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songs on car stereos: poems
“from the infusion chair // some small things flash in tight bursts...”
So begins songs on car stereos , an original book of poems by Michael Mahin, and featuring illustrations by artist Skye Murie. Written in the post-chemo, post-cancer wreckage, this inaugural poetry collection from Pumpkin Boy Press explores issues of queer love and identity, the complicated nature of survivorship, as well as the tumult and “terror” of living through one’s twenties.
So begins songs on car stereos , an original book of poems by Michael Mahin, and featuring illustrations by artist Skye Murie. Written in the post-chemo, post-cancer wreckage, this inaugural poetry collection from Pumpkin Boy Press explores issues of queer love and identity, the complicated nature of survivorship, as well as the tumult and “terror” of living through one’s twenties.
123 pages, Paperback
Published October 20, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 28, 2022
This collection is an absolute treasure. I literally couldn’t put it down. I loved every piece, and now that the last song has faded, I’m feeling heartflooded.
The collection is divided into three parts, and each part comes with a separate playlist. (The poet’s taste in music is fantastic, but that’s not what I’m eating here.)
In writing about sickness and death (“blue songs”), recovery and heartbreak (“scar songs”), and home and connection (“love songs”), Mahin has managed to encapsulate the essence of the human condition in gorgeously vibrant free verse. Many of his pieces have a symmetry and a rhythmic flow to them that make them a pleasure to read out loud. Particularly “a litany of what-ifs” lends itself perfectly to being recited by a group. His raw authenticity makes every poem hit close to home — it’s impossible to not be drawn into his pieces. And while these poems deal with topics of existential significance that might seem impossible to grasp, Mahin makes these ideas tangible by juxtaposing them with delightfully down-to-earth scenes, like in “laundry”, where he writes about the absurdity of survival, but simultaneously about washer cycles.
Another thing that stands out about Mahin’s poems is the vulnerability that they show so unabashedly. Their uncompromising honesty is intriguing, as is the fact that we see the speaker make mistakes. It’s what makes the poems voicing life lessons all the more credible: clearly, these are hard- and heart-fought lessons. I wish “remember this” were required reading for high school kids dreaming of love, especially those looking for love in the wrong places because they find themselves unworthy of being loved. Many of Mahin’s poems contain important lessons, but not a single one of them struck me as moralistic, patronizing, or condescending in any way.
This is one of the easiest reviews I’ve ever had the pleasure of writing. 5/5 stars. Everybody ought to read this phenomenal collection.
The collection is divided into three parts, and each part comes with a separate playlist. (The poet’s taste in music is fantastic, but that’s not what I’m eating here.)
In writing about sickness and death (“blue songs”), recovery and heartbreak (“scar songs”), and home and connection (“love songs”), Mahin has managed to encapsulate the essence of the human condition in gorgeously vibrant free verse. Many of his pieces have a symmetry and a rhythmic flow to them that make them a pleasure to read out loud. Particularly “a litany of what-ifs” lends itself perfectly to being recited by a group. His raw authenticity makes every poem hit close to home — it’s impossible to not be drawn into his pieces. And while these poems deal with topics of existential significance that might seem impossible to grasp, Mahin makes these ideas tangible by juxtaposing them with delightfully down-to-earth scenes, like in “laundry”, where he writes about the absurdity of survival, but simultaneously about washer cycles.
Another thing that stands out about Mahin’s poems is the vulnerability that they show so unabashedly. Their uncompromising honesty is intriguing, as is the fact that we see the speaker make mistakes. It’s what makes the poems voicing life lessons all the more credible: clearly, these are hard- and heart-fought lessons. I wish “remember this” were required reading for high school kids dreaming of love, especially those looking for love in the wrong places because they find themselves unworthy of being loved. Many of Mahin’s poems contain important lessons, but not a single one of them struck me as moralistic, patronizing, or condescending in any way.
This is one of the easiest reviews I’ve ever had the pleasure of writing. 5/5 stars. Everybody ought to read this phenomenal collection.
February 8, 2022
I don't like to read poetry collections cover to cover. I usually end up opening collections somewhere in the middle and then searching rapidly for a poem that sings to me.
Michael's "songs on car stereos" is one of those rare collections that I have found I never have to flip past a page to get to something that I connect with. I love every poem in this book. It is truly something special. These poems are so full of concrete and livable and familiar scenes. They are your life, only magical in the way that a good poem makes even the mundane seem to sparkle.
The shorter poems have a big impact, and the longer ones reward the reader with each line read.
This book is a most-buy for any lover of modern poetry. And it would be a great place to start for anyone looking to expand their reading horizons.
Michael's "songs on car stereos" is one of those rare collections that I have found I never have to flip past a page to get to something that I connect with. I love every poem in this book. It is truly something special. These poems are so full of concrete and livable and familiar scenes. They are your life, only magical in the way that a good poem makes even the mundane seem to sparkle.
The shorter poems have a big impact, and the longer ones reward the reader with each line read.
This book is a most-buy for any lover of modern poetry. And it would be a great place to start for anyone looking to expand their reading horizons.
November 20, 2025
4.75 of 5
It is a wonderful poetry collection which feels like you’re sitting with a friend in a long car drive and you talk about the deep stuff.
These are more than just pretty words on paper - in my opinion. Honestly, it made me feel. A lot.
And therefore, thanks to my friend who had recommended me this poetry collection a bit ago. It found me at the right time.
It is a wonderful poetry collection which feels like you’re sitting with a friend in a long car drive and you talk about the deep stuff.
These are more than just pretty words on paper - in my opinion. Honestly, it made me feel. A lot.
And therefore, thanks to my friend who had recommended me this poetry collection a bit ago. It found me at the right time.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews