A Lens To See Behind The Sky

by Ashley Dun

This collection of poetry and art walks through earth's elements, reminding you of the connection of spirit and sky, earth and bone. Dun uses words inspired by Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water to wrestle the enemies of existence brought on by anxiety and depression. Although there is darkness in some of these words, behind it is a hope for light. Beneath it is a heavy, beating heart holding on through the storm. Use this book as your reminder that the storm will always pass. Light is always on the other side. *Includes poetry previously published in collections Smoke Signals (Burn This) & Live Poems Love Poems *Due to mature content this book is recommended for ages 13+

Genres: Poetry

292 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2018

Reviews

[Eunice (nerdytalksbookblog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poetry book is a gem! I almost ran out of tabs. I really enjoyed this one and couldn't quite forgive myself why I didn't read it as soon as I got them. This book speaks of life and every interesting facets of it. I love that it isn't your typical contemporary poems. It has depth and texture. It has a heart. You can truly feel the emotions on each poem. I love how it tackles depression and anxiety. I love how it evokes positivity.

The way the author sees life is truly exceptional and thought provoking! More of this please!

[ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is exactly the style of poetry that i vibe with. i felt like it spoke directly into my soul.

[Dri · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very dense collection of poetry. There were elements that I really enjoyed and others that I didn't. A lot of the poems were very repetitive. I'm not sure what the selection process was as to what made it into the final draft but I think the collection should have been way more condense as it risks becoming monotonous. The same topics are being explored over and over again in the same way. I did consider ditching halfway through but the artwork was quite intriguing, especially the typewriter pieces in combination with the photography and collage.

There are some parts I love about her work. It is rich in vivid imagery. My top 3 from the collection are The Scale, 103 and 107-Am I going to miss this sadness?. In particular 107 I found to be really great; it had a well thought out structure and flowed beautifully!!! It really carries the reader through her thought process without jumping about too much which I found a lot of the others doing.

Not sure If I will read again cover to cover, but might come back to the ones I liked. I would still recommend it as someone else might love it and really gain a lot from the topics she discusses.

[Amy B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading through Ashley’s poems and plan on doing so again, lingering on the ones that speak to me most.

There’s a magnetic honesty in her words, both the dark and the light, and it’s encouraging to finally hear someone say things out loud.

The lack of capitals did make it a bit challenging for me to read at times and the enjambments tend to be so frequent the flow is sometimes lost...but these are personal preferences and I understand these elements speak of Ashley’s personal style. :)

If you’re looking for a soul-searching, galaxy-studded exploration of depression, empathy, relationships, and hope, definitely give Ashley a go. :)

[Aria Maher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this lovely new collection of poetry from Ashley Dun for Christmas last year. It does contain all the poems from her previous collection 'Smoke Signals', but there's a significant amount of new work too, and it was really neat how the themes of fire, earth, air, and water are woven seamlessly through each section.

[Mae Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, hauntingly stirring... Ashley’s poetry dives deeply into embracing the honestly of depression in a way which almost hooks hopeful. Sad, dark words crawling through dark personal spaces suddenly feel sun drenched.
I am grateful.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

sad girl poems.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this a year ago, microdosing its contents to properly digest it all. An excellent insight into what it means to live with shadows.