Expulsion

by Emily Perkovich

Expulsion is the debut, short poetry collection of Emily Perkovich. The central theme is letting go and all of the ways that we work through tragedy and loss. The work focuses on sitting with those feelings of anger and grief that often come with trauma. Her words help teach us to acknowledge the ache and work towards healing, all with the awareness that healing may never fully come.

Genres: Poetry

60 pages, Paperback

Published March 30, 2020

About the author

Emily Perkovich (she/her) is from the Chicago-land area. She is the Editor in Chief of Querencia Press, a poetry reader with Split Lip Mag, and on the Women in Leadership Advisory Board with Valparaiso University. Her work strives to erase the stigma surrounding trauma victims and their responses. She is a Pushcart & a Best of the Net nominee, a SAFTA scholarship recipient, and is previously published with Horror Sleaze Trash, Harness Magazine, Rogue Agent, Coffin Bell Journal, and Awakenings among others. Em is Otomí and learning ways to reconnect with her kin. You can find her on IG @undermeyou or Twitter @emily_perkovich or visit her website.

Reviews

[Kait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Emily Perkovich's Expulsion is like walking through a haunted house—only the house is a body and the ghosts are lovers lost and the screams are still screams but less adrenaline piercing, more banshee wail. That is to say, Emily explores the anger, grief, and physical ache of loss and trauma through poetry in a way that reaches down to your bones. When Emily writes a poem, she wants you to feel it. She wants you to feel her every emotion, as raw as she felt it. This visceral quality to her poetry is one of the many reasons I love Emily's writing and this book. The way she crafts phrases that crash into the senses (like "You are the gravity breaking my insides to splinters" or "heat rising from our skin and flurries sticking to our insides") breathes life into her poems. Like they are little bodies full of blood, bones, and organs. They are raw, bleeding, bare, and teethed. And I dare you to read them. 😊 But seriously, I highly recommend Expulsion to all the feelers and the poetry lovers!

[Emily Perkovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am probably biased - but you should definitely read it

UPDATE: I know this still gets four and five star ratings, and I think that it is great for those just starting to get into poetry. Maybe I am setting myself up for disaster here, but I no longer relate to the voice of this book and I want to be transparent about that for those reading it based on my more recent work since it is not similar.

[Kristiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Expulsion by Perkovich was like uncovering a time capsule, of a person, time and place, I never knew I had buried so deep in the sand. From beginning to end, Perkovich’s imagery is sustained and vivid and her words pull you from yourself and ask you to sit at a table with your ghosts. The understanding of language and cadence is sublime as each piece lends itself to be read more than once as the layers of meaning unfurl.

Expulsion is also a gorgeous insight into Perkovich’s craft, and as an avid follower of her work online, it was fascinating to see how Perkovich has moved from vivid to cutting and visceral. The prose piece at the end of this collection, for instance, was a stunning signal of Perkovich’s hallmark style coming into fruition.

For me, this was a collection to consume at once. I enjoyed immersing myself in Perkovich’s style and words; exploring facets of love, grief, lust and loss in darkness and in technicolour because, as I said, there is a vividness to Perkovich’s work which is glorious to witness and feel inspired by upon finishing the collection.

[Farah · Rating 4 out of 5]

“And if only I hadn’t been so focused on the heat I might have seen the impending cold”

Disclaimer - I received a free digital download of this book from Reedsy Discovery in exchange for an honest review.

To say the authors poetry is raw doesn’t quite capture the intense quality of the verse in this book. The poems centralise around a topic of heartbreak and a very fervent love. I found the topics of quite a few of the poems to take on the more destructive, violent aspects that comes with toxic love. All of which I found really representative of real life emotions, which were well captures in the authors wording of phrases. I did have a few favourites which I highlighted, one of which is
“Darling, I hope that you know that the captain goes down with the ship, and you’re the only one in charge of this sinking vessel I call a body.”

I think the book takes you on a very graphic, emotionally charged journey, for me at least, it did. I would say it’s a good read and especially if you’re familiar with the above topics, I’ve always found reading books like this helps manage past experiences that are along the same lines.

[Stephanie Parent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful poetry collection about a painful end to a relationship. The author uses powerful images of destruction--fire, water--and reading this book feels like a physical experience, with emotions clearly located in the body. The book is definitely about "Expulsion," about pushing out all the harm this relationship has done, but it also feels like healing and regeneration. I'm impressed by how much the author accomplished in so few words, and I loved the ways certain images and themes echoed and built upon themselves throughout the book. I can't wait to read the author's other books!

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emily, has a way of packing so much emotion into a line, a sentence whatever it may be. Because of that, her poetry invokes emotion out of the reader,
It’s as if I could feel her heart breaking after I read each line. There’s such a raw authenticity to her work that is unmatched and is unlike anything on the market.

[Kevin Thomas James Atteridg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perkovich’s debut is overflowing with immense talent and unmatched emotion; I dare you to try to look away.

[Maegan Perkovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly talented ❤️❤️

[Dan Perkovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you think if I scream loud enough—throated chords reverberating decades worth of ache in a single violent wail, mouth flooding crimson, teeth shattering—I can forcefully expel myself out of this house of hauntings, out of me?

[Adam Shove · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books that I may read. I will enjoy going back to read the dark imagery that she produced within the pages

[Natalie White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been following Emily on social media for a solid 3 years now and I'm a little ashamed to admit to say it's taken me so long to actually start purchasing her published work. I was initially directed to her page by another writer. The first piece I ever read of hers had me captivated, not only in the way she weaves her lines with unique metaphors (her delivery often cleverly punctuated in perfectly timed, but unexpected places), but also in the way I often find myself holding my breath for the punchlines that she is talented at packing - hard! I knew the only thing that would disappoint me was reaching the end and I was spot on in the assumption. What caught me off guard with 'Expulsion' is knowing how I've seen her hard work reaping fully warranted and increasing recognition over the past few years and it felt like I was being treated to another layer of her earlier writing, in some ways more simplified (for want of a better expression) than recent times, yet clearly showing that a brilliant mind has always resided within this soul. Not only does the content grasp the title in full, it is intimate, raw and tinged with often brutal honesty. Showcasing as early as her debut, the signature styles of vulnerability combined with ferocity in a way that is truly unique to her. Looking forward to more!

[Shilo]

As Perkovich's first collection, Expulsion holds all the promise of what is to come. 🤍