S.T.A.R.G.A.Z.E.R

by Ramona Meisel

S.T.A.R.G.A.Z.E.R is a collection of twelve individual poems about the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Each poem, accompanied by a zodiac sign, talks about sexuality, gender identity, love and finding yourself, all the while trying to show tolerance and respect above all.

Genres: Poetry, LGBT

15 pages, ebook

First published June 25, 2017

About the author

Ramona Meisel is an artist, writer and mythology nerd living in Germany. She’s a strange human hybrid of mended bones and a soul ripped apart at the edges. Her tongue is sharp enough to cut and her mind keen enough to bleed. When she’s not haunting the net she’s perfectly content to lose time in prose and poetry.

Reviews

[Sasha Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

books like this remind me of how moving and brilliant poetry can be.

[Theodora · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is your heart:
it beats steadily
rhythmically
it sends morse signals
saying you're human
human
before you are anything else

S.T.A.R.G.A.Z.E.R. is a short poetry collection, where each poem has the title of a zodiac sign paired up wih either a sexual or gender identity. Through them, Ramona Meisel explores themes of self-love, abuse, discomfort and self-discovery.

I don't want to stop finding myself.

This poetry collection was certainly interesting and I enjoyed the different formats of the poems, but I didn't really understand how the zodiac signs fit in. I loved the broad lgbtq+ representation, but it vexed me to see how so many of the poems dealt with certain forms of abuse. I understand it is an issue that needs to be addressed and handled with care, but I'm tired of reading about queer people being psychologically abused and made to feel bad about themselves because of what they are.

Moreover, some of the poems felt to me as if they didn't really match their title (the half about the sexuality or gender identity, because as I already mentioned, I didn't see the correlation between the poems and the signs anyway). I didn't like how some of the sexualities and gender identities were portrayed, and, correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe androgynous is an adjective used to describe a way someone looks, not a sexual or gender identity, so I don't see why it should have a place in this collection, even if I did like the poem.

what do you want?

to be myself

*Trigger Warnings* Psychological abuse, toxic relationships, misgendering.

[MJ Anthony · Rating 1 out of 5]

Updated review 9/22/2023

I found out about R. Meisel's apparent disappearance from the internet this year (although apparently it's old news) and was distraught. I loved her poems! I wanted to get the rest of her books! I finally had disposable income and my adhd was letting me read again! The time had come!
Naturally, I took to the web and started sleuthing. And found out that she had pulled "her" work from the internet... *drumroll please* due to plagiarism accusations. Pretty substantiated ones.
There isn't a lot of information to cross reference since her blogs, payhip store, amazon page, and everything else have been deleted, but I don't feel confident in these published collections of hers being... ethically sourced, if you will. I'm glad I only downloaded her free books and was too broke to give her any money for them, but I also don't want any positive reviews i wrote initially out there currying favor with whoever sees them on her behalf.
I would love to find the actual authors and support their work instead! If you know of any, please reach out, here or elsewhere, and point me in their direction. I've tried searching a few lines from the poems in the collections that I have access to, but haven't come up with a lot.
That's all. I'll be copy and pasting this review into the text of all the reviews/ratings I've left on goodreads.
If you were an author whose work was stolen, I'm deeply sorry. That shit's fucked, and your vulnerability and the stories you were trying to tell deserved better.


11/9/2021: read & gave 5 stars

[Casper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has some of my favorite poems in all the poetry I've ever read. The depth of emotions and the beauty of the writing is so fantastic. I loved that so many identifications were written about, I loved how the spectrum was so wide, and I loved every single ounce of heart that went into this book.

[Emma Fenton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written beautifully and with care. While the poems at points feel a little unnecessarily repetitive, the emotional connection and the narratives represented within are more than worth the read. The range of representation is phenomenal, tactful, and overall powerful. I would recommend Ramon Meisel's work to anyone wanting to dabble in reading poetry, as it is a good starting place.

[jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really love this ... though, the zodiacs didn't feel all too present ? i appreciated every insight into LGBTQ+ mind sets & experiences, but there wasn't any connection between the zodiacs & the identities? perhaps i just didn't take note of it, but it would have been nice to get more connection there. i might just have to read it again, but i loved reading this all the same.

[Sargun Saddhar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautiful collection by Meisel. I am in love with the way she writes about the LGBTQ+ 🏳️‍🌈 spectrum. He poetry and style is enticing (a little repetitive yes, but beautiful none the less). I recommend this for anyone who's still coming to terms with their identity, it's beautiful read and truly makes you feel like you belong.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love her poetry and words on tumblr, and without a doubt i love this book. i love how she talk about sexuality, gender identity, love and fit it into 12 zodiac sign it's unique and nicely done.

[Petrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like all the poems, but I think "piscis | intersexual" is by far the best poem I've ever read. It just speaks to me in so many levels, it so, so, so good.
j

[Edit · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

I love how Ramona Meisel writes. There is something magical about it.

[maani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, masterful poetry. Each poem was different and extremely evocative - would 100% recommend. Special shout out to Aries and Taurus - gorgeous pieces

[Maddy Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone should read this masterpiece. Twelve powerful poems about the LGBTQ+ spectrum that are painfully true with beautiful and powerful words. Wow. Just wow.

[Littlebookterror · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found this collection over on tumblr, read one, and immediately fell in love. I felt deeply connected to almost all of her poems. Each was different and unique and just - on point. Like someone looked inside me and put feelings and thoughts into written word.
The concept of combining orientations with zodiac signs was a nice touch.
I would recommend this to anyone; especially those looking for some insights how it feels to be queer.

[Edie Walls · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best batch of poetry I've read from this author yet! I really *felt* the words down to my bones, which is a mark of a good poem.

[Phos · Rating 4 out of 5]

No sabía muy bien qué esperarme cuando empecé a leer esta colección, pero ahora puedo decir que merece la pena. Los poemas tienen un estilo muy personal que, si bien al principio puede parecer extraño, es efectivo y consigue llegar al lector de manera íntima.

I didn't really know what to expect when I started reading this collection, however I can now say that it is worth it. The poems have a very personal style that may seem a bit strange at the beginning, but that ends up being quite effective and manages to reach the reader in a very intimate way.

[Samantha]

the writing was good but i'm so sick of this "gay people must hate themselves before they can love themselves" trope. i also didn't enjoy how some of the sexualities were represented.