The Willies

by Adam Falkner

The Willies is a book that finds its author grappling with the intersections of race, gender, and a family trying to stay close, despite the failing health of its patriarch. These poems are honest, vulnerable, and unflinching in their ability to look into the speaker's complications. The poems trace the author's childhood, adulthood, and hopeful future, all of them asking the central question of how a person continues to love themselves, even as all they know evolves and vanishes.

Genres: Poetry, LGBT, Queer, Gay

64 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2020

Reviews

[Emily B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of contemporary and relevant poems explores sexuality, family relationships, race and alcoholism. It’s honest and worth the short times it takes to read.

[Gerhard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This skyline I
claim as sanctuary? Harbor I ached toward,
both sails full?

This is the first poetry collection I have read by Dr. Falkner. The subject matter varies widely, focusing mainly on the intersectionality between race, sexuality and gender and white privilege. This is a Gordian knot that I don’t think Dr. Falkner is entirely successful at unravelling. The writing is curiously mannered, with some of the poems quite novelistic in being blocks of text, which belies the raw emotions swirling beneath. I was wondering why some lines were italicised, only to discover at the end that these are quotations from songs and other works incorporated into the poems themselves, which is interesting. There is a mixture of bravery, confrontation and intimacy here that makes this a powerful and often disturbing collection to read.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I like how this collection was written with all the angst and the emotions. This collection is all about the author's experience of being a writer, his sexuality and facing discrimination for the same and also about racism. I like how the author focuses on the people around him and the several issues that he had to face; losing his best friend and the grief he went through. The collection is really short. The words are deep and meaningful. Please do not rush through the words. Take it slowly. At times, it might be really difficult to get through some of the lines but somehow that's alright.
I was expecting much more from this one. And it ended way too soon.

Thanks #NetGalley for the copy of #TheWillies

[keondra freemyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

i started this book with an open mind, but i ended up quite disappointed. many reviewers have mentioned that the collection touches on race as a theme, but really, it's about whiteness and grappling with black cultural appropriation. everyone has their journey and i don't want to undermine the individual work that the author may be doing, but the collection itself is unsuccessful in capturing the intricacies of this sensitive issue. the collection covers many other themes (queerness, alcoholism, mental health, etc) but i'm disappointed at how Black culture has been used to frame white guilt. a quick glance at the notes page reflects the myriad of Black cultural workers the writer borrowed lines from for this collection without really delving into the issue of privilege, institutional racism, and how power works within these contexts. without pondering the context in which the writer/speaker is making choices to perform blackness, the poems are flat and perpetuate the very concerns the poems attempt to subvert. i would not recommend this collection.

*i received a complimentary advanced copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

[Andrea Pole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Willies, a collection of poems by Adam Falkner, is an introspective and conversational approach to queerhood in America in which the poet lays himself bare with honesty and candor. The musings are wide ranging yet accessible, presented at times with humour, and often surprising, yet always raw and thought-provoking. Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Button Poetry for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Anwen Hayward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the ARC.

This one got to me, man. This is the power of poetry. Falkner expresses youthful queerness better than anyone I've ever read. The lengths we go to in order to appear straight - not even straight, necessarily, but anything other than that which we are - and the reclamation of what we've missed out on when finally we're able to be honest with ourselves about it. I was expecting this poetry collection to be heartbreaking, but I wasn't expecting it to also be hilarious; I can't quote from it, but there are two poems in particular which had me laughing out loud. There were poems about white guilt which initially made me a little uncomfortable, but with each poem on that theme it became clearer what Falkner is saying, and I think it's a worthwhile point; that cultural appropriation can become a kind of contest to absolve white guilt. This is an ambitious and honest collection, and I was expecting to like it, but not to love it. And I do love it.

I want to own this collection, and will absolutely be preordering it so that it can sit on my shelf. I want to carry it around with me and dog-ear all the pages and highlight my favourite lines.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Nothing stays weightless forever"

These poems were raw, filled with emotion, and honesty. A quick read but a glance through the eyes of the poet. Struggles with family, love and life.

Some of the poems definitely stood out more than others, overall a solid collection.

[Madi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Finally, the poem I will not write."

[BookChampions · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gathering my thoughts on this one, but yeah, I loved it.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, strong stuff in these poems. Father stuff, identity stuff (gay white guy identity stuff to be specific), all with a clear eyed tone with hints of bracing hope.

[Carl McKever · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met this writer nearly 9 years ago in Boston at a writer's convention and has been speechless ever since. Before sharing and detailing the parts of this book I enjoy, I'm remarkably amazed at his wit and craft in poetry writing as well as his humor on stage. Adam has performed open mikes across many states and in many bars, and the same holds true: he's approachable, people-minded, clever in speech, and presents himself in business attire when performing. His assiduousness, adaptability, and willingness to be teachable are characteristics many can attest to Adam portraying. His newly released book, Willies, is better than the original one I read "Ten for Faheem" because it's written with multiple perspectives. Although Adam's poetry contains reflections of himself, he exemplifies a heart of understanding to others in his latest writing pieces. A growing and thriving poet is one who knows how to see the world, through the eyes of others, and portray its meaning to others through pen and paper. I'm speechless and awestruck amazed at Adam's growth as well as his versatility in the things he do outside of writing such as playing the drums, composing musical albums, and teaching in the heart of New York. I rate this book five stars and my favorite poem is "The Whitest Thing".

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Willies, poet and scholar Adam Falkner’s first full-length collection, offers a sharp and vulnerable new portrait of the journey into queerhood in America.

This collection as it is read feels so cathartic, like it's being unleashed into the world and it makes for such pacey and riveting read as you fall into the words throughout this collection. How Falkner talks about himself being queer or the grief of losing someone, no matter the thought, he spills feeling withs his words and it makes for such captivating reading - how he can put how he feels into metaphors, is just beautifully done too (for example, 'I am suspended like a song trapped in a mason jar').

The style in which he captures his thoughts changes, how he uses different ways of writing really make you change how you think about what you are reading and that pulls you in deeper into his words and makes you connect further to the thoughts he has. I really appreciate the integrity of his words but also how the author wants you to read them too.

It hits you hard, it makes you feel the sadness and the hurt but it is done so beautifully throughout and it kept me reading until the very end.

(I received an ARC from Netgalley for honest review).

[Dr. des. Siobhán · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free poetry collection*

In this collection, Falkner discusses themes such as coming out as gay (bisexual maybe?), sexual awakening, suicide, family relations, white-guilt, and gender. I didn't like all of the poems, but some of them were well written, humbling, and intimate. Others were funny. For example "The Whitest Thing": Owning your own white guilt isn't cool / yet, so you stuff the soft parts of other kids' / cultures into your poeckets until you believe it is / not there. You are a matching sweat / suit jukebox stocked with everything / from Ice Cube to OutKast, entire albums / memorized and coiled in the dampf / of your mouth, gunfire into the fiar/ above the school parking lot --- and that / is as black as you think possible." (28)

The poems are very honest, some sad, not all offer consolation even though some do.

3,5 stars

[Atiba · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of introspection from within about place and identity in communities. From the familial struggles of a fraught and fragile father figure who is dealing and coping with his own struggles to the struggle of his son as he puts on armor to prepare for the battle of coming out only to life his visor and see it is still a battle but not to the level he expected. There is a strong poetic threads and seeds that relate to race, white privilege and white guilt. There is some additional dissing out to do as it relates to actions and the mental/ societal complexes that grow out of the aforementioned seeds. This is more of a costar role in the overall book but a good one.

[Bryce Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just simply adored this book. He touches on so many topics that I'm personally interested in and I flew through this in a day. Some of my favorite poems were "Connor Everywhere But", "It's Tricky So Stay With Me", and many of the "Intake" poems. I deeply relate to many of his perspectives and found myself feeling deeply connected to the work. However, I didn't love every single poem equally and found myself kind of gravitating towards poems about specific themes. I think rereading this one and giving the poems more time will allow me to grow even fonder of the book, but as of now, I'm feeling four stars.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very subjective rating here.

Picked this book up in a Button Poetry bundle and something about it made me uncomfortable? And this may be unfair of me to critique them this way, but the way they talk about race and Black culture to frame their whiteness and white guilt doesn’t feel sincere to me? Or maybe I feel more confused about how they see their relationship with race, whiteness, and appropriation. This conflicting feeling made it hard for me to connect to the rest of the text and engage with it a meaningful way.

Maybe will give this another chance in the gurus but currently just can’t seem to get through this one with an objective look

[Kathleen Quarfordt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam Falkner’s new book of poems The Willies explores overlapping and intersecting themes of queerness, race, privilege, alcoholism, and family relationships with raw, sometimes funny and always incisive storytelling. Braiding together multiple often contrasting versions of his experiences, he invites us to accompany him in an unflinching, kaleidoscopic examination of self. The work is searing, yet generous. Regardless of what biographical details we may or may not share with him, Falkner beckons us to look squarely and courageously into the multitudinous truths of our own lives.

[Adrienne Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adam Falkner writes about race, addiction, white privilege, queerness, and what it means to un-become the terrible, problematic people we used to be based on what our small towns & suburbs have taught us & how to continue to grow up & out of it. There are parts of this book I’m still processing, but (like a lot of poetry collections I read) I need to read it a few more times before my thoughts on it settle. Just as Adam mentioned in an interview in Them Magazine, I hope every queer kid growing up in proximity to a corn field gets a chance to just be & read at least some of these poems.

[Rae's Reading Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falkner's poetry was so vivid and entrancing I felt myself unable to put the collection down. It's a work that opens up to an array of themes and subjects such as coming out, race, growing up and family relationships, I'll be looking out for this book in stores and recommending it to anyone I think would be interested.

Thanks to NetGalley, Button Poetry and the author of this collection for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Mandy Hazen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cannot begin to understand or attempt to understand the struggles the author went through in their life. It is at points difficult to read, but well written. This is the story of a young mans life growing up with the struggles of people understand and coming to terms with him being gay, and the struggle he goes through To share this with those he loves. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Noah Arhm Choi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Willies” is the type of book you wish people would read over your shoulder on the subway to share in the medicine of its honesty. The fierce and generous vulnerability of these poems beckons our own stories to venture out in all their queer and growing pain glory and creates a guide to reckoning with the at-times dissonance of our privilege and desire. I can’t wait to share these poems with the youth I work with.

[Kirsten Lost 2022 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not much of a poetry reader. I'm aphantasic, which mean I don't really get anything from descriptive language, it takes me a long time to process it, and I don't really ~feel~ the vast majority of it. But I keep trying, because I think it's important to try and expand your horizons. I jammed with a good bit of the poetry in here, some of the themes... poetry I actually enjoyed, who'da thunk it.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took my breath. And ha (ah!) -- the intakes.
Those lovers at Pickerel Lake, finally beholden to gravity.
Grandma "skin slipping / from both sides like a wet / dishrag draped over an oven / handle. Calls me nothing."
Connor Everywhere But.

You read this fast which makes the weight seem easy.

[Sincerely Bluejay · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be completely honest I was not sure what to expect from this collection. It came in a mystery book bag from button poetry. Some of the meaning was lost on me because I don't share a lot of the same experiences. However, it was an enjoyable, enlightening read.

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam Falkner offers us a book that is beautiful, jarring, and speaks to valuable human experience. What more can you ask of a poet? There is much to consider and appreciate in this volume.

[Steven S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This latest book by Adam Falkner is a true collection of authentic, raw, and deep poems. It speaks to multiple readers, but is a unique and powerful representation for the LGBTQ+ community

[Lauren Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But where else to take all these questions of fathers and sons and ghosts that haunted the holy out of both of you—“

Adam Falkner is at his best when writing about grief.

[Lorenzo Sivilotti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tentative, tortured, tender.
9/10

[Alannah O'hagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The vocabulary of the book is both poetic and colloquial and while the subject matter seems very personal to the author’s experience I found it easy to relate to.

[Charles F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam Falkner is a poet of rare sensitivity, honesty, and insight. Reading him is a joy, and even more, it is an invitation to a richer life of purpose and meaning.