poetry

Sunday recs: The Dishonesty of Dreams

Published on by Sara Norja

Today’s reading recommendation is a poetry collection: The Dishonesty of Dreams by Adrienne J. Odasso.

I’ve been reading Adrienne’s poetry for a long time; I really admire her work so I’d love for other people to find her stuff, too. Here’s my review of The Dishonesty of Dreams (copied from Amazon.com):

The Dishonesty of Dreams is a haunting collection filled with lingering sadness and a strange, aching beauty. The cover works really well with the dreamlike, blue feeling of the poems. The poems flow well from one to another, and this collection was really enjoyable to read in a few longer sessions. Some especially amazing poems (that I keep returning to) include “The Still Point of the Turning World”, “Carnal Knowledge”, “Five Times I Lived by Water”, and “Cry Wolf”. Many of the poems in The Dishonesty of Dreams live in the liminal spaces between real life and the imagined – a wonderful place for poetry to exist.

Some of the poems in the collection are also available to read online. Here are some of my favourites, all very different but with Adrienne’s words shining bright:

Sunday recs: Long time no rec

Published on by Sara Norja

Sooo it’s been quite a while since I last posted any Sunday recs. I’ll try to get back into the game again – I’ve been reading lots, as always, but have neglected to recommend my favourites.

Here’s a few poems I’ve enjoyed over the past few weeks:

“The Glass Men” by Alexandra Seidel (in Ideomancer). Haunting, the repetition of “these are the men of glass” makes me think of T.S. Eliot’s “The Hollow Men”.

“The Cultivation of Beauty” by Sara Cleto (also in Ideomancer). As I think I’ve mentioned before, I have a weakness for all things related to Beauty and the Beast. This is a strange, rather dark but interesting take on it.

“Artemis Speaks to Aphrodite” by Alicia Cole (also in Ideomancer). Such achingly beautiful words. Artemis is my favourite Greek goddess, too.

“The rivers, the birchgroves, all the receding earth” by Rose Lemberg (in Strange Horizons). This is incredibly gorgeous. I am utterly in love with the language in this, and the atmosphere of hope tinged with sadness.

“Raw Honey” in Strange Horizons

Published on by Sara Norja

My poem “Raw Honey” is up in the latest issue of Strange Horizons. Yay! I’m so happy to be part of such a wonderful magazine, and for the second time too.

Read the poem here!

I’m well pleased with this poem. In my mind it’s set in the same world as my previous SH poem (“Wolf Daughter”) – a magical forested land inspired by Finnish mythology but not drawing directly from it. This wasn’t planned, but happened organically – when I wrote “Raw Honey”, only later did I realise that there might be a connection with the previous poem. There may be more where these two come from, too.

Some silly doggerel

Published on by Sara Norja

I was reading a book relevant to my PhD research yesterday, and happened upon the delightful name Gabriel Gostwyk. He was some dude in 17th-century England who may have owned an alchemical manuscript.

In the silly poem that crept out of my pen inspired by his name, however, he became something more sinister. I will share it here because it’s silly. Thursday silliness!

***

He Does What He Likes

Gabriel Gostwyk baked a pie
and sang his wife a lullaby
Gabriel Gostwyk stitched her lips
up tight, drank tea in careful sips.
Gabriel Gostwyk laughed to hear
her muffled screams of rage and fear.

Gabriel Gostwyk’s under your bed.
Gabriel Gostwyk wants you dead.

***

Goblin Fruit: Summer Is Dead

Published on by Sara Norja

Huzzah! New Goblin Fruit!

The newest issue, “Summer Is Dead”, is now available for your reading pleasure.

In it – amongst the other poems which I can’t wait to read (including work by Shweta Narayan, Mari Ness and C.S.E. Cooney!) – is my poem ‘Sorrow-stone’.

This poem has a clear source of inspiration, for once. Sometime in 2013, I was listening to the song Manan unia by the Finnish folk music band Suo. (I’ve translated/language checked the lyrics for their past few albums, for the CD covers.) I was also experiencing strong feelings of frustration on behalf of loved ones who were in pain, and me not being able to help. So, the poem came out.

If you’re interested, here are the lyrics for the song (trad., transl. by me):

*

Through the earth, through Manala,
through all six star-pricked layers of Heaven.

I dream the dreams of Mana:
earth-dreams, tree-dreams.
I am on a dangerous journey, an unknown road,
making my way to the hill of pain.

Pain-mittens on my hands,
pain-shoes on my feet.
I walk on needle-points,
on the blades of swords.

There is a rock on top of the hill of pain,
a hole in the middle of the rock
that collects all our pain.
The rock won’t weep for its pains, its pains.

[Mana, Manala – Kingdom of Death]

*

Stone Telling 11 is live!

Published on by Sara Norja

Stone Telling 11 is up – and it looks utterly awesome. I am so excited to get to read the other poems in the issue!

And I’m very pleased that my poem ‘Kuura (extract from a Finnish-English dictionary)’ is in such good company and in such a wonderful magazine. I’ve been following ST for quite a while now, and dared barely dream that my own poetry might be in it some day. But I dared to send out the poem, and the lovely editors Shweta and Rose wanted it. Happiness! And they’ve chosen a beautiful picture to go with the poem, too.

‘Kuura’ is the first of a series of poems that seek to “explain” certain hard-to-translate Finnish words and moods through poetry. I haven’t been working on them for a while, but should totally continue with it.

Sunday recs: Two poems

Published on by Sara Norja

Two poems for this sun-warm Sunday.

‘Song for an Ancient City’ by Amal El-Mohtar (in Mythic Delirium): gorgeous, makes me feel the sand and spices, the heat of the sun.

‘The Sea King’s Second Bride’ by C.S.E. Cooney (in a 2010 issue of Goblin Fruit). For me, the poem works more magic as a performance: here is a video where Claire Cooney brings it to life with such vigour, such amazing acting-magic. I was totally bowled over by her performance – I was just watching and listening with my mouth open. Do watch. It’s breathtaking.

Sunday recs: Happy-making stuff

Published on by Sara Norja

It’s still Sunday even though it’s past midnight, since I haven’t gone to bed yet, right?

Here’s three recs that I hope will make you feel as fuzzy inside as they made me:

Turnover by Jo Walton (at Lightspeed Magazine): beautiful, optimistic SF set in a spaceship called Speranza (the name isn’t subtle and I don’t even care).

Witch, Beast, Saint: an Erotic Fairy Tale by C.S.E. Cooney (at Strange Horizons): a strange and beautiful love story with a great narrator. (Note: it is indeed erotica and thus fairly explicit.)

Freyja by Nina Pelaez (at Goblin Fruit – vintage GF from 2011): a golden poem filled with summer-happiness.

Poetry sale to Stone Telling

Published on by Sara Norja

My poem ‘Kuura (extract from a Finnish-English dictionary)’ will be published in a “new poets” issue of Stone Telling. Huzzah!

I’ve admired Stone Telling’s thoughtfully compiled and beautiful issues for a long time, so I’m thrilled to be part of this future issue. I’m also very glad that ‘Kuura’ has found a home; it’s part of a series of poetic definitions for Finnish words that either defy single-word definitions or are very strongly Finnish in nature.