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Hush
HUSH written by Nicole Lyons, is a searing collection of poems that takes the reader on an emotional ride, through the tunnel of mental illness and reckless love. Nicole Lyons' voice undulates from pain to ecstasy, at breakneck speed. Erotic, soulful and authentic, Nicole has written a raw memoir encapsulated in poems. Stepping off the cliff, delving into HUSH, readers will find themselves breathless and wanting more.
128 pages, Paperback
First published April 10, 2017
About the author
Nicole Lyons
7 books237 followersNicole Lyons is a force of nature disguised as a writer, a social activist, a voice for the downtrodden, and a powerful poet with a delicate touch. She is an award-winning poet and bestselling published author.
Her work has been featured on CBC Books as well as numerous online magazines and print anthologies.
Nicole was inducted into The Mental health Writer's Guild in 2015 for her work on The Lithium Chronicles, Psych Central, The Mighty, and the International Bipolar Foundation.
In her free time, Nicole volunteers as a speaker and event coordinator with a Canadian non-profit that focuses on suicide awareness and prevention in children and teens.
She lives a good life in beautiful British Columbia with her brilliant daughters.
From a sunny porch in beautiful British Columbia, Nicole is enjoying a glass of wine and working on her next collection of poetry.
To connect with Nicole on social media, follow her below:
Facebook: @nicolelyonspoetry
Instagram: @nicolelyonspoetry
Twitter: @nicolelyonspoet
Her work has been featured on CBC Books as well as numerous online magazines and print anthologies.
Nicole was inducted into The Mental health Writer's Guild in 2015 for her work on The Lithium Chronicles, Psych Central, The Mighty, and the International Bipolar Foundation.
In her free time, Nicole volunteers as a speaker and event coordinator with a Canadian non-profit that focuses on suicide awareness and prevention in children and teens.
She lives a good life in beautiful British Columbia with her brilliant daughters.
From a sunny porch in beautiful British Columbia, Nicole is enjoying a glass of wine and working on her next collection of poetry.
To connect with Nicole on social media, follow her below:
Facebook: @nicolelyonspoetry
Instagram: @nicolelyonspoetry
Twitter: @nicolelyonspoet
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 20, 2017
"Nicole Lyons' exquisite book of poems rips your heart out, and lovingly stitches it back together with sunbeams of light. She is a sorceress of words, and exciting literary talent. To read HUSH is to catch the sun's rays, stars and moonlight, even on the darkest days." - Jacqueline Cioffa
May 31, 2017
I have been a fan of Nicole Lyons' poetry for some times and I eagerly awaited this volume. Hush is a collection of poems that I want to get lost in while at the same time wanting to slow down and savor each piece. Every poem in this carefully curated volume hums with energy and feels painted in vibrant jewel tones. Whether Ms. Lyons is writing about obsessive love, heartbreak, the dizzying spin of mania, or the weight of depression, her imagery is gorgeous, a sensory feast and she pulls the reader through the looking glass so we are experiencing the rush of feelings right alongside her. These poems are breathtakingly vibrant and alive. I fell head over heels in love with Sticky Sour Dancing, I Will Love You, Amnesia, and In All That I Am. Hunger Pains captured the intensity of young love and Perhaps I Will Eclipse gave me chills. Every poem in this volume was a treat to read and brought me to its own place emotionally. Hush is a thrilling roller coaster that I want to ride again and again.
May 31, 2017
Nicole writes "we drink tears and eat pain wipe our mouths and call it love." as her poetry is a feast for the senses. She evokes strong feelings surrounding love and loss pain and heartache that grip you in such a way as she speaks directly to your soul. Nicole's journey is a winding path of emotions and in the end you come out feeling less alone in your thoughts and your personal struggles. This book is wonderfully written and very relatable to the reader. You will not be able to put it down for long!
April 25, 2017
Nicole Lyons writes amazing poetry that feels like it was pulled from my own heart and soul. Hush is a gorgeous book that gave me chills, brought me to tears, and left me feeling deeply long after I was finished reading. Hush has a treasured place in my home and my heart.
June 1, 2017
Nicole Lyons' writing is one of a kind. Her "voice" comes through so very loud and clear with each piece. The pages of HUSH are filled with life lessons that can only be written from experience, both good and bad. If you have lived at all or dared to love, or dream, HUSH will resonate with you and connect to so many of your own feelings.
May 16, 2017
Very few writers have the ability to evoke, justify, or embrace another's personal pain...yet Nicole weaves her own past heartache into prose that hugs your soul, and let's the reader know they are not alone, never alone, in their personal struggles. She writes with a voice that is weathered and strong and packed with experiences that she lovingly shares. This is a book to be read time and time again.
April 24, 2017
Finished but I'm immediately going to reread so I can write comments this time. So many of the poems were like reflections of my own mind, my heart, my very soul. Even if I didn't personally identify, they still moved me. Such an honest book. I tell students good books should make you think and feel. This is definitely a good book!
August 29, 2017
This book is beautiful in so many ways. Nicole's writing is elegant, edgy, and full of truth. What I loved most was the strength and resilience expressed in these pages, and how she lifts the reader to that place with her.
October 13, 2017
Hush, by Nicole Lyons, is a collection of poetry that illuminates the pain of losing someone, as the world forces you to move on without them.
From the decaying light of an old tree, to the loss of a dearly beloved, Lyons drapes these poems in a Gothic, almost wintry feel, one that she masterfully weaves into the stanzas. Her words demonstrate the crushing devastation of missing , alongside the harsh realization that love isn’t anything at all how we may expect it to be. This book of poetry will make you comprehend the fine lines between love and madness, as Lyons brings the dark reality that perhaps the human heart isn’t all it is to be, and that some of humanity’s most corrupt secrets should be left alone.
There was a particularly sorrowful poem that caught my attention in the collection. It was about two lovers, both of whom must swallow pain and burdens, both their own and each others’, in order to maintain the hollow fragment they call a relationship. The words reminded me of the brief, chaotic romances many adolescents face; even grownups have trouble letting go from time to time. It demonstrates that we cling to our failed relationships, though we may try to convince ourselves otherwise, and that in order to heal, we must first let each other go. There was also another heartbreaking image for me, one of a tree I couldn’t help but see when I first read one of the poems, Dropping Leaves of Dreams. That tree was fully grown, beautiful in all its majesty. However, as time passes, with its own dreams lost, missing loves turning up here and there, that tree begins to die. I can almost imagine its loveliness fading, very much like an adult who had forgotten the happiness in their youth.
The collection was sad as it was touching. Though it was a bit too depressing at times, it was wonderful nonetheless. Thus, I would give this collection a rating of a 4.4 out of 5 stars, and would recommend it to those who enjoys magical realism and tragic romances.
From the decaying light of an old tree, to the loss of a dearly beloved, Lyons drapes these poems in a Gothic, almost wintry feel, one that she masterfully weaves into the stanzas. Her words demonstrate the crushing devastation of missing , alongside the harsh realization that love isn’t anything at all how we may expect it to be. This book of poetry will make you comprehend the fine lines between love and madness, as Lyons brings the dark reality that perhaps the human heart isn’t all it is to be, and that some of humanity’s most corrupt secrets should be left alone.
There was a particularly sorrowful poem that caught my attention in the collection. It was about two lovers, both of whom must swallow pain and burdens, both their own and each others’, in order to maintain the hollow fragment they call a relationship. The words reminded me of the brief, chaotic romances many adolescents face; even grownups have trouble letting go from time to time. It demonstrates that we cling to our failed relationships, though we may try to convince ourselves otherwise, and that in order to heal, we must first let each other go. There was also another heartbreaking image for me, one of a tree I couldn’t help but see when I first read one of the poems, Dropping Leaves of Dreams. That tree was fully grown, beautiful in all its majesty. However, as time passes, with its own dreams lost, missing loves turning up here and there, that tree begins to die. I can almost imagine its loveliness fading, very much like an adult who had forgotten the happiness in their youth.
The collection was sad as it was touching. Though it was a bit too depressing at times, it was wonderful nonetheless. Thus, I would give this collection a rating of a 4.4 out of 5 stars, and would recommend it to those who enjoys magical realism and tragic romances.
July 10, 2017
I knew Nicole Lyons had a way with words, and a gift for painting feelings and emotions—especially the darker ones—in unexpected, sometimes even shocking ways. Still, I was unprepared for this expansive, breathtaking collection. If you’re up for a poetic journey through love, loss, pain, joy, and beauty, pick up a copy of HUSH and enjoy the ride.
February 7, 2018
I did ike it. This is not exactly my kind of peotry, I like more of the rules and numbers, less of freedom, but Mrs. Lyons's did make me feel a lot with her work, it kind of reminded me of the way I have felt in some times of my life and I really apreciate that.
I would absolutely recomend it to you if you enjoy poetry and are open to feel as you read.
I would absolutely recomend it to you if you enjoy poetry and are open to feel as you read.
July 18, 2017
I am S-P-E-E-C-H-L-E-S-S...With every page I flipped, I was literally blown away...
January 9, 2018
She spellbinds me with her words. True magic. I am a lover of words and she has a special talent of spinning a web of magic and pulls you in and it is very hard to find your way out again. It is a good kind of lost. I look forward to her next book.
May 16, 2017
I got myself a signed copy of this book and I am so glad I did it. I already read it twice in the past couple of weeks, and honestly I intend to read it again and again. Nicole Lyons, debut poetry collection is a tour de force. The only thing wrong with this poetry book is that it ends, I wanted to read more! Nicole Lyons' poems takes us to different types of relationships, but the pain and loss of oneself in a certain type of abusive relationship is what stuck with me. Throughout her poems there is loss and suffering over loving someone that may not be as good for you as you once thought; the realization that this lover is harmful to your soul and spirit and the subsequent healing. There are some brilliant long pieces that I especially love, to name one, "I Have Fallen." Get yourself a copy of this tremendous poetry book. Nicole Lyons' poetic voice stands along among a crowd of poets.
October 25, 2017
There are many good ordinary poets, then there are few extraordinary very good poets that can drawn to them Nicole is one of these rare gifted people whose poetry reaches in, pulls at you. Takes you on a journey, leaves you and somehow manages to stay with you at the end and its very welcome, i'm definitely a fan
October 12, 2018
From the very first pages, Hush drew me in. Emotion flows from page to page in a way that makes you need to catch your breath. Nicole is a master of detail and imagery. She turns poetry into stories that stir your very soul. Hush isn’t the place for the typical love poem. It’s raw and gritty and filled with that special touch of darkness that Nicole does oh so well.
When I first read Nicole on social media, it was like she knew me. Knew the way my mind worked. Knew the way my own shadows felt. With Hush, it’s almost as though she’s taken up residence in my head at times. I felt myself particularly drawn to pieces like “Binged and Purged,” “Gleaming Bones,” and “Let Old Bones Lie.” There is something about the shadows lingering in those lines, and I couldn’t stop reading. Her words alternate between sweet and savage, the calm and the fury. Her words are pure fire, but they’re wrapped up in this smooth darkness that demands to be read.
In one of my all time favorites, Clusters page 5, Nicole likens herself to a mad girl with stars falling under her skin. She says the world is cruel, and she is too right there. But, I think all those galaxies within her create the most brilliant magic. A magic I cannot get enough of. A magic that leaves us wanting more.
When I first read Nicole on social media, it was like she knew me. Knew the way my mind worked. Knew the way my own shadows felt. With Hush, it’s almost as though she’s taken up residence in my head at times. I felt myself particularly drawn to pieces like “Binged and Purged,” “Gleaming Bones,” and “Let Old Bones Lie.” There is something about the shadows lingering in those lines, and I couldn’t stop reading. Her words alternate between sweet and savage, the calm and the fury. Her words are pure fire, but they’re wrapped up in this smooth darkness that demands to be read.
In one of my all time favorites, Clusters page 5, Nicole likens herself to a mad girl with stars falling under her skin. She says the world is cruel, and she is too right there. But, I think all those galaxies within her create the most brilliant magic. A magic I cannot get enough of. A magic that leaves us wanting more.
August 24, 2017
Nicole Lyons' Hush is a stunning collection of poetry. This book serves as a reminder that Nicole Lyons is well known for her ability to tear her heart open and bleed onto the page.
I spent days, like that.
Daydreaming of first kisses
and a love I didn't understand.
I'm not really into poetry - I find myself not getting it a lot of times - but Hush is different. It reeled me into its emotional backdrop, tugging passion, love, and pain. These poems are what dreams are made of.
There's at least one poem in this book for everyone. It feels what you feel and you get all warm inside because this thing understands you. As a reader you wish you could be in it and as a writer you wish you wrote it. It is that powerful.
I would highly recommend these beautiful pages to everyone I know.
I spent days, like that.
Daydreaming of first kisses
and a love I didn't understand.
I'm not really into poetry - I find myself not getting it a lot of times - but Hush is different. It reeled me into its emotional backdrop, tugging passion, love, and pain. These poems are what dreams are made of.
There's at least one poem in this book for everyone. It feels what you feel and you get all warm inside because this thing understands you. As a reader you wish you could be in it and as a writer you wish you wrote it. It is that powerful.
I would highly recommend these beautiful pages to everyone I know.
September 11, 2018
Nicole kicked it out of the ball park with this searingly honest and piquant collection of her poetry. Whilst many modern poets mimic her form, the short-and-to-the-point immediacy and her signature typewriter written pages so identifiable and iconic, few are able to weave words the way Lyons does. She just has IT and that's not something you learn in an MFA program. It is the reason she's a consistent best seller in the poetry genre on Amazon and why she has won numerous awards for her writing. Some people are popular, some people are successful, some people are likeable. Lyons is all three, and she's more than that, she's addictive. When I received my copy of Hush I read it from page to page in a single sitting. Yeah it's like that. Tell your friends and buy a copy, I'm guessing one day the first imprint will be valuable.
September 20, 2017
HUSH is a collection of poetry that can be consumed all at once in a day of self-indulgent reading or over time, choosing one selection at a time to fill your mind with striking images and haunting word choices.
Nicole Lyons is painfully honest, bare and sometimes uncomfortably open about all that is human and emotional, forcing the reader to connect in a way that is reminiscent of early Sylvia Plath. Lyons is a forceful writer to watch, a tempestuous wordsmith in all the best magical ways and I look forward to her becoming a prolific contributor to the women's poetry canon.
Nicole Lyons is painfully honest, bare and sometimes uncomfortably open about all that is human and emotional, forcing the reader to connect in a way that is reminiscent of early Sylvia Plath. Lyons is a forceful writer to watch, a tempestuous wordsmith in all the best magical ways and I look forward to her becoming a prolific contributor to the women's poetry canon.
July 7, 2019
Estoy totalmente enamorada de estos poemas, siendo sincera estos poemas me recuerdan a una pareja de una novela turca que últimamente he estado viendo. Son tan reales que se nota que vienen desde adentro, de verdad me gustaron muchísimo.
August 20, 2019
Hush is by far one of my favorite poetry books. Nicole's insights gave me chills and left me unable to put the book down until it was finished. This will make a great addition to any poetry library.
January 19, 2019
Amazing, thoughtful and inspiring
July 13, 2020
I absolutely loved this book. I was definitely different than her books after however it was still raw and powerful.
May 11, 2021
Few people write with the raw candor of Nicole. She uncovers bits of my soul in some pieces and knowledge that I needed in others. This book was an emotional ride that I won't forget.
April 16, 2018
This is just beautiful writing. The thoughts in this book are emotionally complex and highly relatable, but the true allure for me here lies in the gorgeous accessibility of the actual language. I'm so in love with Nicole's writing (and the personality that's so evident within) that it's embarrassing. Do this. Just hurry up and DO THIS.
March 18, 2018
We drink tears
and eat pain.
Wipe our mouths
and call it
love
and eat pain.
Wipe our mouths
and call it
love
February 12, 2023
"There's no colder poetry than that of the tragedies of found girls, aching to become lost"
May 3, 2017
My favorite book of poetry. I love it so much!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews