Poetry Readers Challenge discussion

Witch Hunt is a collection of “here’s where I’m at right now” poems that is raw, intimate, sometimes funny, sometimes sock you in the gut and “yeah, I’ve been there”. It’s sitting down with a good friend and drinking too much coffee while she unloads all that’s going on in her life at the moment. And you’re more than willing to listen because her life is this haunting juxtaposition between tragic and beautiful. And it’s cathartic so…there’s that, too. And you both thought Axl Rose was hot at one time so…there’s THAT, too That’s Witch Hunt in a nutshell. I feel as though Escoria is the second poet I’ve described this way. I have total respect though for her honesty and the transparency with which she writes. With the way in which she either trusts her reader tremendously or could give a f*** what the reader thinks. This is confessional poetry at its best.



Reading Bridget Fonda felt a little like when you meet a stranger on a plane or in the grocery line or something and they proceed to tell you all the intimate details of their life, and you don’t know how to react because you’re so stunned that they’re being so transparent and vulnerable and unabashedly honest with someone they barely know. Yeah…it was like that.

Some poems made me laugh out loud (Jim Carrey; oh my). Others hit me with that wild uncomfortable feeling; like, what do I do with that! And still with others I felt that connection with the poet of yeah…I’ve felt like that. I’ve totally felt like that!



Portraits of Girls I Never Met is a lovely, haunting collection. Lost somewhere between the worlds of prose and poetry, of fiction and nonfiction, one of the things I enjoy about this collection is its lack of definability.

I also enjoyed the way in which the poet brought out these deep, introspective, confessional moments within seemingly ordinary events and occurrences. It reminded me a little of post-modernism, and I love seeing those aha moments in literature because it reminds me to take notice of them in my own life.

The quiet melancholy of the various scenes, the raw vulnerability of emotion, and the unabashed honesty of the various pieces make this a truly worthwhile read. Whether you love or hate poetry the blurred line in which the author writes will appeal to you. Its accessible and full of meaning and doesn’t make you dig for it.


For lovers of poetry, fairy tales, and feminism, Unexplained Fevers re-imagines heroines (an heroes) of fairy tales in fresh, poignant ways.

Some poems give a modern spin on the old classics. Some give a different perspective of those medieval worlds. All of them saturate the reader with meaning, mystery, and plenty to ponder.

Several of these poems spoke directly into my life. All created beautiful, lyrical visual images with words. Among the favorites are “Risking Our Lives”, “I Like the Quiet: Rapunzel”, In Which Jack and Jill…”, “Retreat”, “Seascape”, and “The Trail Grows Cold” (my favorite!)


I didn’t love it as much as Unexplained Fevers but…there are some cool associations between comic book and fairy tale heroines that I found creatively inspiring and entertaining. I’ll re-read it, and that’s the mark of a good book, right?