The Hour Wasp

by Jay Sheets, Robyn Leigh Lear (Illustrations)

THE HOUR WASP by Jay Sheets does the unspeakable. It takes you on a journey, in three sections, through morose, sometimes tragic imagery (the ouroboros rinsed in venom / [flickering] the shape of things unshaped // no silken moments / only that which is always breaking / [something is always / breaking here]), and finds itself, in those melancholy moments of the second section some hint of a truth, of a reason, of hope, or a hope (the hour wasp awakens // & we are the things that take shape / & we let the things without shape take shape), and then, finally, we come to the final section, the send-off, the great, all-encompassing display of universal truths, using similar images, visions Mr. Sheets has experienced himself through dreams and meditations, and gives the reader the sense of understanding, almost accomplishment as she has waded through the dark along with the author and illustrator and come to find a sense of solace, one that may stand the test of time (i see the thousandth star / she looks to the thousandth star / the thousandth star is us // & i wonder if i / or anyone i know should be so lucky / & i light a new fire at the end of myself).

Genres: Poetry

88 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2017

Reviews

[Dina Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lit journal editor, I read and see a LOT of poetry. This collection is significant.


If poetry is religion, The Hour Wasp is a sanctuary; a temple in which Sheets guides us to the altar. He gives us room enough to worship, seek absolution, or call forth ecstatic visions. Throughout he tries on the cloak of monk, prophet, and shaman, before settling effortlessly into the mantle of modern mystic. All of this feels as deliberate as the intricacies of each work.

The Hour Wasp and what I will call its three phases because each one permeates the other – casts us in shadow, gibbous ray, then maximum incandescence.

We do not circumvent the dark to get to the light offered here. "The pulp bitters to ash" and comets spew loneliness yet with Sheets' guidance we do not falter or shy away. He takes our hands and turns them over in the dust of things so that we might truly know ourselves and glimpse the mystery of him.

There is nothing nominal within the pages of this vital collection. Even the ephemeral – "to explore beauty" – is gravid. Sheets has generously given himself over to his craft and the result is indoctrination into the non-denominational theology of words.

He elucidates the unknowable in language that is at the same time ancient and immediate. We recall our own "god-nourished hours" even if we cannot place them in time or space. We find tangible memory of "skinless moons," and "angel skin plucked from green air." Real or invented they are no less visceral.

Though we may stagger worddrunk through metaphor, proclaiming the names of saints and saviors as we go, Sheets implores us to stay the course. As we hope for the breath that will tie itself to our bodies ("her black hair shines among the evergreens") he knows that our reward is a jewel that lies hidden beneath the fears and folly of our disenchantment. The Hour Wasp's necessity springs from the hope that it bestows with each reading.

Jay Sheets' debut collection is revelatory. In its pages we witness the stellar evolution of the literary artist. He establishes himself as a formidable poetic force. And though his words are enough to conjure vivid images of the impossible, the earthly, and the holy, Illustrations by Robyn Leigh Lear add another striking dimension to this already complex and significant work. I'm keeping this one on my bedside table. You should too.

[Lör K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just so people know, there's a really ranty re-review coming tonight bc of the first comment on this review :')

Free copy provided by Netgalley in return for an honest review

Rating

I’m giving The Hour Wasp 3 out of 5 stars.

Genre

The Hour Wasp is a poetry book written by Jay Sheets.

About the Book

Within The Hour Wasp, Sheets takes us on a journey through poetry with “morose, tragic imagery”.

Why did I choose this book to read?

I saw this book in the ‘Read Now’ section on Netgalley in the poetry section and decided to give it a go. It sounded interesting, and I loved the artwork that had been done on the cover. I’d never heard of Jay Sheets before, and I decided that it would be a good opportunity, as a poetry lover, to expand my knowledge and maybe develop a love for another poet.

Publication

The Hour Wasp is expected to be published on May 28th, 2017. Review date: March 24th 2017.

Pricing

The pricing of this book is listed as $12.99 on Netgalley

What did I think of it?

I didn’t really like this poetry collection. As well written as it was, I had too many qualms with it. I couldn’t sit and enjoy it, I had to force myself through it for the sake of the review.

Did I have any qualms with it?

My qualms in this book lie in the constant repetition of lines, such as

“[o the dark places we will go]
o the dark places we will go...”

It broke the flow of the poems so much and rather abruptly removed my focus from the poems every time one of these occurred. Eventually, I began skim reading, merely breezing over the poems and not really immersing myself fully. I had to sit and force myself to read this.

The writing itself, is well done. There is a lot of imagery, but I er on the side of perhaps there is too much imagery within this. It chopped and changed quickly, and with Sheets’ lack of punctuation, it was hard to follow where he was going. Numerous times, I had to read and reread lines just to make sense of it and understand where he was trying to go with it.


Sheets has definite talent, but in his first poetry book – I understand that this is his debut piece – he tried too hard. There’s just too much to be able to immerse yourself into it, in my opinion, and it just doesn’t flow right for me.

Would I recommend it and who to?

Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone, but other poetry lovers might enjoy this more than I did.

Overall opinion

I wish I could have enjoyed this more. I really do. I went into this thinking this was going to be a marvellous piece of poetry but it could have been so much more had it just been easier to read without being distracted from the flow of Sheets’ writing, by his writing. I’m truly upset I couldn’t enjoy this and had to actually sit myself down with no distractions whatsoever to finish this. If I had been reading this after release, I have no doubts this would have been a did not finish read from myself. It’s truly a shame, and I don’t think I’ll be reading any of Sheets’ other works.

[Korynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This poetry book features an eccentric style of writing that was perfect for my taste: free verse poetry that requires you to think below surface-level words and dig out layers of meaning and imagery embedded in the sentences. It is poetry that doesn't always make sense at first but still exudes an ethereal quality, poetry that has a life-altering impact once it's read four times and the words connect and sink in. This kind of poetry isn't for everyone, but it is for me.

Even the presentation of the poems add to the quality of the collection: every word is in lower case font without punctuation. The visual style changes from poem to poem, cutting phrases in pieces between lines and ending so abruptly that it slices you like a razor blade. But it's beautiful.

The Hour Wasp is a literary collection of poems not meant for the uneducated, the non-dreamers, or the faint of heart. It is raw, it is dark, it is honest. This collection is made of otherworldly imagery that will transport you to another time and place, one you only wish you could reside in forever. And when you come back to your suddenly sullen reality after the last page, you'll be tempted to leap back into that dream state of chaos created by the elegantly occult poems.

Also included in this book are absolutely stunningly beautiful black ink watercolor paintings of earthly creations. The only improvement I would make to this book would be to add more artwork like that which already exists inside.

I struggled to pick only one quotation to include, but here is my favourite part, lines from a poem titled [my fingers damp in a ruined dream]:

her fingers / exhume vellum word-coffins / from pockets no hands should find . . . & the rude beauty whispers: plant the bones / know they'll grow to become the flowers / ours will never be

This is a book that I will read time and time again because it had that much of an impact on me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Also view this review on my blog: http://mystoreysofstories.blogspot.co...

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initial reaction: This was a collection of poetry that left much to be desired for content, but the artwork and some turns of the imagery were actually rather cool to see. Unfortunately, it wasn't one of my favorite poetry collections.

Full review:

Quick review for a quick read. This is the first full review of a poetry book that I've done in a while, and it's a shame that I don't get to read that many poetry collections often because poetry is my first love. When I saw this rather interesting looking collection (seriously, look at that cover - it's eye-catching O___O) on NetGalley, I thought I'd pick it up and give it a shot. I'm fond of dark poetry with a lyrical slant and illusionary references - so I figured from the opening note - which I'm presuming is from the author - I'd get something along those lines.

Instead, this collection is a haphazard presentation that never really came together well, despite themes blending nature with the psyche/psychological rooting, and the transition in life to ideals of decay, the passage of time, among other notations in that vein. I was disappointed by many of the actual poems themselves in this narrative because they were either truncated far too soon to communicate the links between ideals or overwrought with the diction so that the ideal was lost in translation. There were a few that I can honestly say that I liked for inclusion, such as "[i pour the edge of my earth from an empty cup]", "[i drop a rosary of seeds]" and "[my fingers damp in a ruined dream]". The imagery in this collection had - at times - some strong notations, such as in this excerpt from the latter mentioned poem:

my fingers damp in a ruined dream
hold tiny mirrors to her ashen face
eyes caught like two scant fish
cast back by tears that failed to see
themselves before the sad her fingers
exhume vellum word-coffins
from pockets no hands should find:
starless reveries of a prophet’s dusk
confessions of crimson blue asters
on bones painted bones

Yet on the whole, I honestly had a difficult time connecting with the narrative to the fullest extent of its intentions. The artwork in this collection is actually very well done and a beautiful inclusion to pair alongside the various poems. I honestly think the artwork gave the narrative more weight, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to make it a memorable experience for me compared to other poetry collections I've perused.

Overall score: 2/5 stars.

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher IBPA.

[Shawn Choquette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This month being National Poetry Month, I have challenged myself with reading one poetry collection a week, and when I stumbled upon this collection I thought it would be a pleasant addition to my goal. However, when I began to tumble through the elaborate journey this collection was going to take me on, I knew I had found the collection I was searching for. Jay Sheets’ THE HOUR WASP speaks to a reader who is hungry to learn something new about themselves, someone who isn’t afraid to kiss their own darkness and see themselves in a convex mirror, THE HOUR WASP does not give you anything from a surface perspective, but instead makes you think and wonder as a reader.

I found myself reading a poem, and then a section, only to meditate on the work throughout the rest of the evening. Poems like, [blue haunts black & I know you when] and [in the shade of a star-drunk cherry tree] made me question the person I was before reading the poem and who I would become after it. The collection itself rings with the same timelessness of Yeats, but his language is beyond the clock itself. The two poems mentioned force an inward reflection that at times is painful and also impossible to convey. The reader begins to reflect on the flawed self and if you fight through the human need to see one’s self as greater than we are with, “looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size” (Virginia Woolf), if you reader can humble yourself enough to see your true self and not be the egotistic myth that we all imagine ourselves being, then this collection is a journey worth taking. I felt lost and directionless, but I trusted Sheets just as much as Sheets trusted me, so I continued to wade through the vast ocean of poetry until I arrived at the third section.

[to explore beauty]

to explore beauty
is to implore forgiveness from an emptiness

only beauty can fill. (Sheets 78)

Sheets’ poetry collection aims to explore beauty, and he does so with the same reverence and humility of Keats. His meditations on hope and the peaceful connectedness to nature are without question a peaceful conclusion. Let us remember as readers,

“ ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know’ “ (Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn)

The collection reminds me of the concepts Wordsworth and Coleridge meditated on, but also deals with the realities of being born into the Post Modern abyss. The art reflects the nature of collaboration, and both the poetry and illustrations stand alone as complete yet complement and emphasize each other, turning it into both a visual and written art form. I hope to read more from Sheets some day, but for now I will spend many more nights with this book as I try to imagine my way through this poetic landscape again and again.

[Geordan Goldtrap · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the pages of Jay Sheet’s debut poetry collection, The Hour Wasp, you’ll find synesthesia-inducing language that finds the bittersweet miracles and tragedies that meet and permeate in the twilight of moments in our lives. Each poem acts as a meditation upon that interconnectedness; of where and when our hopes flirt with disaster and our fears snuggle with warmth of dreams. By never shying away from the fringes and gaps that threaten to overturn the beautiful imagery Sheet’s creates, he is able to build something more that a lovely picture- he crafts a moment for the reader to linger in that resonates with a truth that is more profound because it embraces the unity shade and illumination. And it is in this lingering moment, where the reader is surrounded by the sensation of poetic phenomenon, that Sheets is able to achieve what Umenhofer points out so simply in the foreward, “...hope for the hopeless.” And while the beauty of this debut collection will certainly outlast the larger zeitgeist in which it emerges upon the publication scene, one cannot help to be thankful that art of such caliber is being produced and is there to comfort us in days like these where the divide between culture and consumerism beings to blur meaninglessly at large volume and the dark drums of war beat in a holding, swelling rhythm that you can hear wants to burst into full percussion.
Communing with natural metaphor, there is a unique mysticism hiding in the lines of Sheets’ poetry. The majority of the imagery deals with a beautiful, gothic perspective of flowers, fruits, and trees, but one cannot help but notice the folk-approach of Sheets towards the supernatural. Christian imagery, not that of Biblical text, but rather that of the Christian images Renaissance art, which had more in common with the powerful pantheistic imagery of older religions than the source material it supposedly represented, make repeated appearances in Sheets collection. And considering the importance of the religion’s iconography to the larger culture, this more down Earth and less dogmatic take that seems far more open to the psychedelia of the divine helps Sheets craft a higher plane mystery within his naturalist focused imagery. There is no salvation or damnation per se, but an approachable divinity that invites the reader to the challenge of finding what these encounters have for them- like a dream encountered in the forest.
Within the pages of this collection is the work of another artist, Robyn Leigh Lear, who provides the illustrations. Her work is a perfect match for the collection with an impressionistic style that provides its own complimentary mood to Sheets’ words. As inspired by Sheets’ work, the illustrations find a blend between the human world and the natural world in a way that is striking in its own right, but works in supportive harmony with the poetry between. Although, beautiful as these illustrations may be, they sometimes lean a little more towards the pleasant macabre than Sheets himself does, which is bonus if you ask me; for we are inundated with pleasantries in our daily lives and it only the more macabre that can shock us into a state of necessary contemplation.
The Hour Wasp is a beautiful poetic collection any lover of poetry would and should be proud to have upon their bookshelves, and is a testament of ascendent quality to the growing line of books from the upstart April Gloaming publishing house. If my words have not already convinced you, let me make this clear: go buy this book now and be a better human for it.

[Josh Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I was provided an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review*

Receiving this collection in the mail from April Gloaming Publishing, I was immediately captivated by the cover and front matter artwork. Credits are due to the illustrator, Robyn Leigh Lear. The intimate 5”x8” size is easy to hold, yet I feel the gutter is too small. Also, I’ve noticed the ‘H’ in the title is hidden within the floral design and is hard to read at first glance. The cover may mislead some to believe it is titled, ‘The Our Wasp”. The author, Jay Sheets, is an amalgam of abstraction and the metaphysical. It is as if Whitman, Eliot, and Carlos Williams all had a say in the thematic delivery of the work. Heavy abstraction, crisp metaphors, vivid imagery, and personification littered the collection, showing off the author’s literary knowledge and prowess. I learned as I read, picking up on the high-brow diction and drawing parallels. Despite some pieces being ambiguous and impeding on the general flow of the narrative, some poems stuck with me far after the cover was closed. In “blue haunts black & I know you when”, a segment reverberated immensely with me: ‘& we are things that take shape/& we let the things without shape take shape’. I felt that this is the heart of the collection, where Sheets gives birth to these organic manifestations and is able to explicate them fully. I am still trying to decipher the code of the bracketed words and phrases as well as the frequent use of the color, ‘red’. Overall, this work is not for the common reader and will be appreciated by seasoned poets and academia. Glad to have read this stimulating poetry collection and hope to see more from Mr. Sheets and April Gloaming Publishing.

[Michael Stoddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is perhaps no greater summation of life's more existential moments than "we wrap our teeth around the bruise/& eat the rot as our own." This entire collection is weighted by those moments of deep introspection, of looking into the mirror and accepting all that can be seen. Throwing nothing away, head stalwart forward as the full spectrum of one's identity is told in long facial lines, a smile, perhaps a grimace. These poems capture when "the sun/can't climb that far" and "when the moon is tongueless," those ineffable states that, at least from what I can determine in my own life, make one truly human. We are all the "white pebble levitat[ing] in black ice," a whisper suspended over the unfathomable void vying for, as the introduction suggests, some light to "shine through and illuminate the world for us" in true Emersonian brilliance. And when that light doesn't come from beyond, perhaps it is time to light our own way like the firefly, "a black exoskeleton with two wings & a head" who "releases energy into things alive."

Robyn Lear's illustrations peppered throughout possess a cosmic, fluid quality that perfectly complements the agrammatical fluidity of the poetry. Most are painted in the confines of a circle, a nod to the holism that contains, eludes, and cycles ever forward. They blend the boundary between the visual and verbal, a hieroglyphic message imbedded in each. And while many a touched by the existential weight that permeates this collection, the frequent use of nature and insects give the illustrations a sort of whimsy that has a soothing effect, as if to say that even in one's darkest moments a mere glance at the stars or a bug milling by could in some way put one's inner plumbing into perspective and disallow the void of ego that can follow such work. The use of skulls in the natural setting tie humanity into this great clockwork machine that is nature. The illustration on page 60 is perhaps my favorite, as it shows a skull speaking existence into reality just as poetry and prose has done since time immemorial. With our existential burden, that ability to speak purpose is the gift given in exchange.

I love this collection; it speaks to same place that Camus does with a modernist flair not found in his prose. It is Faulknerian in a way , but perhaps with more redemptive potential. But ultimately, it escapes being derivative and speaks a new reality of its own.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

‘dead stars give way to newborn light as the moon unhooks powdery cloud
every color releases energy into things alive’

This poetry collection was like being transported to somewhere ancient and undiscovered. The language was so vivid, it coated each line with a feeling of magic in a private bubble of nature and solace. A lovely little book, I definitely want to purchase a physical copy asap; it's perfect for dipping in to and the accompanying illustration only adds to the overall feeling of reading something secret and mystical.

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for the digital ARC of this poetry collection.

I really wanted to enjoy this - the poems sounded beautiful when I read the synopsis on Netgalley, and I absolutely adore the cover art on this book. It just didn't hit the mark for me. As a Literature major, I understand that poetry is meant to have deeper meanings, it's not necessarily something you're just going to understand straight off the bat. This just felt like the poet picked up a thesaurus and mashed together all the most difficult words he could find to make a poem. Towards the end (around part 3, I'd say), it started making more sense to me and I could follow a theme through it, but before that, I was just completely confused. I don't feel like I connected with the stories - I spent more time trying to find out what most of the words meant, than actually reading and taking in the poems.

I really wanted to love this, but I was just so distracted and confused while reading it that I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

[Simant Verma · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first ever book that I have DNFed :( This was totally not for me. Having an interest in poetry I picked this book from NetGalley as it was available in Read Now section.

I was intrigued by its cover itself. The graphic made on the cover pages and the internal pages is beautiful. That's why I gave it one star even.

I think rather than the writer's fault its my fault that I couldn't understand this tough kind of poetry. I was not able to indulge myself in it. After reading simple language poetry books like Milk and Honey and Stuff I've Been Feeling Lately, I think this was too tough for me. It was written in some kind of verses. Also, the Kindle formatting was poor which makes it difficult to recognize from where the new poem starts.

Totally was not for me

**Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Judi Easley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I was provided an eARC by April Gloaming Publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review for which I am not being compensated in any way. All opinions are fully my own.
~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review

My Review: 2 1/2-stars
I read this book through and then I read it again more slowly with a dictionary and scrap paper at hand. Then with my notes, I read it again. Parts of it, I read aloud. Then I had my daughter, who is working on an English Lit Masters Degree, read it with me and discuss it. Then I read it aloud to my daughter and my husband, who is a teacher with two masters degrees. I kept thinking maybe I just wasn't smart enough to understand all this. But education isn't the answer. It has to be in your soul, and it isn't in mine.

First of all, Mr. Sheets writes like a fantasy prophet that needs to have the riddles interpreted, like in Wheel of Time or the Belgariad. Not having a wizard or Aes Sedai handy, I understood very little of the first two-thirds of what the writer was trying to say.

Perhaps some punctuation, spacing or basic poetry rules would have helped. But Mr. Sheets didn't use any of those. In fact, I had trouble sometimes at the stops between poems. Those brackets didn't stand out all that well.

What I found I really liked about this book is this. Mr. Sheets has a wonderfully rich vocabulary. This book reads marvelously and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it dramatically to my daughter and husband (and the cat) all the way through. I was able to find pauses to breathe, but I had not a clue what most of it meant. The illustrations are quite lovely, too! Robyn Leigh Lear did a wonderful job on those.

I recommend this for those who have the soul for poetry and the time to understand Mr. Sheets rich vocabulary. Try reading it aloud.

[Ryann Crofoot · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The short version: This was a beautiful collection of art and poetry. While I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, I think people familiar with the genre will love this book.

The long version: Reading through Jay Sheet's collection was like reading through a dream. The lilting lines of poetry smoothly connected one poem to the next, even as each one had its own distinct features. Just like dreams, some of these poems were darker, some were more light-hearted, but all of them were emotionally raw and often had several layers of meaning.

The art is the same way. I've read several similar collections where the artwork sort of tears me away from the page, but in this work, each piece perfectly compliments the poems around it, both simplifying and further complicating previous pieces. Each work of art draws the reader deeper into the dream Sheets has created.

There is so much meaning layered into such a short read; this is a collection I'll want to read a few times over, just to make sure I get everything I can out of it.

While there isn't really a downside to this collection, I will only say that I'm not sure everyone would enjoy this book. The poetry is free-form, and often requires readers to think much, much deeper than just the words on the page. The poems definitely have an ethereal quality, but it doesn't exactly radiate with the deeply personal connection that I think a lot of first-time poetry readers are looking for.

But, if you have already fallen in love with poetry, then you'll appreciate the poetic techniques and lyricism found in every page of this book. As a poetry lover myself, I cannot recommend this collection highly enough.

**You can find reviews and more book fun at Ryann the Reader

[KayCee K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know where to start with this poetry book. The writing style is marvelous. A style I haven't read much of in poetry but would love to. There's a dash of a fantasy, part daydreamer, and a little of a nightmare feel! You never know what you're going to get on the next page; simple few lines poems, or a few pages, uncomplicated to complex words.. With lines as, “perfumed lines note tucked square in a handsewn pocket” or “written on sands of a landscape forever veiled by dunes”.
This poetry is vivid, magical, dream like, creepy-ish; there was times when I had to re-read parts but that is something I haven't had to do with poetry in awhile, it surprised me that I liked that fact. This book is filled with imagery poems that's worth a read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are times when poetry doesn't appeal to you upon first read. The initial time through, the stylistic choices weren't my preferred style of poetry, but I put it on the shelf temporarily. I would get it back out every so often and read over the lines, and I found myself getting fond of its idiosyncrasies.

It's lofty. The inspiration comes from an esoteric place reflected in some of the difficult stanzas. A few require a dictionary to read completely. It's not a bad thing, and it won't kill you to learn a few new things.

In all, it reminds me of the way knowledge was passed down through the oppressive hands of the church in the middle ages. It's heavily coded, and it's up to the reader to decide if the act of deciphering and entering into the secret chambers is worth the extra time. For me, it was.

[Skyler Boudreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love the gorgeous, dark imagery Jay Sheets creates, and Robyn Leigh Lear’s illustrations are all phenomenal.

[Magdalena Kolodziej · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very short and very enjoyable poetry collection with gorgeous illustrations, just as expected from the beautiful cover. Though the H from the word Hour on the cover could have been made a bit more visible. Every poem was short and focused on the theme of nature. Now what bothered me reading these poems was the only punctuation were apostrophes and square brackets. The uneven spacing between words also seemed pretty pointless to me. It didn’t add anything to the content or form of the poems. Also, another aspect of the collection that I found questionable was the division of the poems into three sections. Every poem was rooted in the theme of nature, but there was nothing else that I found to have connected the poems within the sections. Although I may not have enjoyed The Hour Wasp much, I must admit that were some beautiful lines within this collection that will probably stick with me.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, April Gloaming Publishing, and Jay Sheets for the chance to read and review this ARC;

First things first, I have to start with how the art in this book caught me from the first few early pages before we even got to the table of contents, and how that started off the drifting, effervescent feeling of the book being half tangible and half not. The art throughout on continuing to become more and more gorgeous as there were full page drawings between the poems and section of poems, which I spent a good deal studying because they melded so well with the subject.

I love the lyricism the author used, as well as the refrains of repetition-- both inside and outside of brackets, as well as repeating titles or sets of words used in earlier poems, again, in later ones, weaving those poems into a different kind of call and response, or even echo of earlier to later in a story, or life, which gave it several more dimensions as I was reading it. I was entirely in love with the subjects the poetry was one, and sometimes I felt it ran a little long, but I loved the art and the structure, and I really am torn on giving it 3 or 4 stars.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hour Wasp was a very quick and very different read.
I came to the conclusion that my love for poetry must either be rusty or I am unable to understand what Jay Sheets tries to tell me.
Lance Umenhofer, author of And the Soft Wind Blows started with a foreword. I loved his words, especially the description of The Hour Wasp and everything I will find in the following pages:

In his debut collection, Jay Sheets remarkably sets out to demonstrate to the world a simple adage, hope for the hopeless. Immediately the tone is set and the reader finds herself shrouded in a place, maybe a mind of ideology, by dark, morose images, or dreams, with something residing in those images that makes her want to delve deeper into what they may mean for her, for those she’s close to, for all of humanity.

Lance Umenhofer found the right words to make me even more excited, I mean we all have to agree that the cover is fantastic. Colorful and artistic and so very different. There are more illustrations throughout the book and I loved every one of them.

So Lance put me in the right mood. After reading milk and honey by Rupi Kaur, I rediscovered poetry. It was only logical to have The Hour Wasp in my assortment.

o the dark places we will go

The first part was amazing and beautifully written. Everything was beautifully written and my inner voice was screaming because I loved it so much that I started to hate it.

Well, hate is a strong word. I disliked it, because I did not understand a single freaking word!

What was he talking about?
Why wouldn’t he stop and take a breath?

Don’t get me wrong. I love poetry. I love how you can express yourself in lyrical words that can be sweet and simple or long and interwoven. Poetry is like drifting on clouds with your eyes closed and your emotions exposed.

But there were so many metaphors and descriptions of situations, objects or creatures that things got out of control. His words felt like a tangled mess of cables. I didn’t know where the end and beginning was; how I could understand what he was trying to say. And yes, I know that poetry is also open for interpretation and your own imagination. But how am I supposed to imagine something if I miss the whole point?

The Hour Wasp felt like a mix between a whispery song and an endless speech. At some point I was struggling to stay focused. And that’s the worst sign. I wish, I really wish I felt more, understood more and appreciated it more. Just like Lance Umenhofer promised me in his foreword. I wanted to fall into the darkness and bath in the meaning of Jay Sheets’ words.
I wanted to find hope. Unfortunately - and it truly breaks my heart - I came back hopeless.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this copy in an exchange for an honest review!

[Wyatt Kerns · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars. Some poems stood out to me, but sometimes it felt like the author was playing with the spacing for fun and for no particular reason or logical thought.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book for my honest review.

This collection of poetry is very unique. I love Sheets' writing style. Each poem is dark, yet very imaginative. I could visualize each one of them in my head as I as reading them. The artwork inside the book is absolutely beautiful. They range from happy to heartbreaking to curious. It's a short book, but definitely not one to be ignored.

[D . · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOTE: I got a Free Print Copy in exchange for and Honest Review, that does not affect my review
4.5 stars
This book was really a ride, I read it last month (I have been lazy) and ABSOLUTELY loved it! It was kinda slow in the beginning (that is why I took off half a star) it is haunting and beautiful thru out and has amazing formatting! I would read this again!

[JAnn Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poetry written by Jay was so surreal and beautifully penned. As a lover of poetry and a poet, I admire his word play and his imagery. His words spoke something to my heart that I never felt before and I enjoyed every poem.

[Raven and Beez · Rating 3 out of 5]

The poems in this one were crazy beautiful! The imagery made me feel that I was high on drugs and I don’t do drugs. I used to read these at the dead of night because they made me feel like I was in a different place, separated from the world.

The Bloggo

However, there were times where I felt a bit lost among the words. I would find myself reading some of the poems again and again because a part of it would make sense to me and then the rest would just confuse the heck out of me.

The illustrations, on the other hand, were to die for. I got an e-copy from Netgalley so I ended up taking a few screenshots of them. They have a very creepy, desert horror film kind of vibe to it.

I would recommend this to anyone who just wants to read something super vivid in terms of imagery because this collection provides a LOT of it.

Lots of love,
Raven

[Carolina Hinojosa-Cisneros · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Hour Wasp is a poetry collection written by Jay Sheets and illustrated by Robyn Leigh Lear. It was published on May 28, 2017 by April Gloaming Publishing. I selected this collection for review and was provided a complimentary e-book copy from NetGalley for my honest review.

This collection of poems is reminiscent of Kafka's The Metamorphosis and at times places me in the pages of Burroughs' Naked Lunch. The fantastical and visceral language provides a rich fabric of poetic texture. Although I appreciate the heavy symbolism, I believe poetry should be accessible.

The Hour Wasp is riddled with mystical imagery proving it difficult to navigate its free verse form. I often clashed with its stubborn use of hypnagogic imagery.

The poet's goal is to provide "hope to the hopeless." It left me wrestling with the text instead of wrestling with the hopefulness it wished to accomplish. The work provided spiritual release and disconnectedness from what I would have rather faced as the reader.

"... heliolatry darkened an oneiric chaos."

I think everyone should have a robust working knowledge of poetry, and only recommend this collection based on that fact.

[Duckie · Rating 2 out of 5]

**A copy of this book has been generously provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

This one was a hard no for me. It was very short but took me a while to get through, considering how short of a book it is. I fell asleep reading it and couldn't keep my focus. And I'm not sure if it was meant to be that confusing or if that's just the way the proof version is, but I was lost as to where a line started and ended so it was like reading one long-ass paragraph of nonsense at a time. There were a lot of words I didn't understand and though I did get the feeling of the mood the author was going for, it just wasn't for me.

[Georgette · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up.

I tried to read it but about 3 pages in, I realised that I didn't understand any of it. Thinking that maybe I wasn't really focusing, I tried again from the beginning. Still nothing. I'm not a fan of overly flowery metaphor or abstract concepts, so this sits on the other spectrum of nope from the likes of Lang Leav. I've read some of the other reviews and can conclude that I'm just too "dumb" for this kind of poetry. I didn't finish it, mostly because I was putting it off until I feel a little smarter but the copy expired. :P

(ARC courtesy of NetGalley)

[Akahayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved a lot of these poems and I mentioned earlier that the imagery is solid. I found myself reading them at the dead of night because it made me feel like I was at a different place.

But at the same time, there were points where I felt lost. I was reading them but not understanding them. Now it might be just me so don't give up on this book.

I'd say... if you want some beautiful illustrations and poems that test your imagination then definitely pick it up.

[Jacinta Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The imagery in Sheets's poetry is stunning. Every word is carefully chosen to draw the reader's emotions in the exact direction Sheets wants to take them. However, several of the poems went way over my head, so if you're going to read this, make sure you're pretty good with poetry.

[Ilana]

Jay Sheets!! <3 <3