sticky notes

by Indy Yelich

'sticky notes' is the first book of poetry by emerging poet, indy yelich, who was born to a poet mother and is the sister of pop artist, Lorde. She currently lives independently as a 19 year old in New York City. This debut collection chronicles her experiences with love, travel, and self-discovery in a shifting physical and emotional geography.

Genres: Poetry

144 pages

First published February 14, 2018

About the author

Indy Yelich is a 23 year old musician and writer living in New York City. Her first poetry book, Sticky Notes was released in 2018. Dudette is her second collection of poetry.

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need more from her. More poetry. More books. MORE!!!!!
She's freaking talented.
GIVE. ME. MORE.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’ve been following my blog and reading my tags and Weekly Updates, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that I’m a Lorde fan. I listen to her music pretty incessantly, but I didn’t actually know that much about her or her family. I knew that she had a sister, but I honestly never really paid that much attention. Well, now I’ve read Indy’s first poetry collection and I. Am. Conflicted.

Like, okay, there’s one poem. It’s called the kitchen bench and I’m not sure why I relate to it so much, but I do.

[…]

the clock is a prison sentence
all i have left are the memories
that haunt me in my shower

crosslegged
eating cereal

wondering why it tastes
so off

Why does this take me right back to a very specific time in my life? It’s almost creepy how easily it transported me back to approximately 2010 when I was in my first studio apartment and very sad about everything in general.

There are also a couple lines in a poem called hero that I particularly enjoyed:

i think you were placed in the wrong era
because you don’t go outside and you eat books
like sandwiches

Literally me, okay? LITERALLY ME.

But then there are some other poems, or should I say “poems,” that are just sentences with line breaks. One example is central park:

i just want to
sit in the park
a little while longer

That’s it. That’s the poem. I mean, accurate statement, I have literally never been in Central Park without thinking, “oh hey, wouldn’t it be nice to stay here a little bit longer” but here’s a “poem” from me:

sentences
with line breaks
aren’t poetry 🙄

I actually had a lot of thoughts about a lot of poems in this collection, but I think that this will suffice for the review. I mean, I probably shouldn’t copy down every poem in the collection and give my reactions to it. That might be considered, oh, I don’t know, a violation of the copyright or something.

In short:

• I went into this without any real expectations and walked away feeling pretty conflicted.
• IT’S NOT TERRIBLE by any means, but it’s also not really amazing.
• Some of the poems take me right back to how I felt when I was Indy’s age! That’s great and shows a lot of talent!
• Other poems are just not relatable at all — even as a grown adult working a full-time job, I can’t even come close to affording a studio apartment next to Washington Square.
• I’m curious about what Indy will write next.

[Whit]

what a tragic day when you realize you can no longer relate
to the angst coated thoughts of an 18 year old
i've grown too much

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Current read: 4 stars

First read: 4.8 stars!
Now I can say I found a new favorite poet and I am already anticipating her next book! I wanted to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, Indy has this way of stringing words and phrases together that is unique and differently gorgeous! She crafts these concise, mini pieces of artwork, that touch on your emotions and play on your senses. Just knowing she is nineteen and reading what she wrote, I can tell that she will go far in writing and is advanced in a way that is beyond her age. A book that is short, but one you want to keep reading, but never want to end. Indy has choose the best of the best of her poems, this collection encapsulated her experiences. You will find yourself in these poems and make them your own, I sure did.

[Jesse Jentzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and interesting. There were some really relatable pieces of poetry and some not so relatable, but then again, that tends to be the case with all poetry.

[Juliano · Rating 2 out of 5]

“i am the lost and found pile / grubby hands rummage through / the discarded”... I finally got a chance to read Indy Yelich’s Sticky Notes the other day, but came away feeling a little ambivalent. There were some great poems, and an often strong sense of image and phrase; unfortunately there were many weaker poems, and Yelich’s voice is still plainly underdeveloped, so the point is often questionable. There were also some small mistakes that grated to read (“whose” instead of “who’s”) and a few poor phrases: “don’t get your haemoglobin run cold”, which reads like it was run through a thesaurus programme and is devoid of honesty, might be the worst line I’ve ever read in a contemporary poem. That said, I think the book is still a promising debut overall, its 18 year old author capable of undoubtedly better work to come.

[Nathan Bartos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned about this collection of poetry from Ariel Bissett's documentary/thesis on "instagram poetry" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu215... ), and I was immediately interested.
I've sort of fallen in love with Indy Yelich's vibe and demeanor by following her Instagram, and the long road to getting this book from the library built up my excitement for this collection. It did not disappoint. It's definitely a collection that takes some thought and benefits not from careful analysis but from slow contemplation. Sitting with these poems is such a rewarding experience, and Yelich draws from her own experiences to capture our generation and its thoughts and feelings and vibe so well. (side note: I think this is the most I've ever used the word "vibe" at one time.)
I definitely recommend getting your hands on a copy and giving this collection a chance.

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

i enjoyed this one, but had a hard time getting over some of the general atmosphere of the collection, just fails to cohese in a way for me. I love this sort of poetry though and honestly ratings are always kind of bullshit, if u like confessional down to earth stuff with a conversational tone this one will probably hit

[Niki Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘i think you were placed in the wrong era because you don’t go outside and you eat books’

[Mer Fenton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quintessential cornerstone of my late high school existence.

[sarah kaplin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ryan Scales · Rating 5 out of 5]

At times like Picasso in her abstractions, at times like van Gogh in the colorful way her words paint mental pictures, 19 year old Indy Yelich has delivered a delightful canvas of her heart detailing the course of her first year living in the United/Divided States of America. Both relatable, and responsible for revving up wishes to be more like her, Indy is a credible creative writer on the rise, and there are such great heights left to climb. I would read Sticky Notes again, and indeed have already three times; I don’t believe I have yet finished my reflections on hers. Excellently written, short enough to be read in single sitting, and deep enough to require longer pause to thoughtfully consider for better grasp of the meticulous mind at work behind her masterful words. I know I am not the only one who looks forward to following Indy’s future career as she continues to make her place and name known here on earth - she is cut from the same cloth as the night full of stars, which may not be seen clearly above in NYC, but one can image emanating figuratively from the earth below, wherever from her words and voice flow.

[sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This poetry book is wonderful.

For a debut poetry collection by such a young poet (indy has actually only recently turned 20 & this was written just over a year ago) it is so beautifully cohesive.
It is abstract, bright and dark, a rollercoaster and stunningly real.
Some people may be inclined to label this collection as 'instagram poetry' but please please don't be dismissive of it purely on those grounds. Instagram has been a brilliant tool for raising poetry to a really prominent level and without it we wouldn't be able to see young new poets like indy blooming.


Sticky Notes is split into two sections: LA and NY (each with a different overriding tones to the poems contained within them) and because the poems are all so varied and so diverse, I will just tell you some of my favourites:
LA -
flamingo
living in la
bird feet
the ing
wrong colour to be feeling so young

NY -
i smell my beach - house on macdougal st, nyc
strings
dish cloth
bs to the bs to the bs
sticky notes

I urge you to read this book and give indy a follow on social media. She is a true breath of fresh air in this heated, mad crazy world we live in.

[Lucia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really liked this one !
I find poetry really personal but it also brings people's together.
Brings a connection between all of us.
That's why I love poetry !
Thank you Indy for sharing pieces of your heart with us.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found myself in many of the poems being a melodramatic teenager on the way to adulthood. That's the point of the book: the essence of teenage, its ups and downs and betweens, its colours and perfumes, the changes toward the future. Definitely a very good book.

[Sophia Bakowsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

.

[Sophie]

Read this over my lunch break and train trip home today and loved it. Brilliant.

[Jessie Betts · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so beautiful. I marked my favourite poems with sticky notes, appropriately, and will undeniably read them over and over. Indy’s relation to Lorde, whom I love, was what drew me to her, but she is an artist in her own right too. Can’t wait to see where her poetry takes her.