Review: Ascending Voice by Simi Fromen
Ascending Voice by Simi Fromen is a moving collection of poetry about putting yourself together after a broken relationship. Told in three sections -“Mud,” “Murky Waters,” and “Lotus” – the collection follows Fromen’s path from pain to renewal. It’s a deeply honest collection about healing that should help readers heal as well, especially those recovering from a divorce or other bad relationship.
Fromen writes from a decidedly New Age, yogic perspective. However, where New Age “think positive” writing can devolve into tropes and cliches, what makes Ascending Voice stand out is Fromen’s honesty. She is very clearly, by her own […]
First Person: Supernatural Interviews by Okisha Jackson is a collection of religious poetry focused on a number of different themes, such as “Vanity,” “Love,” “Insecurity,” “Pride,” and others. Poems are told in the first person from the perspective of the theme, or the author, and followed by corresponding scripture. It’s a unique work that touches on religious themes in a modern-day context.
In Blanket of Hearts, poet Robert A. Cozzi explores themes of love and memory and the bittersweet nexus of the two when a union ends. He captures the pain of seeing an old lover with their new flame, the chances not taken and still remembered years later, and the all-too-human desire to “hit the rewind button.” In other poems, he recalls the ecstasy of new love, “when everything tasted of ice cream” and desire is like an all-consuming riptide, pulling him toward oblivion. He charmingly describes the beloved’s voice as “the cinnamon in my hot chocolate.” The final poem […]