Blake Morrison's 'Afterburn' shines as a masterclass in lyric distillation and charged observation, tackling subjects such as social justice, poetic heroes, and personal loss. The poet's use of specificity and concise language creates a captivating interplay of thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Morrison's skillful handling of form and structure is evident throughout the collection, which flows with control and purpose.
In contrast, Arthur Sze's 'Into the Hush' presents a bold vision of the world's fragility, evoking an atmosphere of unceasing iridescence and glimmer even in the face of ecological destruction. The title "Into the Hush" might suggest a sonic organisation, but rather, it can be seen as a painterly brushstroke, illustrating the silence that envelops the poet's world.
Karen McCarthy Woolf's 'Unsafe' is marked by tautness and candour, recalling desires often accompanied by shame and exploring themes of memory, life with HIV, and transformation. The language in this collection is steeped in interpenetration, observed with a rich descriptive eye.
John Berryman's 'Only Sing', edited by Shane McCrae, offers a fierce vernacular, meticulous sonics, and a consciousness unwilling to partition the demotic from the highly conceptual. Berryman's skillful use of line and form creates stunning poetry that can stun or quake its readers.
Simon Maddrell's debut collection, 'Lamping Wild Rabbits', is characterised by loss and candour, recalling desires often accompanied by shame. The subjects range from memory to life with HIV, while the language is rich in interpenetration, observed with a descriptive eye.
Lastly, Alia Kobuszko's 'Dream Latitudes' presents an enigmatic debut, approximating a climax that never arrives. This collection is marked by its use of accidentals and changing timbre, often line by line, which creates a haunting music that neither entices nor repulses.
The shared thread among these collections is their willingness to push boundaries and challenge conventional forms of poetry. The poets featured in this review round are masters of their craft, crafting unique voices that both captivate and disturb their readers.
In contrast, Arthur Sze's 'Into the Hush' presents a bold vision of the world's fragility, evoking an atmosphere of unceasing iridescence and glimmer even in the face of ecological destruction. The title "Into the Hush" might suggest a sonic organisation, but rather, it can be seen as a painterly brushstroke, illustrating the silence that envelops the poet's world.
Karen McCarthy Woolf's 'Unsafe' is marked by tautness and candour, recalling desires often accompanied by shame and exploring themes of memory, life with HIV, and transformation. The language in this collection is steeped in interpenetration, observed with a rich descriptive eye.
John Berryman's 'Only Sing', edited by Shane McCrae, offers a fierce vernacular, meticulous sonics, and a consciousness unwilling to partition the demotic from the highly conceptual. Berryman's skillful use of line and form creates stunning poetry that can stun or quake its readers.
Simon Maddrell's debut collection, 'Lamping Wild Rabbits', is characterised by loss and candour, recalling desires often accompanied by shame. The subjects range from memory to life with HIV, while the language is rich in interpenetration, observed with a descriptive eye.
Lastly, Alia Kobuszko's 'Dream Latitudes' presents an enigmatic debut, approximating a climax that never arrives. This collection is marked by its use of accidentals and changing timbre, often line by line, which creates a haunting music that neither entices nor repulses.
The shared thread among these collections is their willingness to push boundaries and challenge conventional forms of poetry. The poets featured in this review round are masters of their craft, crafting unique voices that both captivate and disturb their readers.
i mean, reading about blake morrison's 'afterburn' made me wanna learn more about him his collection sounds really impactful 
and also, arthur sze's 'into the hush' seems to be like a breath of fresh air 
all these poets are pushing boundaries and it's amazing to see how they express themselves in different ways 
. I mean, Blake Morrison's collection is like a fine-tuned machine - all those specific details and emotions come together to create this masterclass in poetry 
. And then you've got Arthur Sze, who's like a painter with words - his use of imagery and atmosphere is just stunning 
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. And Simon Maddrell's 'Lamping Wild Rabbits'... man, it's like he's tapping into this deep well of emotions and experiences, and it's just really powerful 
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. And Alia Kobuszko's 'Dream Latitudes'... yeah, it's definitely an enigmatic collection, but that's part of what makes it so interesting 
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...each one's trying too hard to be deep and meaningful, if you ask me. I mean, 'Into the Hush' is just a bunch of flowery language trying to say something profound about ecological destruction...newsflash: we already knew that was a problem 
. And don't even get me started on 'Lamping Wild Rabbits', it's just a bunch of whiny poetry about life with HIV and memory issues...it sounds like someone's cryin' in their beer over here 
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. And what's up with all these collections being so short? Can't they see that poetry needs to be more substantial than a few pages of pretentious wordplay 
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. But overall, I'm just underwhelmed by these new collections...they're all just more of the same old thing, with different words and prettier packaging 
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. And Simon Maddrell's 'Lamping Wild Rabbits' has this haunting quality to it... it's like you're walking through a dreamworld with him 
. What really gets me though is how all these poets are exploring different themes, from social justice to personal loss and identity - it feels like we're seeing the world in a whole new way 
.
it's like they're speaking a different language or something 
John Berryman's 'Only Sing' is like a masterclass in poetry skills... I mean who else can make me feel both fierce and vulnerable at the same time? 
Simon Maddrell's 'Lamping Wild Rabbits' is so hauntingly beautiful - I'm adding it to my reading list ASAP 
Alia Kobuszko's 'Dream Latitudes' is like a musical composition, I love the way she weaves words together 
! Blake Morrison's 'Afterburn' is giving me all the feels, it's like he's bottled up this whole world of emotions and thoughts into these tiny, powerful poems 
, that title alone gives me chills. It's like they're painting a picture with words instead of paint 
The way she explores themes of shame and transformation is SO relatable, it's like she's speaking straight to my soul