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Branches
Microscopes swivel and flowers spread as the poet wrestles with a spectrum of growing pains. These coming-of-age poems draw inspiration equally from science textbooks and fairy tales. As the final poem prays, “I will see the moon and morning and know”. Branches explores what it means to live to the next day, and the next, before we fully understand what we are surviving.
54 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
July 18, 2017
Branches is the poetry collection of Rhiannon McGavin, the youth poet laureate of Los Angeles 2016. Her unique voice lifts the reader off the page and into a vision of hot LA summers and days in Paris. This is a bittersweet yet hopeful collection that could've only been written in 2016, cleverly covering sensitive topics in a way that doesn't seek to alienate the reader in a flurry of strong language. McGavin expertly describes traumatic experiences and bitter hurt as well as hopeful love in this collection alongside her more current event oriented pieces. As a long time subscriber to Rhiannon's YouTube channel, reading this felt like coming home. I highly recommend this book to anyone who can appreciate a mix of classic style with something new and fresh that feels almost like biting into a summer tangerine. You can see her read poems from this book and more on her YouTube page, thegeekyblonde. Rhiannon, if you're reading this, thank you. Your voice has fueled me though my high school years, so it is the least I can do to give you a good review on Goodreads.
September 12, 2019
First read: August 27th, 2017-August 27th, 2017, 4.5 stars
Second read: September 10th, 2019-September 12th 2019, 4.5 stars? Higher?
Take time out of your day. Read a poem out of this collection slowly. I mean slowly... Put the book down. Continue on with your day. Return to the poem at the end of the day. Reread it again. Slowly.
I tried my best to read this poetry collection as slowly as I could. The sheer enjoyment of each poem led me to reading it faster than I should've. I did stop and go back to reread a few poems, each time I read Rhiannon's poems, the more I feel impacted, and that I am starting to get inside the enigma that are her words. The reader wants to understand the poems, but knows and accepts and even is okay with skirting the surface of Rhiannon's poetry. They will still read her poems over and over, enjoying them more with each sip. She captured moments in her own life, mixed them with history and myth and politics and created art that isn't just gorgeous and detailed, but interesting and thoughtful. I found myself crying my eyes out, there are poems in here I know people will find themselves in.
We have familiar pieces in this second edition. Some were changed with minor details, some were changed a lot, and some were added. I really found the new poems to be ones I liked, ones I've heard before made their welcome appearance as an added need to this collection. I enjoyed comparing the two editions of Branches and seeing what had changed, it was interesting to me to know what Rhiannon thought to be changed. I got to be honest and say that some of the changes I was not into, but most of the changes I do understand why she made them and appreciate her changing the poems, while staying true to her adolescent self.
Favorite poems:
- Art Class
- early September
- Post-Winter
- Things that could Happen to a Girl wearing Jeans
Reading this poetry collection makes me want to see where Rhiannon goes and read whatever she writes next. If you choose to read this, also check out her spoken word as well. Or check out her spoken word and then come back here.
Second read: September 10th, 2019-September 12th 2019, 4.5 stars? Higher?
Take time out of your day. Read a poem out of this collection slowly. I mean slowly... Put the book down. Continue on with your day. Return to the poem at the end of the day. Reread it again. Slowly.
I tried my best to read this poetry collection as slowly as I could. The sheer enjoyment of each poem led me to reading it faster than I should've. I did stop and go back to reread a few poems, each time I read Rhiannon's poems, the more I feel impacted, and that I am starting to get inside the enigma that are her words. The reader wants to understand the poems, but knows and accepts and even is okay with skirting the surface of Rhiannon's poetry. They will still read her poems over and over, enjoying them more with each sip. She captured moments in her own life, mixed them with history and myth and politics and created art that isn't just gorgeous and detailed, but interesting and thoughtful. I found myself crying my eyes out, there are poems in here I know people will find themselves in.
We have familiar pieces in this second edition. Some were changed with minor details, some were changed a lot, and some were added. I really found the new poems to be ones I liked, ones I've heard before made their welcome appearance as an added need to this collection. I enjoyed comparing the two editions of Branches and seeing what had changed, it was interesting to me to know what Rhiannon thought to be changed. I got to be honest and say that some of the changes I was not into, but most of the changes I do understand why she made them and appreciate her changing the poems, while staying true to her adolescent self.
Favorite poems:
- Art Class
- early September
- Post-Winter
- Things that could Happen to a Girl wearing Jeans
Reading this poetry collection makes me want to see where Rhiannon goes and read whatever she writes next. If you choose to read this, also check out her spoken word as well. Or check out her spoken word and then come back here.
April 26, 2019
rhiannon mcgavin exudes older sister energy and i ADORE it. this collection feels like she's braiding your hair, correcting your sentence structure, and teaching you all the things she wishes she knew in high school in a mere forty-some pages. these poems feel like a culmination of her growth as a poet, and it was delightful seeing how her old poems could give off the same feeling, despite how new the writing in it is. the poems in this have been stuck in my brain for a while and after reading the book, i'm pretty sure that won't change anytime soon. my favorites would be: art class, pain theory, post-winter, first base gold, en rose, and in the branches.
December 17, 2020
read this in one night because i just couldn’t stop. i can’t wait to reread it over and over again. the imagery. the voice. i wish i could be more coherent. perhaps once i analyze my thoughts further. how lovely! it made me ache, smile, tear up, all of the ‘growing pains’. (‘:
October 30, 2017
The goodreads librarian who added it to the site has finally read the book (and it was a delight!). Review forthcoming.
April 5, 2018
I don’t read poetry often but I love a Rhiannon’s. I have a feeling I’ll be reading some of these over and over.
September 19, 2017
Quality Rating: Five Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars
It's been quite a few years since I first stumbled on Rhiannon's work in Slam Poetry, but I think it's fair to say she was my gateway into reading and watching poetry as a whole. Her collection (though somewhat hard to get your hands on in the UK) differs from her bold feminist performance poetry and instead turns to more quietly rebellious tones. Reading her written poetry - especially the historical ones dealing with Jewish persecution - is just as emotional an experience as watching her speak. She's vivid, vivacious and poignant without having to make a sound. Regardless of which topics you prefer, her work shouts with passion and whispers with hope.
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars
It's been quite a few years since I first stumbled on Rhiannon's work in Slam Poetry, but I think it's fair to say she was my gateway into reading and watching poetry as a whole. Her collection (though somewhat hard to get your hands on in the UK) differs from her bold feminist performance poetry and instead turns to more quietly rebellious tones. Reading her written poetry - especially the historical ones dealing with Jewish persecution - is just as emotional an experience as watching her speak. She's vivid, vivacious and poignant without having to make a sound. Regardless of which topics you prefer, her work shouts with passion and whispers with hope.
November 25, 2022
ignore the smog. you see what you want to / here
in tenth grade mr latorra showed us the video of Rhiannon McGavin, Zariya Allen and Belissa Escobedo performing Somewhere in America for the Queen Latifah show and I proceeded to youtube rhiannon's slam poetry throughout the remainder of high school. eight years later I ran into her chapbooks on Not a Cult while looking for another poet's work, soft proof of a conserved planet.
what smoke bears your sky?
i liked recognizing on paper the words i'd only heard on youtube so many years ago. that is not an angle of memory i would have anticipated. Rhiannon's work is saturated and fleshy and gleaming and bends english in ways that feel really good. I stand by high school me's search history
in tenth grade mr latorra showed us the video of Rhiannon McGavin, Zariya Allen and Belissa Escobedo performing Somewhere in America for the Queen Latifah show and I proceeded to youtube rhiannon's slam poetry throughout the remainder of high school. eight years later I ran into her chapbooks on Not a Cult while looking for another poet's work, soft proof of a conserved planet.
what smoke bears your sky?
i liked recognizing on paper the words i'd only heard on youtube so many years ago. that is not an angle of memory i would have anticipated. Rhiannon's work is saturated and fleshy and gleaming and bends english in ways that feel really good. I stand by high school me's search history
July 20, 2020
I cannot tell you how many times my mind has wondered and i start randomly reciting "First Base Gold" and very time i hearing it in the voice that Rihannon uses when she's reading it out in a cafe in paris i think. the way she says, 'and now your talking to the profits' just hits different.
also i am 19 and because of parameters. i have decided i have never had my first kiss.
and for the poems who's subject matter i've never experienced... we've had a mutual understanding and we love each other just the same.
also i am 19 and because of parameters. i have decided i have never had my first kiss.
and for the poems who's subject matter i've never experienced... we've had a mutual understanding and we love each other just the same.
August 10, 2020
I’ve been following Rhiannon on various forms of social media since her Shakespeare Abridged Youtube series, and she has always been a huge artistic inspiration. However, I have only just purchased “Branches” recently, and I’m extremely thrilled to have read her collection!
As the blurb and other reviews state, McGavin presents a winding tale of bildungsroman and identity, growing up Jewish and a woman, and an LGBT+ woman as well. Her poems are brilliant in imagery and other devices (“FUCK DONALD TRUMP”) but they are never forced— she flows with word as well as time.
As the blurb and other reviews state, McGavin presents a winding tale of bildungsroman and identity, growing up Jewish and a woman, and an LGBT+ woman as well. Her poems are brilliant in imagery and other devices (“FUCK DONALD TRUMP”) but they are never forced— she flows with word as well as time.
May 3, 2020
the whole book is really good (which says a lot bc my patience with poetry is.... well, limited). the conversation between hades and persephone poem is especially good and heart-wrenching. highly recommend this one <3 my rating is all the heart emojis.
ps you can get it from not a cult media for a decent price, supporting the author and an independent press- https://www.notacult.media/books/bran... (not a promotion!)
ps you can get it from not a cult media for a decent price, supporting the author and an independent press- https://www.notacult.media/books/bran... (not a promotion!)
June 27, 2024
“I'm never growing up, I'll just sit in the corner of time and sip my juice box petulantly and judge your terrible Hamlet adaptations.”
Rhiannon McGavin revises poetry that she wrote when she was a teenager. This gives her the opportunity to explore her roots to learn why her branches grew the way that they did. You can find more of Rhiannon McGavin’s poetry on Youtube.
https://open.substack.com/pub/stephan...
Rhiannon McGavin revises poetry that she wrote when she was a teenager. This gives her the opportunity to explore her roots to learn why her branches grew the way that they did. You can find more of Rhiannon McGavin’s poetry on Youtube.
https://open.substack.com/pub/stephan...
May 25, 2018
Her poetry feels so well thought out and I feel a connection in some way or another with each poem. On top of having amazing poetry her youtube is informative as heck. She make me want to be a better poet and I like that she hasn’t fallen into the style of having three line and an illustration (it’s not bad just a lot of people doing it right now).
May 9, 2021
I have followed McGavin's work for some time, and oh what a treat this collection is. Chick Lit is my favorite poem in this, but I genuinely loved them all. I love how honest her work is, but in a way that still highlights the craft and skill it took to write these. One of my favorite poetry collections I have read :)
May 23, 2024
watching “art class” on YouTube in 2018 rewired my brain chemistry
favs: “coda,” “art class,” “sonnet seventy-eight,” “chick lit,” and “parameters” (!!!)
3.5 for lots of star and sea metaphors, and for more poems I liked than did not
“Good kisses shine even out of
the sea. There are keys and velvet shoes, know
this, a world of bridges beyond your long
walk home.”
favs: “coda,” “art class,” “sonnet seventy-eight,” “chick lit,” and “parameters” (!!!)
3.5 for lots of star and sea metaphors, and for more poems I liked than did not
“Good kisses shine even out of
the sea. There are keys and velvet shoes, know
this, a world of bridges beyond your long
walk home.”
October 13, 2017
Stunning collection of poetry by LA Youth Poet Laureate Rhiannon McGavin. Funny, heartfelt, often deeply touching, rooted in the American experience but also very aware of the historical and cultural roots of that experience. A great read.
January 20, 2019
truly, a massage for the brain. soothing. sometimes a challenge to unveil what she's saying, but i like to do that kind of work and close reading. good enough that it inspired me to get out my pen, too.
June 11, 2020
"i chose to be a girl who doesn't want to die.
the birds ask O PERSEPHONE HOW
i say i don't care about kings and shepherds,
no deity can outlast
the only child of a single mother.
no god's stronger than me."
the birds ask O PERSEPHONE HOW
i say i don't care about kings and shepherds,
no deity can outlast
the only child of a single mother.
no god's stronger than me."
February 1, 2020
Rhiannon McGavin is one of the most astounding and relatable writers in the youth poet scene to date. Every single poem within BRANCHES is masterful and beautiful in its own right.
August 26, 2017
5 stars - absolutely lovely
October 7, 2018
The anthems of my life. Rhiannon Mcgavin is the patron saint of and hero to all teenage girls.
October 19, 2018
there are no bad poems in this collection.
November 12, 2018
Amazing poetry! My favorites were "Chanel No. 1941" and "In the Lab".
May 11, 2021
RE-READ
what i like most about this work is how joyful it is! it's the complete opposite of what i would write and i just love that.
what i like most about this work is how joyful it is! it's the complete opposite of what i would write and i just love that.
June 22, 2020
brilliant, brilliant book! a delight to read. feels like a warm embrace, like looking at your favorite masterpiece for the first time and realizing, ah, this is it. amazing work rhiannon <3.
January 14, 2021
Favorite poems:
- Chanel No. 1941 (hit me like a ton of bricks)
- Doomsday Vault
- POST-WINTER
- Parameters
- Chanel No. 1941 (hit me like a ton of bricks)
- Doomsday Vault
- POST-WINTER
- Parameters
May 12, 2022
"Coda" absolutely rocked me. I'm looking forward to reading her other collection. I've heard she only gets better.
August 30, 2025
Absolute favorite.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews