The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
cobwebshelves's review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
"I think there are little parts of ourselves
that we leave behind
in all the things we love.
They are marked with us,
changed forever
while we continue on,
sometimes revisiting
to leave a little bit more of ourselves
like lilacs or lilies,
laid down beside a memory."
Maybe Today is a deeply personal poetry collection. With each season, it goes through the full journey from sinking into one's trauma to taking the steps towards healing. The poems, particularly those in the Fall and Winter sections, are very emotionally impactful, with Williams baring his vulnerability and traumatic life experiences to the reader. As the book progresses, he works towards self-betterment and acceptance, with the help of people surrounding him.
Perhaps one of my favourite aspects, other than the writing style itself, was the cohesiveness and flow of the book. Often, a poem would end mentioning an aspect of his life – where it was a certain emotion state, a person, or a life event – and the following poem would delve into that aspect deeper. It weaved a clear connection throughout the book. some moments also fall back into the grief, a reminder of sorts that healing isn't linear and fallbacks can occur.
Another thing that I think is worth complimenting is the art. Each season is preceded and followed by a landscape, and some of the pages are decorated with what seems to be watercolour illustrations. They added a nice touch and often seemed to match the emotion of the poems.Â
However, there's one thing that I believe will be a hit or miss for readers, and personally didn't work for me – the notes at the end of some of the poems (or, sometimes, in the middle of a poem but at the end of a page). I understand the intention of it, but for me, it just didn't work. Some notes would take me out of the flow and, in a way, cheapen the overall emotional impact of a poem.
Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the arc.
that we leave behind
in all the things we love.
They are marked with us,
changed forever
while we continue on,
sometimes revisiting
to leave a little bit more of ourselves
like lilacs or lilies,
laid down beside a memory."
Maybe Today is a deeply personal poetry collection. With each season, it goes through the full journey from sinking into one's trauma to taking the steps towards healing. The poems, particularly those in the Fall and Winter sections, are very emotionally impactful, with Williams baring his vulnerability and traumatic life experiences to the reader. As the book progresses, he works towards self-betterment and acceptance, with the help of people surrounding him.
Perhaps one of my favourite aspects, other than the writing style itself, was the cohesiveness and flow of the book. Often, a poem would end mentioning an aspect of his life – where it was a certain emotion state, a person, or a life event – and the following poem would delve into that aspect deeper. It weaved a clear connection throughout the book. some moments also fall back into the grief, a reminder of sorts that healing isn't linear and fallbacks can occur.
Another thing that I think is worth complimenting is the art. Each season is preceded and followed by a landscape, and some of the pages are decorated with what seems to be watercolour illustrations. They added a nice touch and often seemed to match the emotion of the poems.Â
However, there's one thing that I believe will be a hit or miss for readers, and personally didn't work for me – the notes at the end of some of the poems (or, sometimes, in the middle of a poem but at the end of a page). I understand the intention of it, but for me, it just didn't work. Some notes would take me out of the flow and, in a way, cheapen the overall emotional impact of a poem.
Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the arc.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
inkdrinkers's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
"Please don't think this was a journey / I wanted to take. / Please don't glorify this pain." (166)
S.K. Williams returns with their sophomore poetry collection "Maybe Today" about grief and how to keep forging towards the light in difficult times.
In this unique collection, Williams writes poetry in a journal and then shares it with a close friend, who leaves annotations throughout. I was a bit uncertain when I opened this collection how I'd feel about the addition of notes from a third party - but wow, I really ended up loving the notes. They were affirmations that the grief and emotions in each piece were valid, but also a stark reminder that the world is sometimes harsh but feels less so if you have a trusted friend beside you.
I found myself loving a lot of these poems! It would simply be too much to list them all, but my favorite section was Fall. I felt like it was an incredibly powerful opening for this collection and the art throughout was both warm and comforting. The idea of watching a quiet love story play out in the notes section as the poet fell slowly in love with his friend (and now partner) was so beautiful and felt like a gift to read about.
Some of the poems did seem to drag for me, but they ebbed and flowed like mental health often does. This is a highly personal collection which I think might deter some readers who don't have a personal connection with how up and down mental health journeys can be. I will say, occasionally the notes were a little cheesy at the end of poems, or were more personal in nature, but I stand by the fact they felt more reaffirming and comforting over pedantic or childish.
Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.
Content warnings for: grief, loss of a parent, alcoholism (from a parent), death of an animal, suicidal thoughts, mental health
S.K. Williams returns with their sophomore poetry collection "Maybe Today" about grief and how to keep forging towards the light in difficult times.
In this unique collection, Williams writes poetry in a journal and then shares it with a close friend, who leaves annotations throughout. I was a bit uncertain when I opened this collection how I'd feel about the addition of notes from a third party - but wow, I really ended up loving the notes. They were affirmations that the grief and emotions in each piece were valid, but also a stark reminder that the world is sometimes harsh but feels less so if you have a trusted friend beside you.
I found myself loving a lot of these poems! It would simply be too much to list them all, but my favorite section was Fall. I felt like it was an incredibly powerful opening for this collection and the art throughout was both warm and comforting. The idea of watching a quiet love story play out in the notes section as the poet fell slowly in love with his friend (and now partner) was so beautiful and felt like a gift to read about.
Some of the poems did seem to drag for me, but they ebbed and flowed like mental health often does. This is a highly personal collection which I think might deter some readers who don't have a personal connection with how up and down mental health journeys can be. I will say, occasionally the notes were a little cheesy at the end of poems, or were more personal in nature, but I stand by the fact they felt more reaffirming and comforting over pedantic or childish.
Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.
Content warnings for: grief, loss of a parent, alcoholism (from a parent), death of an animal, suicidal thoughts, mental health
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Fire/Fire injury
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