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Undercurrent
'There is no dream
there is no real
I dance around you
but I cannot feel.'
Jen Minkman (1978) is a Dutch author writing her poetry in English. Her influences are Suzanne Vega, Tori Amos and Yoko Ono. 'Undercurrent' is her first volume of poetry. She writes chicklit and paranormal romance for a Dutch publishing house in Arnhem.
there is no real
I dance around you
but I cannot feel.'
Jen Minkman (1978) is a Dutch author writing her poetry in English. Her influences are Suzanne Vega, Tori Amos and Yoko Ono. 'Undercurrent' is her first volume of poetry. She writes chicklit and paranormal romance for a Dutch publishing house in Arnhem.
- GenresPoetry
24 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
83 people want to read
About the author
Jen Minkman
87 books505 followersJen Minkman (1978) writes YA paranormal romance, dystopian fiction and poetry. She is from the Netherlands and self-publishes her work in English. Her works are available in paperback & digital format (ebook and audio).
You can subscribe to her newsletter here > http://eepurl.com/bTXSWv
Jen was born in the Netherlands and lived in Austria, Belgium and the UK during her studies. She learned how to read at the age of three and has never stopped reading since. Her favourite books to read are (YA) paranormal/fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian and romance, and this is reflected in the stories she writes. In her home country, she is a trade-published author of paranormal romance and chicklit. Across the border, she is a self-published author of poetry, paranormal romance and dystopian fiction. Her books are already available in English, Dutch, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Afrikaans.
She currently resides in The Hague where she works and lives with her husband and two noisy zebra finches.
You can subscribe to her newsletter here > http://eepurl.com/bTXSWv
Jen was born in the Netherlands and lived in Austria, Belgium and the UK during her studies. She learned how to read at the age of three and has never stopped reading since. Her favourite books to read are (YA) paranormal/fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian and romance, and this is reflected in the stories she writes. In her home country, she is a trade-published author of paranormal romance and chicklit. Across the border, she is a self-published author of poetry, paranormal romance and dystopian fiction. Her books are already available in English, Dutch, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Afrikaans.
She currently resides in The Hague where she works and lives with her husband and two noisy zebra finches.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 13 reviews
April 20, 2015
Writers are the artists of the written word, from their vivid imaginations to their ability to cobble a tale together from singular words. I’ve read Jen Minkman’s work, but I was still in awe of her poetry. There is no flash, no points of shock, just gently flowing words on a page and tell the poet’s thoughts in their bare simplicity. This is not high school poetry leaking tears and angst, these are like soft breezes that do not overpower the senses.
If you are still reeling from school required poetry reading, here’s another chance to let poetry redeem itself, just for the enjoyment of it. You may find yourself going back and picking up those tomes from school and seeing the real beauty in poetry, not dissecting structured cadence, every hidden meaning, and laying your own work beneath the teacher’s read pen. (I still get shivers from that.) Settle back and relax, read and feel the words of Jen Minkman.
Publication Date: April 9, 2012
Publisher: Jen Minkman
Genre: Poetry
Print Length: 24 pages
Available FREE from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
If you are still reeling from school required poetry reading, here’s another chance to let poetry redeem itself, just for the enjoyment of it. You may find yourself going back and picking up those tomes from school and seeing the real beauty in poetry, not dissecting structured cadence, every hidden meaning, and laying your own work beneath the teacher’s read pen. (I still get shivers from that.) Settle back and relax, read and feel the words of Jen Minkman.
Publication Date: April 9, 2012
Publisher: Jen Minkman
Genre: Poetry
Print Length: 24 pages
Available FREE from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
April 13, 2012
What we have here is a collection of 19 poems. What I liked most about Jen's collection is the brevity of it. I really enjoyed the simplicity of some of the poems. And while the poems are brief, it doesn't mean that they don't make you feel or think. I've taken a moment to point out some of my favorite poems from the collection:
“Break-up” sums up the process of a failed relationship. If you've ever been in a lousy relationship that has ended, I think that it will speak to you. “No fury like me” - I think that we have felt this way in some ways, talking about how things are going to be, in a vengeful kind of way. “Time” spoke to me about life, and in general, “time” is interesting to me. “Phoenix” was really neat and I think I liked it because it speaks to me about time. And finally, “Desire” is another one that I enjoyed. It spoke about the want of belonging to someone and the magnetism of two people. There are a couple of other poems that I enjoyed, but I obviously can't favorite them all. There were some poems that made me wonder what else was going on for the author to write what she did, but I think that people will be able to relate to some of the emotions portrayed. This is my favorite quote from Undercurrent: “The dreamer is within the dream. The dreamer is the dream within.”
I’m glad that I had the opportunity to become acquainted with Jen’s poetry. I don’t regret giving this book a try.
“Break-up” sums up the process of a failed relationship. If you've ever been in a lousy relationship that has ended, I think that it will speak to you. “No fury like me” - I think that we have felt this way in some ways, talking about how things are going to be, in a vengeful kind of way. “Time” spoke to me about life, and in general, “time” is interesting to me. “Phoenix” was really neat and I think I liked it because it speaks to me about time. And finally, “Desire” is another one that I enjoyed. It spoke about the want of belonging to someone and the magnetism of two people. There are a couple of other poems that I enjoyed, but I obviously can't favorite them all. There were some poems that made me wonder what else was going on for the author to write what she did, but I think that people will be able to relate to some of the emotions portrayed. This is my favorite quote from Undercurrent: “The dreamer is within the dream. The dreamer is the dream within.”
I’m glad that I had the opportunity to become acquainted with Jen’s poetry. I don’t regret giving this book a try.
Want to read
December 17, 2012"There is no dream
there is no real
I dance around you
but I cannot feel."
Sounds wonderful.
there is no real
I dance around you
but I cannot feel."
Sounds wonderful.
May 5, 2012
I've mentioned the 'book cover' in my past two reviews and will mention it YET again here (after all, it *is* important!)--I am very impressed with Jen Minkman's painting for the book cover. It is like an extension and a visual 'glimpse' to the artistic mind of the poet, before we get to reading the actual text in the poetry (which adds an even more personal kind of touch to the poetry collection, which I like, since poetry is a rather personal affair).
I noticed one of the reviewers here on Amazon.com said that Jen Minkman "writes like a machine gun," which is an apt description! The poems are short which kind of captures the intensity of the emotions being expressed. I especially liked "shoot me / shoot me"--the sound of it, the way it looked, the length of the poem, the message, everything about it was so very precise.
'Sun', 'Desire', and 'No fury like me' were some of the ones I enjoyed immensely too. And I like the poem that ended the Undercurrent collection too. Out of all the poems that appear in the collection, it was definitely the best one to leave the reader with, to ponder and savour. It makes us remember what is important in life, and to respect our inner needs and aspirations. That's what I took away from the last piece ;) I'm thankful for having had the luxurious opportunity to witness the 'Undercurrent'--AKA 'the reason' that Ms. Minkman writes poetry!
I noticed one of the reviewers here on Amazon.com said that Jen Minkman "writes like a machine gun," which is an apt description! The poems are short which kind of captures the intensity of the emotions being expressed. I especially liked "shoot me / shoot me"--the sound of it, the way it looked, the length of the poem, the message, everything about it was so very precise.
'Sun', 'Desire', and 'No fury like me' were some of the ones I enjoyed immensely too. And I like the poem that ended the Undercurrent collection too. Out of all the poems that appear in the collection, it was definitely the best one to leave the reader with, to ponder and savour. It makes us remember what is important in life, and to respect our inner needs and aspirations. That's what I took away from the last piece ;) I'm thankful for having had the luxurious opportunity to witness the 'Undercurrent'--AKA 'the reason' that Ms. Minkman writes poetry!
January 20, 2013
A fantastic set of poems that are spreading warm mood around. Feels the spirit of the book just from the first poem !!!
Really enjoyed reading and one of the books that can be read as much as possible.
Thank you very much for such a gem !!! Wish you many many successful books ahead !!!
Sincerely,
Syuzanna Aslanyan
Armenia
Really enjoyed reading and one of the books that can be read as much as possible.
Thank you very much for such a gem !!! Wish you many many successful books ahead !!!
Sincerely,
Syuzanna Aslanyan
Armenia
January 8, 2013
This collection of poems is absolutely amazing. Minkman expresses an intensity of emotion in a short verse that most authors couldn't deal with in a truckload of weighty tomes.
April 28, 2023
*4 stars*
Extremely short and sweet. Exactly my kind of poetry. I'd read this even if it were hundreds of pages. I almost wish it was!
Extremely short and sweet. Exactly my kind of poetry. I'd read this even if it were hundreds of pages. I almost wish it was!
February 11, 2015
Sixteen short, deeply introspective poems that connect with the human spirit in it's deepest condition of hurt....despair....distrust.
Titles include:
1. The Morning Grass
2. Unraveled
3. The Collectors
4. The Lost People of Earth
5. Phoenix
6. 1001 Summers
7. Break-up
8. Time
9. Sun
10. Crossing
11. Desire
12. Over the Hill
13. Evermore
14. Lost
15. No Fury Like Me
16. Under the Mountain
At the time of this review, this a free offering from the author. Free, but well worth an expenditure if its status is changed.
I read these quickly, but I'll be back to revisit them in depth. Undercurrent is one of those rare titles that will permanently reside on the virtual shelf of my Kindle so that it can be pulled down and enjoyed over and over again.
Two formatting issues were noticed at the ends of The Lost People of Earth and Under the Mountain where the final couple lines are split off the body of the poem and are read on a separate page by themselves.
Titles include:
1. The Morning Grass
2. Unraveled
3. The Collectors
4. The Lost People of Earth
5. Phoenix
6. 1001 Summers
7. Break-up
8. Time
9. Sun
10. Crossing
11. Desire
12. Over the Hill
13. Evermore
14. Lost
15. No Fury Like Me
16. Under the Mountain
At the time of this review, this a free offering from the author. Free, but well worth an expenditure if its status is changed.
I read these quickly, but I'll be back to revisit them in depth. Undercurrent is one of those rare titles that will permanently reside on the virtual shelf of my Kindle so that it can be pulled down and enjoyed over and over again.
Two formatting issues were noticed at the ends of The Lost People of Earth and Under the Mountain where the final couple lines are split off the body of the poem and are read on a separate page by themselves.
April 14, 2012
Undercurrent will sweep you away!
The title matches the poetry exactly. The powerful and strong emotional words seem to whisk you off your feet and force you to swim inside the honest world of Jen Minkman. The poem, "The Collectors" left me with a chill! It could be talking about a number of different people, but no matter who you see in it, it is still a frightening image. There is wonderful use of imagery in Undercurrent as well as an interesting use of structure. I felt a strong sense of female independence and power! There is pain and hurt in the messages and I could deeply relate to them. The poetry themes are vast, but that is not necessarily bad. I did enjoy the fact that I didn't know what could be the poem on the next page. I will leave you with my favorite part: "in the slant of the/early morning light/ They had come for me."
This book is highly recommended to those looking for
a thrilling emotional wave to surf on!
The title matches the poetry exactly. The powerful and strong emotional words seem to whisk you off your feet and force you to swim inside the honest world of Jen Minkman. The poem, "The Collectors" left me with a chill! It could be talking about a number of different people, but no matter who you see in it, it is still a frightening image. There is wonderful use of imagery in Undercurrent as well as an interesting use of structure. I felt a strong sense of female independence and power! There is pain and hurt in the messages and I could deeply relate to them. The poetry themes are vast, but that is not necessarily bad. I did enjoy the fact that I didn't know what could be the poem on the next page. I will leave you with my favorite part: "in the slant of the/early morning light/ They had come for me."
This book is highly recommended to those looking for
a thrilling emotional wave to surf on!
October 27, 2012
"Undercurrent" is the perfect title for this poetry book. Each poem has an emotion all its own, but it is subtle. They truly feel like poems riding on top of an undercurrent. Emotional intensity is bursting beneath the surface of these short, calm verses, given away only by a word here and there.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading these poems, often two or three times, and delving into the meaning and emotions behind them. They are interpretive - and one can spend a good deal of time contemplating any one of them to glean more and more meaning from subtleties such as wording, pace, or even length and grammar.
The book is short and simple, as are many of the poems, but especially for the price of e-books now days, it still completely worth the buy if you are a fan of poetry, or enjoy to explore the depth and meaning of emotions.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading these poems, often two or three times, and delving into the meaning and emotions behind them. They are interpretive - and one can spend a good deal of time contemplating any one of them to glean more and more meaning from subtleties such as wording, pace, or even length and grammar.
The book is short and simple, as are many of the poems, but especially for the price of e-books now days, it still completely worth the buy if you are a fan of poetry, or enjoy to explore the depth and meaning of emotions.
October 11, 2015
A short and quick read of very thought-provoking poems. The word and punctuation choices make for wonderful imagery.
July 30, 2018
“the dreamer is within the dream.
the dreamer is the dream within.”
the dreamer is the dream within.”
Displaying 1 - 12 of 13 reviews