Bright Minds Empty Souls

by Jennae Cecelia

Bright Minds Empty Souls is for the hopeless romantics and those who need a friend to comfort their late night thoughts. It’s a book made with love about falling in and out of love with yourself, and others. Enjoy over 60 poems from Jennae's second edition of, Bright Minds Empty Souls.

Genres: Poetry, Ebooks, Romance, Nonfiction, Adult

68 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2016

About the author

Jennae Cecelia is a bestselling author and poet, recognized for her books The Sun Will Rise and So Will We and Healing For No One But Me and the viral “I met my younger self for coffee” poem. Starting in 2016, she self-published her debut book which became a #1 bestseller on Amazon. Her mission is to write words that comfort and resonate deeply with her audience. Jennae spends her time creating custom poetry for readers, turning her poems into illustrated pieces, and teaching other authors how to share their writing with the world.

Reviews

[Clumsy Storyteller]

i REALLY enjoyed this short book. i finished it in one sitting. Some of the poems were so short, and i wanted more. Stranger and i belong to you were my absolute favorites of this collection.

Stranger

i spilled my secrets out to you
through written messages and calls.
told you who i wanted to be,
and what scared me most of all.
but then you let me go.
now you're just a stranger
who knows everything i know.

I belong to you

part of me will always belong to you.
you are inside of me forever.
running through the cells in my body.
you are the spark behind my eyes.
i don't think i would ever be able to
fully give my heart to someone else
and maybe thats isn't fair.
but sometimes a love like ours isn't
supposed to stop just because one
person took a ifferent path.

Great short read.

[prapti 🪷]

disappointing, feels like generic words put together in broken sentences
i picked it up cause of the cover and title but what i read?

Bright Minds

His mind was
bright
but his soul was
empty.


most of the poems are similar to this, here’s my personal favorite:

Tea

I wasn’t your cup of tea because you wanted to
add
cream
and sugar
and couldn’t just take me as I was.


now according to my sources (gr) this was published in 2016 so maybe this was trending at the time but i
really can’t with all
the poetry books
written
like this
even the recently published ones;
are like this
and
they’re gonna make me
stop
picking up poetry books.

please stop with generic words in broken sentences.

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?]]

i thought I wanted someone
who also painted with their fingers
and wrote poems about the sunrise,
but really all I wanted was someone
who would appreciate the vision
and the beauty i described.

[Noura Khalid (theperksofbeingnoura)]

“Don’t settle. Be with someone who wants to hold you hand, and give you forehead kisses. Someone who will drive long distances just to spend a few hours with you. Don’t settle. Be with someone who will make you feel loved 365 days. Someone who says, “us” and not, “me” when speaking of future plans. Don’t settle. You’re better than that.”

I’ve started to love poetry but I noticed that I don’t usually rate any higher than 3 stars. This one was a 3 star read. Some poems I related to and they felt really close to me. The poems were pretty simple and short but held meaning. Some poems didn't get through to me but naturally, not all of them will.

|| Blog || Instagram ||

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice)]

The collection that got me back into reading poetry! Bright Minds, Empty Souls was one of those reads that made me feel the real emotions of having a heartbreak (which... that's happened to me a few times) I felt the passion and frustration come across in the writing. Good read!

[Sarah]

Guys, it was the cover. I love this cover, liked the title a lot, so I gave this a shot. I was 20% in when I hated it but it was too late, I had to finish it so I could be honest in my disappointment.

Here is the title poem:
His mind was
bright
but his soul was
empty.

Are you disappointed? That's how I feel.

When did every poetry collection become about relationships with titles like "Cold turkey" and "I belong to you". The whole collection was just so sentimental (but picture me saying that with the sneer and squint of a creative writing professor who's tone makes you feel like they somehow feel bad for you).

[Rachel Nicole Wagner Martinez]

**4/5 stars :)
I love Jennae's bravery and originality. She is all about getting her voice and vision out there in the world. She is unafraid of self-publishing and she is empowering others to believe in their dreams and pursue them no matter how big or scary they may seem. The only reason this has 4 instead of 5 stars is because of some grammatical and spelling errors here and there but it is a self-published book an that's understandable.
Amazing job, Jennae. I look forward to more poetry from you. Good luck in all your dreams and endeavors :)

Xo,
Rach

[Miriam Vries]

Some were great, some were alright. Some spoke to my soul, some didn't.

[Kenya Wright]

Deep and passionate. I am def going to read more of her poetry. There were several winners. I'm just pissed that while I was reading I was updating the wrong poetry book with these words. :-/

Oh yeah, and it could've been longer, but still awesome!

[luisa]

“I spilled my secrets out to you
through written messages and calls.
Told you who I wanted to be,
and what scared me most of all.
But then you let me go.
Now you’re just a stranger
who knows everything I know.”

[Bella]

Ich fand diese Gedichtssammlung wunderschön! Ich konnte mich gut hineinversetzen, was bei Gedichten ja immer recht persönlich ist. Es gab zwar den ein oder anderen Rechtschreibfehler, aber das störte mich überhaupt nicht.
Mein Favorit war:
"Long ago he asked me what I wanted to be and I smiled and said happy.
But really I wanted more than that simple task.
I wanted to come home at night with ink stains on my hands.
I wanted to end my day with sore fingers from turning my thoughts to words.
I wanted to see the words that were once scribbled in my journal, on the bodies of others in tattoo form.
That's what I wanted.
That's my happy."

[Cheyenne Raine]

bright minds empty souls is the kind of poetry book you curl up with when you're feeling slightly off from your normal self. this book with a cup of tea or coffee, a warm blanket and some soft acoustics playing in the background make for a lovely night of healing and breathing. jennae cecelia gives you her warmth, so that you are not all alone in your own thoughts.

[Karima chermiti]

I don't have a lot of things to say about this collection so I'm going to keep it simple and move on.

I find the collection to be underwhelming and lacking in originality. I understand that poetry is personal but for me, it felt generic like many other collections I read before.

Some of the poems were really short and I didn't get anything out of them. Those who touched me were few and didn't have a lasting impression.

I'm really disappointed this collection didn't evoke in me any strong feelings But this is the second collection by Jennae Cecelia that I rate 2 stars so I don't know if I'm going to pick anything else by her anytime soon.

[sharins]

I belong to you

“Part me of me will always belong to you.
You are inside me forever.
Running through the cells in my body.
You are the spark behind my eyes.
I don’t think I would ever be able to fully give my heart to someone else and maybe that isn’t fair.
But sometimes a love like ours isn’t supposed to stop just because one person took a different path.”

short & bittersweet.

[Jessica]

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Review also posted at Booked J. | "It is a blessing and a curse to remember everything."

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you may have noticed that I have a massive appreciation for poets who bring us into their lives by simple prose. It never matters how little or much they pen; there's just a spark of life within their words and it's kind of fearless to let countless readers into your most intimate thoughts.

Jennae Cecelia has a voice that shines through in her works and Bright Minds Empty Souls is proof of that. The quality of her writing is minimal in a way that swiftly gets down to the point. Expressing yourself is what poetry is all about, and Jennae Cecelia brings her thoughts to page beautifully. Further, her work feels a lot like she is talking directly to her audience. This makes it easy to connect with.

What I loved most about Bright Minds Empty Souls is that it ties up pieces of her life throughout a period of time. Each poem was written separately and the collection was put together in the end to create the finished product. There's a significance to the collection that I can't explain unless you read it, then, chances are, you would feel it too. When you consider the fact that it took Jennae 6 years to complete this collection, it makes sense--it's crafted out of love.

Other things to note:

Jennae Cecelia always makes you feel present throughout her works. I already said this, but I have to say it again: each collection feels truly like a conversation between the two of you or even just a glimpse into her mind. There's so much to relate to in Bright Minds Empty Souls, as with any other title she's published in the past, and it serves as a great inspiration.

Ultimately, poetry is meant to be thought provoking and raw. Real and expressive. Life at its best and worst. Bright Minds Empty Souls captures more than a few emotions and will, without a doubt, make readers feel. Jennae Cecelia proves once more than she is an underrated talent and will only continue to grow as a writer in what will sure to be a long career.

[lindsey]

4.5 / 5 stars

Overall Thoughts:

Bright Minds Empty Souls was such a lovely collection of poetry! All of the poems flowed so well together, and and I now appreciate poetry even more because of it.

This book has poems about heartbreak, loss, love, beauty, and so much more. Some of the poems in Bright Minds Empty Souls really resonated with me, & it amazes me how Jennae can take some issues that are so complex and difficult, and turn it into just a few simple sentences that have so much meaning behind them.

Each and every poem in this book is filled with deep emotion, and I really liked that! Jennae really knows how to put words together in a meaningful way. I strongly recommend this collection of poetry to any hopeless romantics, and to any broken hearts. I can assure you, this book will be worth your time!

The only reason I didn't give Bright Minds Empty Souls a full five stars is because it could use just a little bit more editing. I didn't see any huge errors, just a small typo here and there, and I think that could definitely be fixed!

A huge thank you to Jennae for sending me a copy to review!

[Cristian]

I was hoping for something ruminative and this failed to deliver.

It read like a romantic diary of a teenager. Let's look at two poems to illustrate how lousy they are.

"Numb"
I need Novocain around my heart,
so that I can’t feel the pain of longing for you as you drill into my core.

"Bright Minds"
His mind was
bright
but his soul was
empty.

Jesus H. What a cringe. "Air" is the only poem I found to have a digit of depth. The poem made me wonder, for just a split second, whether it was about not being able to live without that person or not being able to be together under the covers (Recycled Air).
 
If someone asked me to pick
you or air,
I would pick you every time.
What is worth having air to breathe
if I can’t breathe it with you?

I’m gonna stick with the former since the rest of the poetry is lame. A couple of the pieces made me smile: “2:16”, because I have a similar compulsion, and “Hate”, because it’s a subtle “Fuck you” to the ex.

"Hate"
No I don’t hate you,
because hate is a feeling
and I feel nothing for you.

[Elena ( The Queen Reads )]

Even the best flavor can be spoiled by the taste of a bitter memory.

[Harry (otherworldsthanthese)]

Bright Minds Empty Souls is a 2016 poetry collection by Jennae Cecelia. I randomly found this book on my bookshelf, barely even knowing I had it, so I decided to just sit down and read it, to see what it was, and I was very pleasantly surprised. The main theme throughout all of the poems is love and heartbreak, which is very stereotypical for what is known as "Tumblr poetry", which I guess is the category that this book falls under. This isn't a bad thing though, as Cecelia uses raw and beautiful metaphors to convey her thoughts through her poetry. Many people will publish poetry just for the sake of publishing poetry, and they don't really have much talent, but that isn't the case here. Jennae Cecelia knows what she is talking about, and fantastically puts her feelings onto the page in a beautiful way. Other poetry similar to Bright Minds Empty Souls tends to be quite cheesy, and it feels like the poet doesn't genuinely feel the emotions that they depict in their poetry, but it is very clear that Cecelia is speaking from the heart.

This poetry collection is nothing groundbreaking by any means, and it will likely, sadly, fly under the radar and won't be read by as many people in the future, but that doesn't mean it's not good. Yes, it's not exactly John Milton or Emily Dickinson, but it is really good in its own way.

[Mery ✨]

4/5 ✨


Air

If someone asked me to pick
You or air,
I would pick you everytime.
What is worth having air to breathe
If I can't breathe it with you?

I finished this poetry collection in one sitting.

In a matter of 5 lines for each poem, Cecelia has impacted the reader in a way a novel can. Short and sweet lines, but they speak volumes. It was a joy to read, and I can't wait to explore more of Cecelia's work!!!

Live

Are we surviving
or are we living?
Although the two may be synonyms,
they don’t mean the same.
For one will leave you dried out
and hateful
and the other will make you abundant
and beautiful.
Live, don’t just survive.

[Benjamin Alexandre]

Meh.

[Pauline]

It was a very good book!!!

[mar✰]

I hate how when I say your name now it isn’t the same flavor as before. It’s tainted by the taste of bad decisions and heartbreak.

[Tilly]

The one tree hill bit was so real

[Shahla hajatnia]

I'M NOT SAYING I DIDN'T LIKE IT! I'M JUST SAYING I DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS POETRY!!!

I will be honest, I truly enjoyed some of the parts and I could relate to them perfectly; thought others really bothered me. Like why do we feel the need to complain about this frustrating love which is unworthy and unappreciative! Is it just for the sake of poetry or is the no other kind?!
My second issue was with the poems. No offense but some were more like Instagram captions!! I did not feel the art and authenticity!!! There were parts that I just felt like a clingy teenager writing love letters for a teacher who I believe is in love with me because he smiles when he says hello!!!!!
For me this was a book to read when you are avoiding social media but you are too tired to read something serious...!

[amanda]

I find myself 12 steps ahead.
Living more in the future than the present.
Reminiscing on the past.
Worrying about what's ahead.
Dreading what I have left behind.
Forgetting to remember.
Remembering all I have forgotten.
I hope tomorrow is a better day.
Because here I am today still thinking of
everything but what is in front of me.

This was pretty good! It's a super quick read, and I really liked some of the pieces. My only issue was that there were quite a few typos and grammatical errors.

[Sanja]

2.75 stars

this didn't completely get through to me. I liked some of the poems, but there was nothing I absolutely loved. There were 3 or 4 typos which really bothered me because this is around 70 pages of short poems - how can there be so many typos?
I feel like these are very personal poems about hurt and love but the emotions didn't really get to me (and usually I am a very emotional reader..)

[Jay]

I'm usually not a big poetry person, especially relationship based poetry, but I just adore Jennae Cecelia's writing in general. It's just smooth and well done, and made me want to sit and read this entire book of poems in one sitting (which I almost did). Of course the gorgeous cover also helps add to this fantastic book's appeal.

[Debbie]

Phenomenal

What an amazing book of poetry. I am stunned at how eloquent the author expresses every feeling you could possibly have through her words. So moved by her words. Nothing but love for her work.