brenticus reviewed Concrete Kids by Ashley Lukashevsky (Pocket Change Collective)
None
3 stars
A solid reflection on black identity via a life growing up in Harlem.
When León is writing a very prosey poem about her life, the big events and the minutiae, it is really impactful. When she gets a bit more abstract with ideas and more structured with her poetry it seems to lose some of that punch, trading an emotional torrent for something that edited away its voice.
This is such a short collection that it's hard not to recommend it, and much of it is really powerful stuff, but there's also, like, a third of the book that falls a bit flat.
A solid reflection on black identity via a life growing up in Harlem.
When León is writing a very prosey poem about her life, the big events and the minutiae, it is really impactful. When she gets a bit more abstract with ideas and more structured with her poetry it seems to lose some of that punch, trading an emotional torrent for something that edited away its voice.
This is such a short collection that it's hard not to recommend it, and much of it is really powerful stuff, but there's also, like, a third of the book that falls a bit flat.
When León is writing a very prosey poem about her life, the big events and the minutiae, it is really impactful. When she gets a bit more abstract with ideas and more structured with her poetry it seems to lose some of that punch, trading an emotional torrent for something that edited away its voice.
This is such a short collection that it's hard not to recommend it, and much of it is really powerful stuff, but there's also, like, a third of the book that falls a bit flat.