Presentiment

by Bryant A. Loney

Presentiment is the weird gut feeling that something’s coming—you just don’t know what. Like déjà vu but pre-vu. A dog alert to someone at the door before the knock.

In this intimate follow-up to In the College at Night , Bryant Alexander Loney traces the uneasy arc of growing up, messing up, holding on, and letting go. From middle school crushes to summer camp escapes, fleeting beach romances to quiet heartbreaks, these poems tightrope the blur between memory and meaning, humor and honesty. Throughout, Loney explores how poetry can reshape the past even as we try to preserve it.

If you’ve ever sensed a stirring just out of view, this collection is for you.

Genres: Poetry

172 pages, Paperback

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

Bryant Alexander Loney writes for the page and the screen with a passion for inclusive storytelling and snarky zillennial energy. Presentiment is his second poetry collection; he is also the author of three novels and numerous art and video projects. He loves dogs, beaches, and haunted mansions. You can follow him on Instagram (@BryantLoney) or visit him online at www.BryantLoney.com.

Reviews

[Winnie | Her Digital Coffee · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Presentiment" is a collection of poems filled with depth, heart, and humor. Each piece is layered with emotion, yet also shines with playfulness and wit.

My favorite thing about poetry is its ability to open space for readers to see themselves within the lines. Since many of these poems are so intimate and rooted in the author's own experiences, I often found it difficult to connect with the pieces on a personal level.

While I didn’t connect with these pieces, I’m certain there’s an audience who will appreciate this style of poetry— one that weaves detailed storytelling into a kind of lyrical memoir.

Thank you to Verona Booksellers for an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Martine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Thank you to Verona Booksellers for the advanced copy of this collection.

I'll start off with a disclaimer that I gave the publishers when they reached out with the offer to read this book early: poetry can be really tricky for me. Most poems are difficult for me to understand. I have trouble finding ones I connect with. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by Presentiment.

There were, of course, some poems that did not hit home for me. I feel like that's to be expected in any collection. I think my rating coveys that I really enjoyed some poems and did not connect as much with others.

The middle of the collection was my favorite part. I was not prepared to be laughing hysterically at poetry, but at least two poems had me in tears I was laughing so hard. And I think there's something to be said about a poetry collection that contains quotes that range from "I like to think the broccolis like it" to "Do we ever fully recover from the people we were at fourteen?" Many very human moments are reflected in this collection: some silly and some serious.

Overall, I tried this collection because I truly believe what the author says: "I am trying again because sometimes love works." Maybe I've had trouble with poetry in the past, but I was willing to try again in the hopes of finding news words to love. And I found some of them. Others didn't hit, but I tried anyway. At the end of the day, that feels like a win.

[brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

thank you to verona booksellers for letting me read this arc of poetry!! what an honor!

I truly enjoyed a good amount of the poems and found myself laughing out loud to the authors voice.

though i couldn’t find myself connecting to a majority of the poetry, i do believe that was just a personal experience and not one that should drive others away from wanting to read the poems, as i did find myself highlighting a bunch of good one liners

[Bre Mckae]

*I received an ARC of this collection from the publisher for honest review*
Happy Publication week, Presentiment!

Overall, this collection was an enjoyable reading experience. The humor style suited me well for most of the pieces, and the literary tools used to illustrate themes were mostly a win for me. There of course were a few things that didn't quite work for me, which I will mention below-some of which is personal preference.

Content warnings (these are present in one or more of the poems, but not all of them): sexual content, suicide attempt, drug use, alcohol use, suicidal thoughts, profanity

Themes (some but not all of the themes and archetypes present): love, reflecting on past relationships, job market, nature, references to pop culture and historical figures, modern technology (eg social media, dating apps, paywalls, gaming, text conversations), early 2000s nostalgia, friendship, self reflection, spirituality/Christianity, family conflicts/brokenness, living and learning. firsts, expectations vs reality of adulthood, the passage of time, DOGS!!

The elements of the writing style that worked for me were the intentional use of figurative language (including one of the longest strings of alliteration I've seen in a modern publication), the balanced tone with lots of humor juxtaposed with deeper reflections and experiences (without veering into dark humor), and the broader focused, not-only-romance-centered nature of the collection (I love a love poem, too, but that isn't all there is to life-nor all there is to write about!). I feel that this collection also had some VERY strong titles!

Some of my favorite pieces of this collection include a clever poem giving a satirical parody of the modern conundrums of paywalls. Another huge hit for me is a nostalgic trio of poems reflecting on life in middle school in 2008 (complete with intentional spelling and grammatical errors), the OG days of Youtube and the truly unhinged nature of the random videos we shared with the world, and scrolling Facebook messenger in 2011 (including the most beautifully ironic details about art classes and fine arts majors). Two Birds painted a beautiful meet cute of a girl who spends her evenings with a book and a guy who spends his rewatching childhood favorite shows (HOW ARE THEY BOTH ME, THOUGH?).

There is this creative "Intermission" which was beautiful in its own right, but also helped divide the collection's content- informing the reader of themes in the following pieces; this gave the heads up I needed for the romance-heavier section, but also themes I'm not into (drinking and substances were also more heavily featured in this section). Regarding the romance, I LOVED Marie & Michael, it has some beautiful imagery.

Some poems combined elements I both liked and disliked; the best example is "Firsts", which discusses the theme of learning as you go, making mistakes, and not knowing how to 'do it right' when you try something new. This theme is beautiful, but I really wish we didn't use some of the specific examples we did... I somewhat understand the choice illustrating vulnerability, but still... no.

There were a few elements that didn't work for me- While I appreciated the conversation about the connections driven "who you know not what you know" ways of the media industry (especially as a person who has involvement in the industry as well), I wish this was not written to make Disney out to be the bad guy-- it is an industry-wide issue that is even present in the smallest media and creative companies. The way this passage is written comes off as one person's petty bitterness at being passed over for a job rather than truly reading as a reflection of the culture of the job market in media, as I assume it was intended to be.

Secondly, there were a few references for sexual things I really could have done without- I could have looked past the poem about the roommate and chalked it up to personal preference, but the comment in the dating app poem about the girl who sustained an injury to an unmentionable location was a hard pass... and frankly gave locker room bro talk in the worst way. These elements resurged in the Snapchat focused poem (Rubies). And don't remind me about the Scooby-doo one, please...

Of course I would have also passed on hearing about substance use--specifically illegal substances. And I really could have done without the girl's story about the 'tee sh_t' moment.
There were some sections close to the end that weren't so much poetic as they were short stories, which felt a bit out of place to me.

Overall, despite the elements that weren't for me, I am glad to have read this! I was inspired by the out of the box use of language and grammar alongside some beautiful lines (I did a lot of annotating). If you are looking for a poetry collection that touches on depression without being depressing, this is a great choice! Funny while also thought provoking, this collection has the perfect balance. The length of the poems is relatively consistent and they're mostly on the medium length side (not getting into epic lengths, haha), so it's easy to flow through in one sitting.

Thanks to PEPPERNELL and Verona Booksellers for providing this arc for honest review!

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Presentiment, Loney’s second poetry collection, opens in a voice that’s funny, bruised, and restless like a friend catching you up on a strange year. The poems are messy in a good way: a sprawling mix of personal narrative, surreal invention, and cultural observation that feels both sharp and sincerely felt. There’s a steady current of melancholy, but it rarely tips into indulgence. Some of the most affecting pieces, like “Roommates, Part Two,” “Rubies,” and “Comfort,” bring the ache of memory into crisp, cinematic focus withoutever dictating how the reader should feel. The collection isn’t about delivering answers so much as circling the questions: half-laughing, half-pleading, alive in the attempt.

There’s a lot in motion here: failed jobs, failed relationships, rejection letters that spiral into existential monologues, snakes both literal and symbolic, even a memorial to a deceased Animal Crossing villager. Running through it all is the emotional dissonance of contemporary masculinity: what it means to perform, contain, or escape maleness in a world uncertain of what it wants from men anymore. The speaker drifts between isolation and intimacy, anger and awkwardness, without settling in any one place for long. In poems like “Wine Wednesdays,” “Ready,” and “What Are You Afraid Of,” Loney wrestles not just with societal expectation but with the quiet, often unnameable tensions of male friendship, romantic failure, and the pressure to stay composed while falling apart. The result is a voice that’s compellingly vulnerable—unpolished at times, but with an honesty that’s hard to fake—and a portrait of what it feels like to dream within a system that doesn’t seem to care.

Some of the strongest poems allow the surreal/satirical to coexist with the emotional core, each heightening the other rather than undercutting it. “Where the Giant Creatures Swirl” and “Mr. John James Audubon” are standout examples, finding absurdity in worship and legacy, respectively. “Morning Walks with Theodore” and “Film Scratches and Dust” take a gentler approach, rich with atmosphere and devastating in their detail. This is a collection that wants you to feel seen without necessarily offering comfort, and it largely succeeds. Pieces like “Facebook Messages, 2011,” “Proposals,” “Who Narrates the Narrator,” and the title poem deepen the collection’s emotional arc, a reckoning with ego and endurance that feels vulnerable and human.

If Presentiment falls short of a perfect five stars (I give it 4.5), it’s because the collection occasionally sprawls. A few poems feel like they’re still orbiting an idea rather than landing it and, at times, the voice can be a little too self-aware for its own good. But perhaps that’s part of the point: a poetic voice in flux, figuring itself out, much like the lives and relationships it explores. Either way, Presentiment is a strong, emotionally intelligent collection that lingers.

Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinions.

[Katie ᥫ᭡. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This poetry collection felt 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒈𝒊𝒄 in a very 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟, 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑘𝑦 way. There’s a sɪɴᴄᴇʀɪᴛʏ here that I really appreciated, and you can tell the author pulled straight from 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, and 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵-𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 to craft each piece. ✨

Some poems were 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿, 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗻𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗱𝗱 in the best “𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦” way. It’s 𝑒𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐, and definitely stands apart from many poetry collections I’ve read recently. There’s ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ, ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴍᴇɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, and a ᴡɪʟʟɪɴɢɴᴇss to play with form and voice. 💕

It’s 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈, but not every poem landed for me emotionally. That said, I sit pretty neutral on the 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 itself. It didn’t fully grip or move me on a deeper emotional level the way I hoped, but you can feel the 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙤𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 behind his words. I think this collection might be best for a specific audience, especially those who love coming-of-age moments that blend 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, and captures the 𝘢𝘸𝘬𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 blur of growing up. 🏡

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐚 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 & 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐞-𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all thank you to Verona Booksellers and Bryant A Loney for an Advanced Readers Copy of Presentiment by Bryant A Loney.

There is something deeply special and personal about a poet that is able to turn a mix of polite ramblings and short stories into a collection. Reading this felt like I was taking a sneaky look inside someone's journal and stealing excerpts for myself to keep. Bryant is able to turn sadness and (possibly alcoholism with all the wine poems!) turn it into a heartwarming collection of yearning for love and sharing the joys of friends and family.

I quite enjoyed this book, there were numerous poems and stanzas that I had highlights repeatedly on my kindle to store for later use. Especially, one of the latter poems in the collection "Ready" which evokes feelings of warmth and comfort to the soul. There is a strong essence of a journey undertaken by Bryant during the course of this collection and as a reader I can almost grasp the emotions he has sewn into his words.

This book was my introduction to Bryant's work and I am looking forward to seeing more soon!

[Mars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Presentiment is a collection of poems that linger long after reading. It felt like a meditation on the feeling of nostalgia and uncertainty.

This collection was incredibly thought-provoking and I found many of the pieces to be relatable, both in emotional honesty and in the quiet reflections of everyday moments or memories.
At times, I didn't see what direction certain poems were heading in but, Loney surprised me with how they tied each thread together by the end.
I enjoyed the "fourth wall" breaks addressing the reader, for example, the Intermission poem. I thought that brought a unique interruption to the poem sections.

After reading this collection, I am definitely interested in delving more into Loney's work.

(3.5/5 rounded to four stars).

*I received an ARC from Verona Booksellers in exchange for an honest review.

[Nashi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Verona Booksellers for my arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

I think the author's voice and approach to his art is very interesting. I am sure it is probably somebody's cup of tea but I found myself struggling to connect with the words. I was never sucked into the feelings and emotions behind the words. Like all art forms and especially poetry, it's a subjective thing, personal taste and connection to the material.

My opinion should not drive anyone away from picking this up and maybe have it become their favorite poetry collection. One thing is clear, the author put a lot of work into each of the poems and in creating a story that drives you and flows with each passing page. I was really sad that it wasn't one of mine because I truly love poetry and connecting with it.

[✧˚ · meda * ˚ ✦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Presentiment by Bryant A. Loney is a uniquely original poetry collection that imaginatively births themes of growing up, nostalgia, love, and memory.

Loney expertly reshapes how poetry interacts with the past, evoking a tangible sense of anticipation and awareness of something just beyond reach. The collection stands out for its vivid imagery and scenes that linger long after reading, capturing fleeting emotions and moments suspended in time. Loney’s clever use of language layers the work with gentle wit and intellectual playfulness, surprising readers and encouraging reflection on the complexities of human experience with a quietly amused and empathetic gaze.

This blend of poignancy, smart dialogue with emotion, and articulate, thoughtful verses makes Presentiment a brilliant, heartbreakingly honest, and impactful contribution to contemporary poetry.

[Anastey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Verona Booksellers, and Bryant A. Lone for sending me this advance review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a very unusual book of poetry, stories, and short essays.

There wasn't really a theme, and no rhyme or reason to how they were arranged. It was completely random, mostly irreverent, and sometimes even mildly offensive. Tons of sarcasm and snark too. There were times it felt like a weird fever dream as well.

Everything was well written, and I enjoyed it. However it left me feeling confused most of the time. It would jump from being deeply emotional, to something crazy and off the wall in the next poem. It was strange and beautiful at the same time.

[Sally Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this collection at the end of October, but wanted time to form the right words and think over this collection.

I can’t even begin to explain how much this collection moved me. Even though I couldn’t personally relate to the author’s experiences, I felt every word. This poetry collection is raw, honest, and deeply human. It’s the kind of collection that makes you pause, not because it’s bad, but because the emotions are so real you need a moment to breathe.
This is a story for anyone who has ever felt alone, lost, or unseen. It’s powerful, it’s brave, and it’s necessary. I truly believe it will help people feel understood and less alone. If you’re looking for something that will touch your soul and stay with you long after you’ve finished, read this book. Everyone should.

[Charlie - disableddaydreamer | itsbarbieparis (looking for mutuals) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5- thank you to verona booksellers for this epup.

this is like many collections of poetry, it really is a subjective thing and a matter of personal taste and connection to the material. while i enjoyed the book overall i lacked a connected to the material making it not my favorite poetry collection. it is clear the author has put a lot into this and i can see that and feel that, i just struggle to make that same connection with the material.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for the e-arc!

I read a lot of poetry, and this stands out to me as one of the collections that actually made me laugh. While I didn't love every piece in this collection, I enjoyed a lot of them. I especially enjoyed the creativity in naming each piece, and how this reminded me we don't always have to take things so seriously.

[Rebecca Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection with the confidence of a writer who clearly knows what he’s doing and the energy of a man who definitely does not. It’s very funny! It’s also devastating.

[❊ maddie kay ❊ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞 "𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫" 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡,
𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭."

3.5

I am not the typical poetry reader, but I will ALWAYS support small indie authors! While sometimes I don't necessarily feel like I have the bandwidth to make connections in poetry, I actually found it pretty easy to get into and was able to relate with a lot of Loney's poems. They're full of melancholy nostalgia - a feeling I'm finding to be quite common as I get older.

I think Loney perfectly captures growing up and being in the weird limbo state of your 20s in a majority of his poems. Which I love, being in that same weird limbo state of my 20s.

Truly the only reason I knocked down my rating a little bit is because there were a few poems that just didn't work for me. Which isn't shocking, as art is subjective and this was a whole collection worth or poetry, its inevitable that there are a few that I'm not fond of.

Overall, it was a good read and there were plenty of poems throughout that truly hit home. A huge thank you to Verona Booksellers and Bryan Loney for the advanced review copy of this collection. All thoughts and opinion in this review are my own.