Songs of the Sun

by W. Scott

songs of the sun is a tale of disconnect and yet a story of finding one’s own orbit once again. Within these pages lie grief, blame, relational hardship between father and son, the inheritance of failed love, but also, a tale of hope, rebirth, and finding the strength to break the cycle.

Genres: Poetry, Teen

142 pages, Hardcover

Published January 14, 2025

About the author

constant wanderer and consumer of coffee. born within the big city and raised in a small town, w. scott constantly dreams of what lies beyond the mountains of pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Beth Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry has always caught me off guard.

As a teen I remember thinking it was too hard to understand, and then being knocked off my feet by a few poems that spoke to me so deeply I remember to this day the experience of reading them for the first time.

As I’ve grown into adulthood, I’ve chosen poetry instead of having it chosen for me. I’ve usually chosen it when things are going really well (and my brain wants to grow) or when things are really hard (and my brain needs something short, something to put words to things too hard for me).

@w_scott_author’s poetry blends my poetry experiences so well; he writes specifically for adolescents about the realities of living in a broken world. And yet his words are so universal that adult me reads these poems as teen me and adult me at the same time.

Songs of the Sun officially releases tomorrow, January 14, and I hope you’ll take the chance on this collection of poetry…for yourself, for your teens. These are words of pain and hurt, and these are words of becoming and of hope.

One of my favorite poems is called “phoenix song (prelude)” because it captures the moments before anything is good, before anything is fixed, before anything is getting better. It is a picture of what it means to hope, truly hope without sight.

“it’s the type of grief
that manifests as an all-consuming fire.

each individual flame springs to life.
consumes my manic heart.
and leave me with the kick and sway
of pulling through (without seeing anyone).

even though i am buried beneath
the salt and the ashes
with flinging arms and barely
enough breath.

know that i may have been injured
but i have not been conquered.”

Songs of the Sun is available wherever books are sold! If you are looking for more great poetry, check out W. Scott’s first poetry collection with @owlsnestpublishers as well, Muses from the Moon. These collections are fantastically giftable.

[Stephen McClellan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“perhaps the reason loss hurts so much is because it, too, hungers to be found.”

I always struggle to know what to write after reading a collection of poetry by W. Scott. His words simply leave you feeling and reflecting, at a loss for words because of the mix of emotions. It’s a deeply personal experience, where you feel as if you were given a backstage pass to listen in on his most transparent and secretive thoughts. It connects you, resonates with you, and allows you the hope of knowing that there is much beauty amidst so much pain in this life. A beautiful book with beautiful themes. Highly recommend!

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of poetry. In fact, I usually gloss right over most poems and songs quoted in books...ahem, The Fellowship of the Ring.

But I cannot get enough of W. Scott's poetry. He speaks to my soul. He makes me think. He gives me hope.

I adored Songs of the Sun. I had to stop myself from highlighting the entire collection. So many verses spoke softly to me, telling me to pay attention.

This book of poetry is a gift, and I'm glad to have read it.

"those moments when i seek joy
and i can still find a little
tucked inside the pocket of my chest.
it is here. it is here."

Many thanks to Owl's Nest Publishers for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

[K.B. Hoyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic, thoughtful, and heartfelt collection of poetry from W. Scott! SONGS OF THE SUN is a follow up to Scott’s 2023 collection MUSES FROM THE MOON, and while it reads best as a continuation to MUSES, it can also be read as a standalone book of poetry. In SONGS, Scott delves deep into his personal experiences with his signature openness, crafting poems about mental health, relationships, and spirituality that teens and adults alike will relate to. I highly recommend picking up both MUSES and SONGS!

[drift.verse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Songs of the Sun is a sweeping collection of poems that follows a speaker who is learning to openly wrestle with realities alongside seeing the beauty of their own voice.

I read this slowly, over the course of a month, letting the tender formation of words settle into my heart. I found it nothing short of a symphony! It is organized neatly into segments that moved me in unison with the path of the sun. I was scorched alongside broken family bonds with generational ripples, faded witnessing endings and sun blind in moments of losing and re-building identity. I had burned, waned, brightened and waxed new at dawn with the arc of the light. All the while, the writer's ability to hold heaviness and joy left room for me to feel renewed.

My favourite quote was a poignant question:
"The sun will rise again, right?"

This book is a lovely example of holding the both/and of life that could gift any reader, young adult or adult, space to recognize and articulate the truth, hard and beautiful, in their own stories. There are homages to music and poetry woven throughout, and I highly recommend enjoying a playlist for the full effect.

No matter the weather, of life or on the page, I hope reading lets you know, as it let me know, that tomorrow the sun will come. And you will have a chance to sing.

Thank you kindly to Owl's Nest Publishers for the generous review copy!

[Will Norrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed this fresh, powerful collection from W. Scott. It overflows with stark (yet sensory) poems that pack a punch. As free verse pieces that both stand boldly alone and yet are carefully woven around the central theme of sonship and how family/identity shift with life's seasons, W. Scott's work takes himself (and us) back to a fountain of his poetic force. W. Scott makes excellent, provoking word choices throughout and manages to touch on such intense feelings and responses without leaning away from his intended YA audience. The father/son relational tension and breaking is both universal and entirely personal.

I found "unapologetically," "icarus," "phoenix song," "something more," and "dear you" especially moving.

Overall, a collection that moves into and through major, life-shaping hurt, examines its impact plainly and directly, and then turns toward hope. Grateful for these words.

[W. Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

extremely excited about my newest book, 🎶 songs of the sun ☀️ i cannot wait for you to read it. hope that each and every reader enjoys it and is able to find a piece of themselves along with bits of encouragement for the heavy heart and soul.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t read much poetry…I love Mary Oliver and have an interest to try Wendell Berry’s poetry. But I heard about this new collection of poems recommended by @megsreadingroom and @willthereader and pre-ordered a copy for myself (it released January 14th).

There are four sections in the book: sunburn, sunset, sunspot, sunrise. There we read deeply personal songs of pain and grief and watch them transition into psalms of hope and healing. Overall I found this powerful collection very relatable in spite of it being marketed for teens. I’ve just ordered his previous collection: muses from the moon.

Thank you @w_scott_author and @owlsnestpublishers!

[Cait Kady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Songs of the Sun is the first poetry book I've read in many years (for myself, not counting several per year with my kids). So I came at this knowing I would enjoy it, but not knowing if I could appreciate it fully. I don't know how to quantify that, but I did love Scott's poetry. Written for teens and young adults, these poems explore loss and abandonment in a father-son relationship, grief, anger, renewal, and breaking the cycle. The poems also include the redemption of the poet's relationship with his heavenly father, which I wasn't always able to point out. For that reason, the book is very accessible to people that appeals to and those it doesn't. I don't have the same story, but did find resonance personally in many of these poems, as there are themes I think we all have. There are a few different structures, which switched it up a little, and quite a few poems in homage to songs, which is not something I'm familiar with!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were really beautiful poems. I loved the messages of healing and forgiveness.