{"id":8856,"date":"2021-10-08T16:18:53","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T20:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/?p=8856"},"modified":"2021-10-08T17:27:38","modified_gmt":"2021-10-08T21:27:38","slug":"book-review-tortured-willows-bent-bowed-unbroken-by-lee-murray-geneve-flynn-christina-sng-and-angela-yuriko-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/book-review-tortured-willows-bent-bowed-unbroken-by-lee-murray-geneve-flynn-christina-sng-and-angela-yuriko-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Tortured Willows: Bent. Bowed. Unbroken. by Lee Murray, Geneve Flynn, Christina Sng, and Angela Yuriko Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"cover<\/a><\/p>\n

Tortured Willows: Bent. Bowed. Unbroken. <\/em>by Lee Murray, Geneve Flynn, Christina Sng, and Angela Yuriko Smith<\/p>\n

Yuriko Publishing, 2021<\/p>\n

ISBN: 9781737208<\/p>\n

Available: Paperback \u00a0(Amazon.com)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A striking, heart-wrenching masterpiece, comprised of four vital voices in verse.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This four-poet compilation of works extends on themes addressed in the multiple award winning anthology, Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women <\/em>(Lee Murray and Geneve Flynn, editors). <\/em>The individual poems are highly accessible and strike fiercely, each bringing to life \u201ca story on skin\u201d (Angela Yuriko Smith, \u201cHer Hajichi\u201d), and each written with unyielding voice and unique strength.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At once painful and powerful, the collection as a whole exemplifies the best of speculative poetry and is a collection that will be re-read again and again: first all at once because the poems bring you quickly into their vivid images and worlds, and then returned to over time for their courageous meanings and profound insights.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Highlights includes Murray\u2019s \u201cDefining Character,\u201d which explores language itself and the associations inherent to female life; Flynn\u2019s remarkable blackout poem \u201cAbridge,\u201d unearthing hidden realities and hopes for an end to gendered violence\u201d; the harsh cruelties imposed by the wealthy on a young immigrant girl employed in the home in Sng\u2019s \u201cPhoenix.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Alongside a combination of traditional forms and free verse work, the poets also offer short commentaries. This addition invites readers into deeper reflection on and conversation with the authors\u2019 processes and purposes, an engaging and inspired aspect of the collection. Filled with diverse poems that explore complex themes like ancestral obligations, cultural appropriation and violence, intimate exotification and misogyny, the impact of the work also moves in intriguing, new directions toward empowering, reimagined histories and myths.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Beautifully arranged by individual author, each set of poems works on its own and contributes to the overall themes. The resulting range of voices and styles is merged into a magnificently cohesive set addressing intersecting issues of culture and gender. Potent truths, rich details, and dynamic verse, these poems bloom with taut images that slice away preconceptions and deepen attention to appropriations of heritage and impositions of restricting expectations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fans of Black Cranes <\/em>looking for more work by the authors, as well as fans of modern speculative verse and horror poetry will revel in this impressive collection. From goddesses and teenagers to angry ghosts, these poems will haunt and inspire. Highly Recommend.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reviewed by E.F. Schraeder<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tortured Willows: Bent. Bowed. Unbroken. by Lee Murray, Geneve Flynn, Christina Sng, and Angela Yuriko Smith Yuriko Publishing, 2021 ISBN: 9781737208 Available: Paperback \u00a0(Amazon.com)   A striking, heart-wrenching masterpiece, comprised of four vital voices in verse.   This four-poet compilation of works extends on themes addressed in the multiple award winning anthology, Black Cranes: Tales<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3737,4729,4738,2092,4732,2093,3771,4730,4979,828],"class_list":["post-8856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-angela-yuriko-smith","tag-black-cranes-tales-of-unquiet-women","tag-christina-sng","tag-dark-poetry","tag-geneve-flynn","tag-horror-poetry","tag-lee-murray","tag-southeast-asian-writers","tag-tortured-willows","tag-women-writers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8856"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8894,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8856\/revisions\/8894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}