In an effort to catch up on a few book reviews before 2022 ends, I’m going to try something a little different. Each day this week I will publish a book review but instead of going into great detail, I will write a point form book review and focus on a few highlights. Here we go!
- Baer’s 3rd book of poetry
- See my previous reviews here and here
- short form poems
- many with a focus on motherhood and/or womanhood
- several with a political slant (I think it’s fair to say Baer is left-leaning in her politics)
- great, easy entry into poetry for those who might not be that into poetry
- Here’s one I can identify with:
She is reading, her soft body dead
against the sofa. Nothing moves
except the moon of her eyes.
The children in bed.
Her husband in bed.
The dog asleep against the oven.
Outside the wind howls, wolflike,
keeping the morning at bay.
“Bliss” by Kate Baer
Karissa Reads Books 
Good idea! That reviewing backlog can become a millstone!
Tempted to try dot point reviews myself!
The poet obviously knows what a person has to do to get in some reading time 🙂
Ooh, I do like poetry that invokes an image or feeling. I’m not into the stuff that’s super abstract and I can’t figure out at all. But that quote that you shared gave me a good sense of how this poet writes.
Baer is quite grounded in the real world. Plus her poems are all short. She’s a good poet to read for people not that into poetry, I think!
I have a quiet dream that poetry will once again become a medium for the working class person. Back when Detroit had a Black-owned poetry publisher, it was not uncommon to see people working on the auto line with a book of poetry stuffed in their back pockets to read during breaks.
That would be wonderful! It’s frustrating that poetry is seen as inaccessible when it was never intended that way.
I too can relate to this poem, except its the morning when everyone is still asleep haha
Love the point form reviews!
Mornings for me too!