Self Portrait: Poems & Essays

by Makenzie Campbell

Join Makenzie Campbell on an intimate odyssey through the unfiltered emotions of love, growth, and self-discovery in her coming-of-age collection, where each verse is a brushstroke in the self-portrait of navigating the labyrinth of one's twenties.Embark on a journey of self-discovery with bestselling poet Makenzie Campbell in this captivating coming-of-age collection. Through the raw and honest lens of her pen, she delves into the intricacies of falling in love, navigating the challenges of growing up, embracing womanhood, and the profound experience of finding oneself. Each chapter is accompanied by personal essays, offering an intimate glimpse into the inspiration behind her poetry. Lost in the labyrinth of her twenties, Makenzie paints her self-portrait with words, inviting readers to find their own reflections within the pages of this soul-stirring exploration. This is not just a collection; it's a shared odyssey of heart, growth, and the beautiful chaos of becoming.

Genres: Poetry

192 pages, Paperback

Published September 3, 2024

Reviews

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Self Portrait is a collection of poems and essays about different experiences the author has been through and learned from. The collection speaks like a canvas built up of different brush strokes (poems), all adding to a personal portrait of the authors navigation through her 20s. I loved the personal essay at the start of each chapter and felt it brought more insight into the author herself. The illustrations were a great addition to the collection, too. Some of the poems resonated with me from my own experience of my 20s and brought back memories of things I've not thought about in years.

[Miranda Beaupre · Rating 5 out of 5]

“i am dancing on the edge of throwing it all away”

i loved how all over the place this book was. being a collection of stories, experiences, and poems all in one gave me a new look into this authors life and truly made me want to read more of her work. i loved so many of the pieces in this book. i definitely will need to read it again to truly appreciate all of its beauty.

[Bea (beansbookshelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley.

A beautifully written poetry and prose collection. There are many illustrations throughout the book and passages written in creative formats which give it a nice touch. The book is divided in several sections, and my favourite was Womanhood. I feel like it was the one which spoke to me the most.

It talks about love, heartbreak, hopes, dreams, and disappointment. I could sense the feelings and emotions put into these pieces, and I could connect with the author. I really enjoyed reading it and wished there was more.

[Sirah · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this poetry and essay collection, the author courageously reveals hopes, tragedies, dreams, and disappointments in a free verse format. The style is heartfelt and deeply authentic, sometimes feeling like stream of consciousness or diary entries, other times feeling like the first words after a long silence and a deep breath.

I really wanted to like this collection, and I honestly think it's good. However, the writer continually alluded to passionate feelings of love and attraction, assuming that everyone is allosexual and amatonormative. I am not. If you want me to feel something, you need to describe it, not just tell me you're feeling it. I don't hate love poems, but I hate love poems that just say "I felt in love." There's nothing for my imagination to cling to. Topics like longing, womanhood, and growing up also don't fit very well into my brain, so it was hard to connect with the lack of word pictures in these poems.
Poems are meant to evoke feelings and build connection, but I was further distracted by the fact that there aren't any capital letters. Why aren't there any capital letters? I have nothing against experimental styles, but in this case, I found it distracting instead of a way to enhance the content.

There were certainly more than a few poems that resonated with me, and I hope this book finds its way into the hands of other folks who can more easily find connection and inspiration from these writings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue publishing for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Mavis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the poetry and the essay I felt that they made a great combination. I also enjoyed how the poetry followed and ebbed, which made me keep wanting to delve deeper and to feel more with the author.

One thing I struggled with in this book was the lack of uppercasing and some other punctuation. Though I can see where the literal meaning can come in and why this choice was made, it sometimes made the book difficult to read.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for an EARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

Self Portrait is a beautifully written books! Filled with poetry and essays it almost felt like I was reading the author’s private journal. I also loved the photos and drawings, they added a little extra to the book. Would highly recommend! I will probably be reading this book over and over again!

[❆ Ash ❆ (fable link in bio) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[Breanna Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Relatable poems, fast read

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for this Advance Readers Copy ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first attempt at reading a collection of essays along with poems and it read like someone’s journal, feeling very personal which I’m assuming was the authors purpose.

As a black woman Veteran in my thirties, I honestly don’t think I’m the target audience to enjoy this book. Poetry is art and is subjective. Although I can appreciate this writing’s beauty, I personally couldn’t relate to any of it. I found myself skimming the through the essays.

I’m sure the right people will enjoy this book. I give a rating of 3 stars because I love the author’s vulnerability, but I guess I wanted a little bit more strong minded, self loving woman depiction. A previous review stated this book reads like a Taylor Swift album and I find that very accurate….unfortunately I’m also not a T Swift fan

[Kenzie West · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I did enjoy this collection, I often found my mind wandering. Too many times did the poems fail to take a hold of me.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makenzie Campbell's Self Portrait: Poems & Essays offers readers a glimpse into a young woman's life in her early twenties as she navigates her world. Everyday challenges of love, loss, and longing are shared by Campbell. Her beautiful writings reveal her soul and raw emotions. Typical of young people, she questions who she is as a young woman and what she wants to achieve as an individual. Her most intimate thoughts and feelings growing up, and how they influenced her during her youth and young adulthood, are shared. Her writing is relatable. She writes with openness and honesty, and that is what readers will relate to. As well as the good, she shares the difficult and the painful times as well. In these pages, I see a bit of my own five daughters.

[Katie ᥫ᭡. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mackenzie Campbell's collection of poems and essays is a heartfelt and profound exploration of young adulthood. With grace and vulnerability, Campbell navigates themes of identity, relationships, and the complex emotions that come with growing up.

Her words resonate deeply, offering solace and understanding to anyone on this journey. The honesty in her writing makes it easy to connect with each piece, creating a sense of shared experience and comfort. The way she delves into vulnerability and the search for self-identity is both touching and enlightening, providing readers with a mirror to reflect on their own lives.

Campbell's insights into relationships are particularly poignant, capturing the delicate balance of love, loss, and the strength found in human connections. Her ability to articulate these feelings so beautifully is truly a gift.

Thank you, NetGalley, Central Avenue Publishing, and Mackenzie Campbell, for the opportunity to read this inspiring collection.

[Emily | bookwhispererem · Rating 5 out of 5]

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝐸-𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐓𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤, 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲-𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.

𝐻𝓊𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝑀𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓃𝓏𝒾𝑒 𝒞𝒶𝓂𝓅𝒷𝑒𝓁𝓁, 𝒞𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓁 𝒜𝓋𝑒𝓃𝓊𝑒 𝒫𝓊𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

[Skylar C. R. Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars ✨

This beautiful poetry and essay collection stores a lot of very emotionally tackling and thought provoking topics where I had to take moments to simply breathe and let it sink, let it all just sink in. The verses will make you f e e l, whether you like it or not. I have a few favourite poems stored in the pocket of my heart while reading and I definitely would recommend it for other poem lovers.

[Lea Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lately I've been reading & annotating the poetry books I read. This intimate meeting of Makenzie Campbell was also an awakening, a rebirth, an introduction to myself. Through this journey I not only got to sit with many eras & versions of her, I am so got the chance to sit & meet with versions of myself. I cried. I laughed. I learned. Self Potrait was a beautiful rendition of life. Behind are remnants of her & of me, so glad we all got to meet.

Definitely a must read!

[Sarah (blissbubbley) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting mix of not just poetry but essays. So there's kind of a bit of a reframing when you read it because obviously poetry I think is a lot easier to kind of read and get the rhythm of it.

whereas with the essays it was deeper. But actually I found the essays were the ones I connected most with and they went more into the emotional side of things.

And I liked the way that this was leading through the book. It was a really good way of putting all the content together.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is Makenzie’s best work to date. What an honest and authentic collection. It feels like talking to an old friend on the phone or a tight hug after a long day. This was beautifully written, raw, and healed parts of me I didn’t know needed healing. An ode to growing up, self love, and experiencing an ever changing world. Wow.

[bookishlycaffenaited · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Poetry for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I found this poetry collection to be rife with cliches, and rambles instead of deep and authentic explorations of some of the themes presented, such as grief and growth. Poetry is, of course, subjective, so I'm glad it resonates with others, but it was unfortunately a miss for me.

[Christi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Self Portrait is a beautifully written books filled with poetry and essays. It felt like I was reading the author’s journal and had a sneak peak inside her life experiences.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing the opportunity to read to read ARC.

[Melissa Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deep and honest poetry and essay collection on love, self, and self discovery. I felt pangs of nostalgia reading about childhood and siblings, and the pieces on love, growth, and self discovery pulled at the heart.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

[Dominique Mullenbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

a healthy amount of tears were shed, in a good way! I love the honesty and vulnerability-felt like I was reading my own journal at some points and thats something that makes poetry so sweet and comforting

[lex · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a beautiful coming-of-age collection. a lot of what was written made me feel seen and comforted. a great reminder that we are all humans living life for the first time, just trying to figure it all out. 🤍

[Hannah Schwefel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was hard to connect to this poet. She's young and speaks about her life struggles. I just didn't feel it was very relatable to my current self. a few thought provoking ideas, like all of your past selves in a room and being authentically you.

[Ruby M · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ made me think, and isn’t that what poetry’s all about?

[Katie Magel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one day, it was emotional and relatable and really beautiful. It gave me big sister advice vibes

[Kiernan Parnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the first book i’ve ever taken my time to read it. these thoughts, memories & moments are so beautifully captured. i absolutely savored it.

[Seth Zemir · Rating 5 out of 5]

made me want to write my own poetry book!

[Deanne D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn’t my cup of tea. Hard to finish the book of poems.

[Alyssa Borg · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t read any more after the first few sections, I can appreciate her insight but I didn’t find it super impactful unfortunately

[Siena Catalini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to love reading poetry, this was so nostalgic for me x