We Like Feelings. We Are Serious.

by Julie McIsaac

In a powerful combination of prose poems, graphica, lyric poems and lyric essays, Julie McIsaac's new book is at once fiercely political, intimate and hilarious. We Like Feelings. We Are Serious. is an exploded view of contemporary feminism, sex, loss, beauty myths, self-doubt, psychology, menstruation, resistance, family and love. Intellectually dazzling, emotionally lavish and allergic to bullshit, this is a book that is timely, refreshing and wholly original.

Genres: Poetry

152 pages, Paperback

Published November 6, 2018

Reviews

[Jane Mulkewich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. This may be the first book of poetry that compelled me and drew me in to read the whole thing in one sitting (well lying down actually)... but I will return to it again and again, there is so much here. I love the "irreverent badass wit" as quoted by another reviewer. I would give you a kickass quote but I wouldn't know where to start, so read it yourself.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

a bad ass rebellious feminist manifesto and send off of contemporary life, inventive forms, satire. I loved this book.

[Lancakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was written for me? Specifically? And I feel bad that when we saw it in store I made my friend buy it because it is truly my jam. Things I loved 1) poem about Dan. We've all suffered through a presentation from a Dan, with all his truly wtf hot takes. I lol'd on the train reading it. 2) screen caps of archival info and scholarly article abstracts, and Facebook messages. 3) tampon insertion diagrams throughout. I just think they're neat. 4) her Fire poems about her matriarchs bear such startling similarity to my matriarchs. Down to the uncanny detail that she melted the soles of her shoes near a campfire: my mother did the same thing!! Things I appreciated less: the Trump stuff felt very white and unoriginal (Also, a pet peeve: "POC" is used as an adjective, like "POC writers", and that kind of destroys the whole point of person first language? It's not "person of colour writer", and a further, more personal pet peeve of mine is white people using "POC" "WOC", it just seems dismissive to not type out to the whole term). I shelved this as creative nonfiction as well as poetry because much of this content is not really poetry, and if it is then... Idk it's not my kind of poems, more straight up statements arranged artfully less literary devices and word play. Overall I loved it but liked the first part more than the last bit, it felt more thought out and manipulated and refined.

[Senora · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is vagina and period blood art millennial “activism” in book form.

[Colline Vinay Kook-Chun · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection is divided into the different eras of feminism: from post-activism to the current experience. Mostly the voice of the writing is that of a woman – a rebelling woman, a young woman, a woman who finds herself in a marriage. The few times a man’s voice is used, it is to highlight the way in which women are often viewed.

There were a few poems that I enjoyed in the collection. They spoke to my experience and I understood them. I got the references to women’s lives and the symbols the poet had used. However, there were many more pieces that I did not understand, or see what she was referring to. The words made no sense to me no matter how many times I read them. McIsaac’s writing will not reach everybody as not all readers will grasp what it is she is saying. I do feel that this is an unfortunate downfall of the collection.

I was a little disappointed when I opened the book to see that not all pieces are poetry. Many pieces are prose – and a couple are written as a screenplay. Some of the graphics make an interesting addition to the collection. However, the repetition of one particular graphic did annoy me and was, I believe, a little overdone.

Even though I enjoyed reading some of the pieces in We Like Feelings. We Are Serious. the pieces I did not understand or get the references to ruined my overall impression of the book.

[Juanita · Rating 3 out of 5]

It grew on me.

[linnea siggelkow · Rating 4 out of 5]

the fire poems took me out