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Bittersweetness & Light: A Collection of Stories, Poems, & Art
A kitchen window now and then looks out across a different world. An asteroid scanner crash lands in a secret mushroom garden. A shy woman plans to buy a love potion at Xyblik's Cosmic Emporium. A grieving sorceress finds vengeance in unexpected magic. Dreams arrive from the strange shores, searching for homes in the darkness. A lonely man is puzzled to find himself still haunting his old apartment after his death. A neighborhood witch knits odd, uncanny things that cannot be bought. Step-by-step instructions guide you to build your own Castle in the Air...
In twelve fantastical short stories, ten evocative poems, and dozens of whimsical relief block prints, this magical collection invites you to look for goodness, find joy, and share reasons for hope.
In twelve fantastical short stories, ten evocative poems, and dozens of whimsical relief block prints, this magical collection invites you to look for goodness, find joy, and share reasons for hope.
124 pages, Paperback
Published January 6, 2025
About the author
Anne E.G. Nydam
19 books21 followersAnne E.G. Nydam has been writing poems and creating imaginary worlds since the age of four. If asked at any point since then what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would have answered, "a writer." Her love of language led her to major in linguistics at Yale University, but this was followed by an unexpected but delightful ten-year detour into teaching middle school art.
Ms Nydam is now an artist and writer living in Needham, MA, where she is the inaugural Poet Laureate. She is a poor housekeeper, as is only natural in someone with so many more interesting hobbies to pursue.
Please join her at her blog on relief block prints and juvenile fantasy: Black and White, Words and Pictures.
Ms Nydam is now an artist and writer living in Needham, MA, where she is the inaugural Poet Laureate. She is a poor housekeeper, as is only natural in someone with so many more interesting hobbies to pursue.
Please join her at her blog on relief block prints and juvenile fantasy: Black and White, Words and Pictures.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 14, 2025
Never forget that there is joy everywhere.
I struggled to find the right words for the title of the book review and settled on transformative fairy tales plus. Each story leaves the reader with a seed that can germinate if it is nurtured. It is a magical blend of short stories, poems, and relief block print illustrations. If I were to be asked to choose any favorite one of any offering in it, it would be like trying to choose a favorite gem from a tiara. Each jewel works together to build a priceless whole. It is apparent that every aspect of the creation of this book has been meticulously considered and made manifest.
The physical aspects must be mentioned. It is 7.5” wide and 9.25” tall, which makes it easy to hold while reading. The sturdy paper cover and the thick pages give it substance beyond the content. It feels real, and in the world we exist in today, real is important. It also acts as an anchor as one’s mind travels in the stories.
I counted 75 illustrations on the 116 pages. The relief block prints vary from quarter-sized to borders to full-page. Many of them are multi-colored. They include mostly flora and fauna, some not of this world, as well as architecture that is familiar and unfamiliar. The artwork elevates the book to one of superior quality.
In the preface, Anne describes her stories as “under the umbrella of speculative fiction” and I must concur. Many of the stories are human-centered but set in an altered reality that makes them feel familiar, yet fresh, like walking in two realms. In each one, the reader is gently led into a teaching of how one may find and choose joy along the sometimes bumpy path each of us walks. It cannot be stressed enough how inspiring and restorative these stories are.
Topics include:
a librarian looking for living words
a post-apocalyptic prisoner who is given hope
a sentient plant on a quest
a special love potion
tiny people who live in raindrops
astronauts studying a new planet
friendly ghosts
peacemakers across galaxies
mourning the dead
dispossessed familiars
how to see auras
There are 10 poems in the book that offer thoughtful punctuation between the art and the stories. Their rich imagery makes the mind wander to beautiful places.
The dedication page gives thanks, “with enormous gratitude to all my Kickstarter Backers.” It is obvious to me that Bittersweetness & Light” is a labor of love and a gift to the world. Thank you, Anne.
To learn more about Anne and her work, please check out her website at NydamPrints.com
I struggled to find the right words for the title of the book review and settled on transformative fairy tales plus. Each story leaves the reader with a seed that can germinate if it is nurtured. It is a magical blend of short stories, poems, and relief block print illustrations. If I were to be asked to choose any favorite one of any offering in it, it would be like trying to choose a favorite gem from a tiara. Each jewel works together to build a priceless whole. It is apparent that every aspect of the creation of this book has been meticulously considered and made manifest.
The physical aspects must be mentioned. It is 7.5” wide and 9.25” tall, which makes it easy to hold while reading. The sturdy paper cover and the thick pages give it substance beyond the content. It feels real, and in the world we exist in today, real is important. It also acts as an anchor as one’s mind travels in the stories.
I counted 75 illustrations on the 116 pages. The relief block prints vary from quarter-sized to borders to full-page. Many of them are multi-colored. They include mostly flora and fauna, some not of this world, as well as architecture that is familiar and unfamiliar. The artwork elevates the book to one of superior quality.
In the preface, Anne describes her stories as “under the umbrella of speculative fiction” and I must concur. Many of the stories are human-centered but set in an altered reality that makes them feel familiar, yet fresh, like walking in two realms. In each one, the reader is gently led into a teaching of how one may find and choose joy along the sometimes bumpy path each of us walks. It cannot be stressed enough how inspiring and restorative these stories are.
Topics include:
a librarian looking for living words
a post-apocalyptic prisoner who is given hope
a sentient plant on a quest
a special love potion
tiny people who live in raindrops
astronauts studying a new planet
friendly ghosts
peacemakers across galaxies
mourning the dead
dispossessed familiars
how to see auras
There are 10 poems in the book that offer thoughtful punctuation between the art and the stories. Their rich imagery makes the mind wander to beautiful places.
The dedication page gives thanks, “with enormous gratitude to all my Kickstarter Backers.” It is obvious to me that Bittersweetness & Light” is a labor of love and a gift to the world. Thank you, Anne.
To learn more about Anne and her work, please check out her website at NydamPrints.com
February 2, 2025
This Collection Will Conjure Laughter and Tears of Joy and Hope
It took me a while to finish reading this collections of poems, stories and gorgeous art. Not because it is a lengthy book, but because I needed to take time to pause after nearly every story or poem to just sit quietly with the hope inside me that it was speaking to. These are not maudlin or rose-colored pieces, nor are they emotionally manipulative. Each story or poem will take you by the hand and welcome you to see aspects of our world (and universe!), what it means to be alive, what it means to have hope and joy. I'm writing this review to encourage more people to go on this sweet, kind and beautiful journey.
It took me a while to finish reading this collections of poems, stories and gorgeous art. Not because it is a lengthy book, but because I needed to take time to pause after nearly every story or poem to just sit quietly with the hope inside me that it was speaking to. These are not maudlin or rose-colored pieces, nor are they emotionally manipulative. Each story or poem will take you by the hand and welcome you to see aspects of our world (and universe!), what it means to be alive, what it means to have hope and joy. I'm writing this review to encourage more people to go on this sweet, kind and beautiful journey.
April 25, 2025
This book was so good for my soul. It contains stories, poems and illustrations that are all centered on hope - not toxic positivity, but hope as resistance, small kindnesses as magic. The illustrations and the text, both works of the author, existed together perfectly. Many of the stories made me tear up, but in a happy, joyful way. Each was a self-contained story, eloquently written, with its own well-built world, but I knew that they would end on a hopeful note, and that made reading a joyful exerience too. I read it slowly so I could savor the stories and the poems individually. This book managed to be cozy and healing without ever being cheesy or cliché. I am so happy I got to read it.
January 6, 2026
As always, Nydam's work is beautiful, haunting, and a perfect blend of hope and desolation. Her work is truly one of a kind, her voice one that combines ancient wisdom with the eternal optimism (and dash of whimsy) of the very young (the only way I can describe her work is if Granny Weatherwax of Discworld and Shel Silverstein had a child whose godparents were Dr. Seuss and Elizabeth Barrett Browning). She acknowledges the darkness within the world and ourselves while urging us to believe in a better future, if only we can remember our true selves, our better angels, and that light will always win out over the dark.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews