qontfnns's review against another edition
3.0
Started off quite mind-blowingly, ended up just okay. 3.5 rounded down.
nibs's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Summarising feels different for poetry (then again, I don't read much poetry). There isn't an overall feeling of conclusion, because reading it is all about appreciating and absorbing fragments. Though I do have to say the final poem Feed your friends does feel very conclusive.
The poems are beautiful and creative - I like the observations and how it captures a moment. I particularly like the poems on transness & their sense of humour.
The poems are beautiful and creative - I like the observations and how it captures a moment. I particularly like the poems on transness & their sense of humour.
ell_double_u's review
challenging
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
3.75
Beautiful. My favourites were Enraptured, Abandoned greenhouse, Blueprint for a body and Sabbatical.
littlerah's review against another edition
4.0
"and what's poetry for anyway?" (39).
I was lucky enough to meet Rae at the National Young Writer's Festival this year and purchase a copy of their book which they also signed for me. They're potentially one of the nicest writers I've encountered even as I blabbered a bit, my anxiety around meeting new and inspiring people hanging in the air.
I was taken by the gorgeous cover, and connected it to another collection I'd read by Sarah Holland-Batt. The winner of the 2017 Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize, White is more than deserving as their debut collection demonstrates variation and playfulness in all its language.
The collection is divided into sections that each follow a different element of life; the struggles of gender, love, loss. Each word is used delicately in its place and you watch as White experiments with style - you will have to flip the book around - and devises.
"delete every picture of
yourself
ever taken.
take snaps of the
cat: curled angles &
sprinkled sunlight (perfect)
#CatsofInstagram
#LoveMyCat 80 likes
self-love
can wait" (33).
White offers snippets of reality to their readers and reminds them of the daily decisions made for safety and comfort. Self-care and identity are transformed through the collection. What struck me was the little bits of humour throughout, in poems like "reading your suspension" (27) that explore the difficulties of being trans.
As the collection progressed I found myself engaging more with the poems. My favourite sections IV and V presenting to readers elements of tenderness and natural imagery that reminded me of the kind of poetry that I like to write. White is able to flow between softness and harsh language with their writing, adapting to any possibility. In particular, "diary of a lavender plant" stood out among the collection.
"I press her
between folds of wildflower books & sing
timidly of the moon as she sleeps" (65).
(Also there were bees in section V, which is always a winner for me).
"Milk Teeth" is a stunning collection of poems that play with the boundaries and changes of language that we are currently exploring today. Exploring gender, love, identity and change, White is definitely a voice to be watched as they continue their writing and create more beautiful and intriguing pieces. A real honour to have met them, and a real honour to be able to read and share this collection with friends.
(Note: GoodReads isn't letting me format the poems the way that they are within the text, so when you get to reading it, enjoy the beautiful surprise enjambment!)
I was lucky enough to meet Rae at the National Young Writer's Festival this year and purchase a copy of their book which they also signed for me. They're potentially one of the nicest writers I've encountered even as I blabbered a bit, my anxiety around meeting new and inspiring people hanging in the air.
I was taken by the gorgeous cover, and connected it to another collection I'd read by Sarah Holland-Batt. The winner of the 2017 Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize, White is more than deserving as their debut collection demonstrates variation and playfulness in all its language.
The collection is divided into sections that each follow a different element of life; the struggles of gender, love, loss. Each word is used delicately in its place and you watch as White experiments with style - you will have to flip the book around - and devises.
"delete every picture of
yourself
ever taken.
take snaps of the
cat: curled angles &
sprinkled sunlight (perfect)
#CatsofInstagram
#LoveMyCat 80 likes
self-love
can wait" (33).
White offers snippets of reality to their readers and reminds them of the daily decisions made for safety and comfort. Self-care and identity are transformed through the collection. What struck me was the little bits of humour throughout, in poems like "reading your suspension" (27) that explore the difficulties of being trans.
As the collection progressed I found myself engaging more with the poems. My favourite sections IV and V presenting to readers elements of tenderness and natural imagery that reminded me of the kind of poetry that I like to write. White is able to flow between softness and harsh language with their writing, adapting to any possibility. In particular, "diary of a lavender plant" stood out among the collection.
"I press her
between folds of wildflower books & sing
timidly of the moon as she sleeps" (65).
(Also there were bees in section V, which is always a winner for me).
"Milk Teeth" is a stunning collection of poems that play with the boundaries and changes of language that we are currently exploring today. Exploring gender, love, identity and change, White is definitely a voice to be watched as they continue their writing and create more beautiful and intriguing pieces. A real honour to have met them, and a real honour to be able to read and share this collection with friends.
(Note: GoodReads isn't letting me format the poems the way that they are within the text, so when you get to reading it, enjoy the beautiful surprise enjambment!)
kotabee's review
5.0
Note to remember my favourite poems from this collection:
Mother’s milk
Abandoned greenhouse
diary of a lavender plant
Mother’s milk
Abandoned greenhouse
diary of a lavender plant
More...