On the Subject of Blackberries

Poetry can be a powerful tool for coping with the brutal world. Stephanie Wyotovich acknowledges this in the introduction to On the Subject of Blackberries when she mentions that poetry was a vehicle for processing post partum depression.

This was the motivation for writing this collection of poetry. Throughout the collection dark imagery is utilized to meditate on the world. As a huge fan of Shirley Jackson's work, I love the references to We Have Always Lived In the Castle. Yet Wyotovich also manages to maintain her own unique voice while nodding to Jackson's work.

As a lover of dark poetry, I found myself   savoring the words in this collection. I have been a fan of Stephanie's poetry for awhile and this is her best work yet.

Thanks to the author for my review copy.

I am also posting this review on Goodreads.