Wednesday, November 28, 2018

HOW TO (UN)CAGE A GIRL




Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org


How to (Un)cage a Girl, Francesca Lia Block, HarperCollins Publishers, 2008, 120 pp
 
 
This book of poetry is by the author of the stupendous Weetzie Bat, my favorite YA novel ever! After I finished the WB Yeats collection in September, I went to my shelves and found only three books of poetry: an already read collection of Edna St Vincent Millay, The Standard Book of British and American Verse published in 1932, and a signed advance reader copy of these poems by Block. That night I opened How to (Un)cage a Girl and resumed my new poem-a-day practice.
 
There is no doubt that these poems come from the unique sensibility of Francesca Lia Block. Magical, emotional, probably auto-biographical. In three sections she does teenage years, young woman years, and more mature woman years.

The poems express the secret thoughts of women. While they are set in a world of adventurous, sometimes misbehaving females, I think that even the most proper, well-behaved women have these secret thoughts and feelings.

I just ordered Sylvia Plath's Ariel. Female poetry is what I need these days. Are you reading poetry? If yes, what?

8 comments:

  1. I haven't been reading poetry lately. You've inspired me to delve more into poetry as poetry isn't normally a genre I gravitate towards.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I forget what got me inspired this year but reading one poem a day is nice and easy. Sometimes I read the poem out loud and it seems to sink in better.

      Delete
  2. I have several collections of poetry on my TBR, some of which I've read already in the past. I haven't read poetry since 2015. Perhaps it's time to delve into the genre once more. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had not read poetry since college so you are already ahead of me-:)

      Delete
  3. I'm a "dipper." I dip into various poetry collections, usually several times a week and often visit the Poetry Foundation online magazine. I'm not familiar with this poet but perhaps I should make her acquaintance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think my followers here (and I) would love to know the titles of a couple of your poetry collections.

      Delete
  4. I admit I haven't been reading poetry lately but keep reminding us! I'm curious about this author and Weetzie Bat (don't know it) .... I must get on the stick, pronto. Anything L.A. based ... and I'm there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Everything she writes is all LA! Weetzie Bat blew my mind when I read it. It would have been my dream come true when I was a young wild girl!

      Delete