploration of love in its many incarnations: longing, loss, desire, and the mystical search for connection. This poetry collection blurs the lines between spiritual yearning and sensual experience, weaving together myth, memory, and raw emotion. Milton writes for readers who are drawn to layered imagery, who enjoy meditative poetry, and who are not afraid to explore the metaphysical dimensions of love and identity.

“I have to go through your soul / to get to mine“

Passions is a collection of short love poems, but these verses stretch beyond romantic affectation. They inhabit a liminal space where the past, present, and future collide, where gods and ghosts whisper among mundane things. Milton’s poetic universe is populated with references to Judeo-Christian thought, Hinduism, Greek mythology, and agnostic questioning.

Lines like “to tear my heart and throw it to Lord Vishnu / to soil my hands while healing beggars in the streets” exemplify the spiritual intensity that runs through the collection. Still, Milton grounds these esoteric references with tactile beauty such as moss, trees, cold winds, and “flapping fish in a net,” bringing a visceral edge to even her most abstract reflections.

“I conjugate ‘to leave’ in the voice of trees / the air reverberates expressions of the old gods / the space changes its mind“

Structurally, the book begins with love poems, all center-aligned, lending a visual sense of balance and focus, like offerings placed deliberately on an altar. After these lyrical meditations, Milton shifts to a section of poems translated into Italian, adding an intimate, cross-cultural echo to her voice.

The final section departs from poetry entirely, offering flash fiction and short reflective prose. Interestingly, these vignettes expand on figures mentioned in the poems, like the characters with green eyes and blue eyes, hinting at deeper emotional histories and lending narrative weight to the previously ethereal verse.

“I step into the land of fantasies that are not mine / I play with dreams like children play with kites“

One of the great strengths of Milton’s writing is her use of recurring imagery to create emotional resonance. Autumn, often a symbol of transformation, appears again and again, as in “I ran to you into the northern hemisphere / and autumn came / to bury me in its neuroses’ mold.” The season acts as both a setting and a metaphor for inner change. Likewise, the image of children flying kites recurs, evoking a bittersweet longing for innocence and simpler expressions of joy, even as the poems delve into the complexities of adult love.

“my body, syllogism of lust / fertility of the flatlands“

Passions is a collection for the contemplative reader, those who appreciate symbolic language, mythic references, and emotional depth. Gabriela Marie Milton has crafted a poetic world where spiritual longing meets sensual reality, and where even the quietest images pulse with significance. This book is a rewarding experience for lovers of lyrical, layered, and emotionally intelligent poetry.

Thank you for reading Samantha Hui’s book review of Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings by Gabriela Marie Milton! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Warren Maxwell

A heartfelt tribute to the lives of America’s Vietnam veterans and their sacrifices

“He served our country bravely
in the darkness that was Vietnam.
But was wounded severely,
before his tour was done.”

From tales of heroism to stories from the home front and the after-effects of the war, Vietnam As They Knew It adeptly captures the extremity and breadth of experiences that accompanied the Vietnam War. There are dirges about the chemically induced cancers that veterans succumbed to years after coming home (“Agent Orange”), reverent retellings of military feats (“The Sniper”), and even monologue-like protest poems from the voices of soldiers who did not believe in the Vietnam War but, nonetheless, obeyed the government when they were called to arms (“Age-Old Folly”).

This medley of perspectives and experiences creates a poetic tapestry that not only captures the realities of soldiering in Vietnam but also speaks to enduring questions of war and peace, violence and mercy. As the collection’s final poem puts it, “humankind shall only ever keep / eternal peace, where fallen soldiers sleep.”

The simple language and rhyme schemes of these poems often belie grotesque images. Bodies pile up, bullets fly, and a pervasive fear hangs over the people whose war-torn lives are captured.

While politics exists on the edge of many of these poems, it is addressed most directly when highlighting the hypocritical conflation of soldiers who wage wars and the politicians who start them. Criticism is openly levied at leaders who lived safe lives in government offices, yet any notion of holding soldiers accountable is dismissed as misguided, shortsighted, and uninformed point of view. There’s clarity to this strong, soldiers-first viewpoint, yet it also pigeonholes the Vietnamese victims of the war, portraying them as either ruthless killers, loyal allies, or some combination of the two.

“He fought and died in an unpopular war
so others might live freely and in peace.
A soldier who died on that Asian shore,
a casualty of wars that never cease.”

One or two photographs accompany each poem, adding an almost title-like prism through which to read the text. This adds stark visuals that humanize soldiers and bring the historical moment to life. However, it also pulls attention from the poetry and becomes a rote element of the book. At times the pictures are vague, and at others they are overly specific. An image of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. accompanies a poem on the subject (“The Wall”). A poem about Agent Orange is matched with an image of planes spraying a gas over a jungle landscape. These one to one pairings make the poetic imagery less potent since the real thing is shown before the poem describes it. Given the consistent messaging that accompanies each poem, the image largely predicts what follows and drains the engaging element unpredictability from these war narratives.

A faithful honoring of the men and women who fought in Vietnam, Vietnam As They Knew It is a moving testament to the virtue and bravery of America’s troops.

Thank you for reading Warren Maxwell’s book review of Vietnam As They Knew It by Jerry L. Staub! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Nikolas Mavreas

A dexterous collection of personal poetry tinged with tragedy

Tied by themes of friendship and loss, of weakness and strength, Courtney LeBlanc has delivered a substantial collection with Her Dark Everything. There is complete honesty in these poems—“because those goddamn words have to get out.”

Throughout the collection, LeBlanc grapples with the suicide of a close friend and her own failure to help. Her treatment of the subject is illuminated not just by the white fire of emotion but also by the steady lamp of the writer’s desk. See, for example, the elegant contrast of the metaphors in “forgot to call, wrapped up in my own life as hers slipped away.” Or this little sparkling marvel of alliterative resonance, placing the image of a dead friend suspended in water on the peaks of miniature tragic art: “your sequined skirt swirling around you like iridescent seaweed.”

Along with these intricate poetic constructions, LeBlanc is also moved to more straightforward expression, which, in its lyrical garments, lets out pure sentimental tones. If we are underwhelmed by one platitudinous climax like “To finally find the dark embrace of death and call it home,” we are again lifted up and allowed to glide down smoother slopes:

“I ask her:

what would you name the moon?

Death, darkness, the end of everything, 

I want to die, she says. Tears crowd

my eyes but I say, I’d name it hope.

Wonder. I’d name it stay one more night.”

As in the above, it is often that the poetic crux and flair of a poem is delayed until the closing lines. And while the poet works out her thoughts and emotions on the page, we also see the working out of the poetic process, the idea hammered on the anvil until success is struck on the last line. 

“she

wanted to die. To follow the map that led to 

X: the place she no longer existed, the

yellow brick road leading to the 

zenith of her life.”

The line breaks disrupt the obvious rhythm, but they do so with purpose, as long as we notice each line’s first letter: w, x, y, z. It is the end of a life, a poem, and of language, and as close as literature can come to musical counterpoint.

This art of the ending is also skillfully employed in the two poems concerned with the bleakness of current affairs, titled “We Live In America, Here’s How We Survive” and in “Apocalypse Poem.” The latter finishes with a bleak view of “tomorrow,” only to be followed by two poems whose closing lines offer alternative views and prospects of the same word. Here is the verbal continuity which defines poetry.

LeBlanc’s poems are not formal, but they abound in standard rhythms which tighten and hold them together, exemplified in “Again, My Dog Saves Me” and “Antilamentation.” Rich in traditional poetic devices though it is, her work remains intensely contemporary, with messages being left unread and with women suffering mansplaining at the gym.

The collection opens with the author’s laments on a late friend’s death, and it closes with two paeans to her living best friend. That is only the last, uniting instance of this book’s recurring hopefulness. Taken together, Her Dark Everything shows a fierce and powerful process of coming to terms with oneself, flaws and hazardous emotion included.

Thank you for reading Nikolas Mavreas’s book review of Her Dark Everything by Courtney LeBlanc! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Elizabeth Zender

Short, sharp, and dynamic—Nilam Patel’s poetry packs a punch.

You are going to find something you love within the pages of Into Her Wild. With themes of womanhood, family, and finding yourself, Patel’s poetry collection is accessible and contemporary, challenging the standards of what poetry can and should look like. And yet, the collection still maintains what we love most about reading poetry: finding the heart of the matter.

This book is split into five sections: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space. The sections correspond with aspects of life deemed important by Patel, such as the fervor and passion involved in being a mother of a daughter or healing and finding your inner light. 

Patel does not name her poems, but that doesn’t make them any less memorable. It creates a cohesive, gathered quality to the collection as a whole, yes, but when a singular poem shines, like the last poem of the section, “Water,” you’ll cling to its power and remember it long after you’ve finished reading. It focuses on the idea of striving to be great, maybe even more than that, only to learn that “good was home.” This poem resonates as its readers work tirelessly toward success, rather than joy or healing.

Patel’s poems do not mince words. The majority of her poetry is short, punctual, and succinct—always easy to understand the deeper meaning. With her linear and smooth stylings, Patel’s poems have the power to make you feel affected. The way she plays with punctuation and emphasis within the structure of her work amplifies each poem’s meaning.

Empowerment is a focus for Patel—a consistent undercurrent connecting each poem to the next. She writes of the struggles of womanhood while highlighting the importance of owning oneself and one’s identity. In this, one thing seems to stand out: owning yourself means learning to live with your past. One poem in particular allows this statement to ring out, stating that the subject of the poem “decided to live in her old life, written with new ink,” pushing the reader to consider whether it is their life that causes pain, boredom, and the like, or it is the outlook they have that does this.

With a modern poetic sensibility, Nilam Patel’s Into Her Wild can act as a vital stepping stone on any reader’s healing journey. From trauma and relationships to feeling yourself and knowing your power, every poem is its own treasure.

Thank you for reading Elizabeth Zender’s book review of Into Her Wild by Nilam Patel! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Nikolas Mavreas

An extraordinary collection about everyday life

Ted Virts explores themes of family, religion and everyday experience in Window and Mirror. He does so with an affectionate and affecting humanity, and he’s equipped with the keen ear of the great poet.

The author’s introduction, in setting out his goal with these poems, inadvertently spells out what modern poetry is all about: noticing small moments, believing that there is a “sacredness to everyday life.” But Virts goes further, enlarging his scope by explicitly posing existential questions, asking whether we matter or not in this universe of galaxies upon galaxies.

The opening poem entitled “Presence/Absence” is perfectly placed to set the tone of this collection. Just observe, pleads the poet, and the wonders of seeming mundanity will reveal themselves. The recurring refrain of the word “Sit” is accompanied by double spaces, so allowed to ring out through the poem’s reverberant lines. 

In “Pandemics,” Virts carries the tradition of quoting a line from the news to which the poem then responds. It is about a pig pandemic, allowing the poet to indulge in much delightfully clever wordplay about pig figures of speech. Delightful cleverness continues in a poem that takes the Cartesian cliché “I think therefore I am,” twisting and stretching it to reveal various meanings.

Many of these poems struggle with Christianity, even using Jesus as a speaking character. If not religiously inclined, most will find this theme yielding the weakest results but not without its successes. The enjambed titled, “Thoughts about Jesus: Yarn,” with its compelling rhythm, makes one wonder if its ternary structure is meant to symbolize the Trinity, and the sixteen word long “Rainbow” is a marvel of concision in Biblical commentary.

The family motif of the collection is centered around the father. Not the father figure or the Father, but rather a particular father, albeit an evidently regular one. Through the poems we see glimpses of scenes from his life with his children, his aging and his death. “Downstream” is a moving, beautiful poem about Alzheimer’s disease, offering words for what pain can make unspeakable.

In “Sacred Acts,” Virts reframes modern safety gestures, like putting on a seatbelt, as motions of prayer, drawing parallels that will stick with the reader. Elsewhere, the fashionable exercise of the kettlebell swing is viewed as the ticking of a clock. The trappings of modern life are held up in contrast or connection to things that one perceives as deeper.

The poet’s best work comes in the form of two poems about trees, or, rather, about these trees being like their observer, or their observer being like the trees. It’s a simple metaphor, but these poems are elevated to small masterpieces by their language. The opening of “Near The Border” draws a wide picture of the Mesquite tree, its “ragged arms drifting green / scratch a half-circle in sky,” and bird song leads off to the sunset, where meaning meets diction and rhythm. The other tree poem, “Ocotillo,” should be experienced unspoiled. It is a bolt from the blue, electrifying in the way only the greatest poetry can be. 

As in its many astonishing moments, Window And Mirror borders on the miraculous.

Thank you for reading Nikolas Mavreas’s book review of Window and Mirror by Ted Virts! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Addison Ciuchta

A poetic collection full of the simple, joyful moments in life

Comprised of 118 poems, this collection is split into four sections: Childhood, Family, Seasons of Life, and Holidays. The poems are short, generally around six to eight lines, so each page has multiple poems on the section’s theme. For example, in the holidays section, there are poems on Veteran’s Day, Halloween, Christmas cookies, and Kwanza, just to name a few. This radiant collection reflects McLeod’s life, capturing even the smallest moments with warmth and brevity.

The poetry in Seasons of Life is written in a simple, nostalgic tone that makes it enjoyable and accessible to just about anyone. The entire collection can be read in one afternoon or broken up into one very short poem or page at a time. In a time when there is constant worry and stress, Seasons of Life is a nice reprieve full of straightforward, emotional moments as small as taking a walk with a grandparent or playing with paper dolls. McLeod shows a clear love and respect for the tiny moments in life, writing with apparent love about it all.

“Kite flying with my father was fun to do / On a Saturday afternoon, just as two”

Most of the poems have a rhyming scheme. However, McLeod doesn’t stick too strictly to it, sometimes even dropping the rhyme in the middle of a poem or loosely rhyming lines to keep the flow going. For example, in one poem she rhymes “me” with “me” and in another “days” and “day.” A few times, even the tense of a poem changes in the middle of a stanza, which can get a bit jarring. But since the poems don’t follow a particular structure or syllable count, it gives the poetry an authentic, organic, freeform feeling that suits the topic at hand. Memories, like these poems, don’t cram themselves into a specific structure, but instead exist just as they are.

This delightful collection depicts the small moments with a simple, warm, and loving style. McLeod’s poetry offers a great way to reflect on your own life or to connect with others and share your own memories. They’d be as suitable for reading with your children—with a great jumping off point for talking about your own childhood—as they are for reading with your grandparents—to learn more about what they remember themselves. A versatile effect that works well for a book like this. 

With this collection, remember what you’ve forgotten—revel in those small experiences with your parents or grandparents, taste your mom’s go-to dessert, or think back fondly on your favorite polka-dotted dress as a child.

“Walking with my grandfather in the fall was neat / With the leaves crunching under our feet”

Seasons of Life is great for those looking for simple and reflective moments in the chaos of today.

Thank you for reading Addison Ciuchta’s book review of Seasons of Life by Susan McLeod! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Josie Prado

A poetic & spiritual journey that sheds a new perspective on every page

The question of what happens when we die is one that humanity has pondered for eons. Who, or what, is waiting on the other side for us? Craig Philip Staufenberg’s, Cracking the Shell of the Egg, tackles mortality and the spiritual realm with adeptness and beauty. 

Through a unique story of spiritual and physical illnesses with no real explanation, the collection’s fragmented poetry transcends time and the corporeal realm. Otherness, disability, and unexplained events are also huge topics in Cracking the Shell of the Egg. Here, readers are given the chance to hatch—to prick the outside of the shell gently and break through.

I loved how introspective and meditative Cracking the Shell of the Egg was. There’s a constant repetition of “He told me,” as though Staufenberg is having a conversation with his inner self. Staufenberg is an observer and a participant in his own life. He even writes, “He told me to leave in all of his circles, / his contradictions, his hypocrisies,” at the very beginning of the book. This bold beginning might confuse some readers initially, but it’s an attention-grabber that lingers. The poetic style is expressive without sacrificing quality, and the verbiage is simple yet sagacious. 

The poetry braids in the experiences of other people too—an effect that proves all the more compelling in the end. In one instance, we’re introduced to Maia, a woman who “brought shadow people with her everywhere she went.” Rather than focus on Maia and her shadow people, the poem ends up being about setting boundaries as Staufenberg banishes them. Staufenberg utilizes this method a lot, using the spiritual to unearth psychological pain. Thus, rather than be afraid of the gift of seeing these entities, it’s instead shared as important to gain control. This approach is fascinating and functions well.

The book’s mystery is also enhanced by a purposeful direction and pure poetic skill. There are no hyperbolic or scandalous phrases for entertainment purposes—instead a clear version of mysterious events. In a distinct moment, he’s in Italy and an older woman whispers to him. But then he is feeling disconnected from his body and the rest of the outer world. The matter-of-fact tone makes it believable and even goosebump-inducing. While he’s eventually put back together, the event is unforgettable for both him and us.

Equipped with enough philosophy to challenge comfortable readers and enough mysticism to broaden their horizons, Cracking the Shell of the Egg is an easy recommendation for numinous individuals. The book’s got much to teach; so start pecking. Hatch. See the world from a new point of view.

Thank you for reading Josie Prado’s book review of Cracking the Shell of the Egg by
Craig Philip Staufenberg! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by S.A. Evans

From girlhood to womanhood to motherhood and back again—a raw and genuine poetry collection through a reflective lens

Passion & Provocation is simultaneously intimate and universal, both relatable and wholly the self. It’s a personal story with its own past, memories, and present that informs our own everyday lives. While each of its nine parts focuses on its own subject, they interconnect often—a fluid and deeply moving final product.

In “The Beginning,” the speaker sits down to write and gets lost in reading. In “Domestic Themes,” we bask in the simple things like our time with family. In “Longings,” we feel the pining, yearning, and uncertainty associated with love, while“Love,” dives into the reality of a relationship: the good, the bad, how we fall and why we might hold onto it when we should let it go. 

But there is also an ending to love here and how it can affect you. “Memories” places us in the past to inform our present, while “Spiritual Contemplations” discusses life, God, and Death. Then we close with “Tributes,” which shouts out influential people in the speaker’s life. It’s all so specific, but so relevant to so many of us. The specificity is what sets it apart and makes it applicable.

The balance between lighthearted moments of the everyday and heavier subjects of specific times is executed extremely well in Passion and Provocation. We float through the rhythm of the collection, and we’re along for quite a ride. It’s a difficult balance that Partelow handles with great care.

Partelow handles things on the line-level exceptionally well too. We venture through some lovely alliteration—“petals pressed between pages,” “smooth stones skimmed”—and some deeply meaningful turns of phrase, whether about love or heartbreak—from “If glances were currency / I’ve spent a fortune on your face” to “I wonder where you’ve gone / why you don’t call, what I did, or said / to make you go?”

With a collection as big as this one—100+ poems spanning over 200 pages—we’re bound to run into some that fall flat and some that shine. In some poems, we don’t dive deep enough, while others meaning is difficult to come by. I also ran into a couple of uncomfortable racial moments, like using “Siddhartha eyes,” when race or ethnicity doesn’t play a role in a large majority of the collection.

Passion & Provocation lives up to its name. The human experience is full of passion, pain, longing, loss, gratitude, and exploration of the self—this book is too. There are times when we might feel nothing and other times where we feel everything all at once. This collection is like a guiding hand for the confusing, difficult, and everyday. There’s a little something for everyone here.

Thank you for reading S.A. Evans’s book review of Passion and Provocation by Judith Partelow! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Jadidsa Perez

Like exploring an abandoned house—enchanting, dangerous, and full of memories

A Drinker’s Poems Thoughts Dialogue is an eclectic mix of poetry, prose, and screenplays. As described by the author, the book’s contents were created after drinking in a state of sensitivity and creativity. 

While some of the poetry contends with sobriety, there’s a myriad of issues that the book delves into. Intimacy, the motif of water, nostalgia within a horrible childhood, longing, love for poisonous, addictive things—they’re all redolently written. Each piece feels like a note written in a bottle found ashore. The act of reading it feels serendipitous, and the emotions described capture some of the best and worst aspects of life. 

“The moon smiles over us tonight” and “Searching for you” are two of the poems that encapsulate C.O.B.’s talent. The former speaks to the existential crisis of being under the same moon while feeling insignificant. The latter brings back the snarky, edgy voice from the preface that felt so humorous and real. Although both poems are linguistically and artistically different, they both carry a distinctive voice that, underneath the waves of emotion, is lonely and bittersweet with a taste of scorn.

In terms of style, I am drawn to the poems “663” and “By You.”The shape of “By You”is reminiscent of an hourglass, another common motif that communicates lost time. The line “a lot” stands on its own to add a layer of emphasis on just how overwhelming and bothersome life can be. The poem’s valediction is simply, “bye, you,” a shooing away from life’s problems. “663,” on the other hand, follows a unique line breaking. The numbers align until the end of the poem, where deliberate chaos disrupts the form. It’s a poem that I found myself pondering even after I finished the book.

A Drinker’s Poems Thoughts Dialogue also includes whimsical, horrific short tales and stories. They sometimes follow Mr. Dadis, an eccentric older man, or wander through a gory tale set in Philadelphia. No matter what page you turn to, something new and innovative will greet you there. There’s no time to become bored or for the writing to stale. C.O.B. shows that, no matter what form it’ll take, a gut-wrenching piece of writing awaits. 

Thank you for reading Jadidsa Perez’s book review of A Drinker’s Poems Thoughts Dialogueby C.O.B! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Elizabeth Zender

Experience tranquility, reflection, and the beauty of the soul with this vibrant poetry collection.

The Lost World by Celia Drill is split into eight parts, detailing the lived experience in the modern world. In ethereal free verse, Drill carries the reader from poem to poem with the soft guidance of someone ushering you to the dreamworld. 

In the first half, Drill’s work feels like a memory just out of reach. She writes of birds, ravens, and hummingbirds alike, of homes and of the past with stunning lines like “My grandparents wave in faded clothing; they give their color to the young.” Alongside more serious topics, Drill writes of the simple day-to-day aspects of life. “Mug for Lapsang Souchong” shares the experience of a potter while “Country Music” is a back and forth call to country music’s biggest influences on the genre—and how it both stands them up and makes them lie down. Nature is so often a vehicle to explain the world and the emotions we feel in this collection, and it works wonders for it.

Drill gives even the most mundane and unwanted activities the same spiritual lyricism of her nature poems. One poem chronicles a dentist appointment, lacing the experience with a surreal quality. I, too, would love to have a more whimsical dental experience; Drill successfully makes the appointment reflective on the loss of innocence and youth in a way only she could do. 

While our day to day may feel tumultuous, Drill’s poetry reminds us to take time to reflect, to feel peace, and to remember that we exist on this beautiful planet. In poems like “Grasses,” “Sun,” and “Daffodil,” we are shown golden images of what life can be when we take a moment to simply be. “Tall as worship, steeped in green of memory, not sleep, grasses do not blur, but separate in winds, each stalk a moment lived upon the Earth.”

I was enthralled by how much love exists within this collection without it being romantic. It’s the earthy, timeless love that comes with taking in our surroundings, remembering who we are, and thinking of those around us. In a world where it is easy to be an individual, Drill’s writing reminds us of what we owe not just to ourselves, but to the larger picture of humanity. Shuck off your constant need for individuality and just let yourself feel, these poems seem to shout. 

If you couldn’t tell, I loved this collection, and I can’t wait to shove a copy into the hands of my fellow poetry enthusiasts. If you like vibrant imagery, the chance for reflection, and poetry that bends the rules, you will find a new favorite with The Lost World.

Thank you for reading Elizabeth Zender’s book review of The Lost World by Celia Drill! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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