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Urbanshee
Urbanshee is Siaara Freeman's retelling of fairy tales and mythological stories through a modern and urban lens. This collection discusses the weight of being Black in America, Freeman's relationships to lovers and family, and how the physical place you grew up can become part of your identity. Urbanshee expertly combines humor, fantasy, & raw emotion to create this astonishing reinvention of classic fables. Freeman's poems are ventrously unique and are sure to enchant anyone who reads them.
128 pages, Paperback
First published July 19, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
November 19, 2022
Una raccolta di poesie che racconta la cultura e la condizione della donna nera in America. Una storia personale che diventa la voce di tutte le donne.
Bellissimo 💖
Double review coming soon 💖
I mean, first the Italian one and then the English one 😅
Bellissimo 💖
Double review coming soon 💖
I mean, first the Italian one and then the English one 😅
November 2, 2022
I don’t read a lot of poetry, so I wasn’t sure if this was going to be for me. But I’m so glad I received a copy of Urbanshee through NetGalley and have been able to read it over the last few weeks. It’s a collection of poems that touch on so many different themes, from race and class to loss, love and sexuality, tied together with underlying references to mythology.
The poems are so poignant and explore deeply personal elements of Siaara Freeman’s life, including her experiences as a black woman in America and the death of her father. And although these poems are extremely personal to Freeman’s life and own experiences, I feel like everyone will be able to relate to them in some way. For me, there’s certainly a few that will stick with me going forward, in particular ‘the one who gets away’ and ‘the part of the story I failed to mention’. They take a wider look at society in general and Freeman brings in popular culture references, from Kylie Jenner to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, to make her points.
Thank you Siaara for sharing so much of yourself. I’d really recommend this.
The poems are so poignant and explore deeply personal elements of Siaara Freeman’s life, including her experiences as a black woman in America and the death of her father. And although these poems are extremely personal to Freeman’s life and own experiences, I feel like everyone will be able to relate to them in some way. For me, there’s certainly a few that will stick with me going forward, in particular ‘the one who gets away’ and ‘the part of the story I failed to mention’. They take a wider look at society in general and Freeman brings in popular culture references, from Kylie Jenner to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, to make her points.
Thank you Siaara for sharing so much of yourself. I’d really recommend this.
December 8, 2022
Urbanshee is a compelling compilation from poet Siaara Freeman. It’s a celebration, a funeral, and a reckoning all rolled into one. It’s a love letter and lament of the Midwest, what it means to be queer and Black while in these spaces. Urbanshee is a recounting of painful memories and ghosts that haunt. Freeman conveys both grief and healing in a beautiful and raw style. I couldn’t put it down and look forward to reading more from her! Thank you so much to Siaara Freeman, Button Poetry, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 29, 2022
This collection of poems felt raw and uncut, and truly made me feel like the poet was speaking directly to me, the reader.
She’s opened herself up in a way so true to herself to share her story, and the story of her father, and of growing up black, facing racism, loss and love.
I enjoyed that there were undertones of mythology and that it was present, without overtaking the poet’s stories or messages throughout.
She’s opened herself up in a way so true to herself to share her story, and the story of her father, and of growing up black, facing racism, loss and love.
I enjoyed that there were undertones of mythology and that it was present, without overtaking the poet’s stories or messages throughout.
December 12, 2022
3.5
The thing with poetry books I always mention is that they are extremely hard to review. There is always a lot of emotion in poetry, and I would never want to discredit that, but the truth is that what 'works' for you in poetry is very subjective. Here, I think the way the book was marketed made me expect something a bit different than what the book ended up being. The marketing is pretty heavy on mythology and retellings, and I can definitely tell there is inspiration drawn from it, but I think the strengths of the book are in something else, not in that it's a modern retelling.
The retellings were a bit vague and it's more inspired by those stories, but I still do think this is a pretty strong and raw collection that's worth a read. Siaara Freeman talks about her life experiences, there are topics of race, class, sexuality. This is a collection about her experience as a black queer woman, about losing her father, the grief, the good and the bad. I think her voice is strong and her message resonates. With writing, there are different formats of poems, and I thought that was really interesting. I really enjoyed the longer ones, the ones where it almost seems it could be prose. Those felt the most story-like, with how they were written. I imagine this entire collection would sound even better performed, spoken out loud. The poems have a good rhythm and I think they would shine even more that way.
Overall, this was a strong collection I would recommend to anyone interested in raw, emotional poetry that certainly feels like you get a glimpse right into the poet's soul.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!
The thing with poetry books I always mention is that they are extremely hard to review. There is always a lot of emotion in poetry, and I would never want to discredit that, but the truth is that what 'works' for you in poetry is very subjective. Here, I think the way the book was marketed made me expect something a bit different than what the book ended up being. The marketing is pretty heavy on mythology and retellings, and I can definitely tell there is inspiration drawn from it, but I think the strengths of the book are in something else, not in that it's a modern retelling.
The retellings were a bit vague and it's more inspired by those stories, but I still do think this is a pretty strong and raw collection that's worth a read. Siaara Freeman talks about her life experiences, there are topics of race, class, sexuality. This is a collection about her experience as a black queer woman, about losing her father, the grief, the good and the bad. I think her voice is strong and her message resonates. With writing, there are different formats of poems, and I thought that was really interesting. I really enjoyed the longer ones, the ones where it almost seems it could be prose. Those felt the most story-like, with how they were written. I imagine this entire collection would sound even better performed, spoken out loud. The poems have a good rhythm and I think they would shine even more that way.
Overall, this was a strong collection I would recommend to anyone interested in raw, emotional poetry that certainly feels like you get a glimpse right into the poet's soul.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!
December 30, 2022
This was a good poetry collection, but it wasn't my favourite. I'm not a fan of long poems, or poems written in big paragraphs, but if you are a fan of poetry like this then I think you would really enjoy this collection. The metaphors were poignant and impactful, and the themes explored were raw and real.
My favourite poems in this collection:
- World in Which the Word Father is Replaced by Hood
- X Things They Never Tell You About the Drug Dealer's Daughter
- Urban Girl in Four Non-Oscar-Nominated Parts Part 4: The One Who Gets Away // Stony
- On the Day I Learned My Father Was Murdered, I Learned
- The Girl is from the Hood
- The Reclaiming
- Paranoia
- I Wish I Could Have Kissed Devon Wilson on the Mouth
- Urban Girl Delicacies // 99 Cent Lip Gloss
- Hexes for my Exes
- Urban Girl & 100 Red Balloons
- Hand-Me-Downs from the Dead, Or Replace / with Joy
- Another Poem about My Dead Father
My favourite poems in this collection:
- World in Which the Word Father is Replaced by Hood
- X Things They Never Tell You About the Drug Dealer's Daughter
- Urban Girl in Four Non-Oscar-Nominated Parts Part 4: The One Who Gets Away // Stony
- On the Day I Learned My Father Was Murdered, I Learned
- The Girl is from the Hood
- The Reclaiming
- Paranoia
- I Wish I Could Have Kissed Devon Wilson on the Mouth
- Urban Girl Delicacies // 99 Cent Lip Gloss
- Hexes for my Exes
- Urban Girl & 100 Red Balloons
- Hand-Me-Downs from the Dead, Or Replace / with Joy
- Another Poem about My Dead Father
December 7, 2022
Big thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
3.5 stars, rounded down
This is a really strong debut poetry collection that fails to deliver on all its promises. I think that the marketing for this book does it a huge disservice. It's been advertised as a poetic retelling of myths and fairy tales from the perspective of a black person. However, it's very much Siaara Freeman's story told through poetry that makes use of some mythological motifs.
Once I put that expectation aside, the poetry really shone. It's incredibly well-written and hard-hitting and is something that I'll be thinking about for a while.
In general, I think that if you don't go into this with the thoughts that this is going to be a mythology retelling you'll really love this.
3.5 stars, rounded down
This is a really strong debut poetry collection that fails to deliver on all its promises. I think that the marketing for this book does it a huge disservice. It's been advertised as a poetic retelling of myths and fairy tales from the perspective of a black person. However, it's very much Siaara Freeman's story told through poetry that makes use of some mythological motifs.
Once I put that expectation aside, the poetry really shone. It's incredibly well-written and hard-hitting and is something that I'll be thinking about for a while.
In general, I think that if you don't go into this with the thoughts that this is going to be a mythology retelling you'll really love this.
January 16, 2023
When it comes to poetry it's always hard to give a rating. The writing is full of someone's emotions that you're just getting a glimpse of through a tiny crack in the door. And this collection in particular included some of the rawest writing I've faced, as personal and bare as it could get, yet so universal in its pain. Siaara shined both in the writing style and the topics she touched with her poetry (grief, healing, death, class, race, sexuality). However, after seeing the Button Poetry videos, I have to admit some of these pieces were clearly made for spoken poetry, to be recited, and nothing compares to the sound of those words coming directly out of her. The writing itself, isolated from the voice, doesn't do it any justice.
Some of my favorite poems in these were The part of the story I failed to mention, Waste(full), It is hard to tell someone on fire that you're drowning and Hexes for my exes
Overall, I would say this is a solid poetry collection, perfect for anyone who isn't uncomfortable to face every emotion it attempts and succeeds at portraying.
Note: thanks both to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review
Some of my favorite poems in these were The part of the story I failed to mention, Waste(full), It is hard to tell someone on fire that you're drowning and Hexes for my exes
Overall, I would say this is a solid poetry collection, perfect for anyone who isn't uncomfortable to face every emotion it attempts and succeeds at portraying.
Note: thanks both to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review
November 18, 2022
Thank you to netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Urbanshee is actually the first poetry book I have read. I was nervous that I wouldn't "get" it to be honest, but the synopsis really drew me in.
I actually cried while reading this. I know that's really cliche given that it's poetry, and it should also be known I cry very easily, but that's not the point. This book felt very raw, vulnerable, and open, to me. There are a lot of heavy topics discussed, and although I cannot relate to most of them, the way the author writes about grief really resonated with me.
Overall I really loved this, I will be recommending it to friends and will probably try more poetry in the future.
Urbanshee is actually the first poetry book I have read. I was nervous that I wouldn't "get" it to be honest, but the synopsis really drew me in.
I actually cried while reading this. I know that's really cliche given that it's poetry, and it should also be known I cry very easily, but that's not the point. This book felt very raw, vulnerable, and open, to me. There are a lot of heavy topics discussed, and although I cannot relate to most of them, the way the author writes about grief really resonated with me.
Overall I really loved this, I will be recommending it to friends and will probably try more poetry in the future.
June 24, 2023
This collection is completely necessary. One of the best in both form and content, covered in blerd love and defiance, it’s shown me button poetry is getting braver and braver with each year. Thank you Siaara for this gift.
July 16, 2023
I don’t like admitting it but I struggle with poetry. I like poems. Individually. But collections of poetry are hard for me. Not because they are bad. But because I am easily distracted and they don’t tie me to the page as much as prose does.
But Siaara Freeman doesn’t tie me to the page. She sings me to it. She haunts me with it. She is certainly the Lake Erie Siren and every word in this collection transfixes me like the swirling waters of moonlight dancing on a lake. The very heart and soul spun out in these poems are going to be seared into my brain for seasons to come.
This is the first poetry collection I’ve ever finished in mere hours (not counting when I had to set it down to parent my kiddo) and I imagine it’ll be the first poetry collection I’ll return to.
I love the style, I love the history, I love the pop culture references, I love the deep personal experience, the deep cultural exposure, the raw truth of grief and love and strength and righteous fury.
I’ve never felt a deep desire to go to a live poetry slam or reading but after reading this? I’d give my right pinky toe to hear Siaara Freeman speak her art aloud.
But Siaara Freeman doesn’t tie me to the page. She sings me to it. She haunts me with it. She is certainly the Lake Erie Siren and every word in this collection transfixes me like the swirling waters of moonlight dancing on a lake. The very heart and soul spun out in these poems are going to be seared into my brain for seasons to come.
This is the first poetry collection I’ve ever finished in mere hours (not counting when I had to set it down to parent my kiddo) and I imagine it’ll be the first poetry collection I’ll return to.
I love the style, I love the history, I love the pop culture references, I love the deep personal experience, the deep cultural exposure, the raw truth of grief and love and strength and righteous fury.
I’ve never felt a deep desire to go to a live poetry slam or reading but after reading this? I’d give my right pinky toe to hear Siaara Freeman speak her art aloud.
December 24, 2022
I received an ARC for this on NetGalley, and it was compelling. The poems in this collection were thought-provoking, empowering, and lyrical in nature when discussing the lived experience as a modern day queer Black woman, occasionally referring to herself and people like her as "Urban Girl." Siaara Freeman is outspoken and self-aware about her place in society, and it shows in her poetry.
December 8, 2022
Freeman’s poetry is powerful, contemporary, lyrical, and heartbreaking. If you’re familiar with button poetry, it’s not hard to see why they published or Urbanshee. It was a little long for my taste, but every poem was powerful and different in its approach to black womanhood in America today. I’m glad I read it!
Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for this unbiased review
Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for this unbiased review
November 10, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
This poetry collection is raw, poignant, intricate, vivid, and all around heartbreaking and beautiful. There is no holding back in the author’s emotions or thoughts and it truly feels like you are stepping into their heart and mind.
I was drawn to this book because of the cover and it was even better than I could have imagined. The flow of words and rhythm in every poem is beautiful and I kept reading them in a way that I imagined they would be performed for slam poetry. It was loud in my head and I was just obsessed with the way that cadence comes through. I’ve read tons of poetry books and I’ve never experienced that before. This collection is truly something special, and Siaara Freeman is a poet I will be seeking for more books.
There are heavy topics discussed in this book and I appreciated the vulnerability from Siaara because although I cannot relate in a lot of ways, her words make you feel like you could because she steps you into her shoes. There were some poems I skipped because I felt they weren’t for me as a mixed white/indigenous person based on word usage and the feeling of the poems being deeply personal to those who live by and understand that reality, but I still read most and feel I understood the gist of what Siaara was expressing on every page. This collection can be read by everyone though I think it will touch people who can relate to Siaara on deeper levels in significant ways, such as representation and relatability.
This collection also has poems in formats I’ve never seen before, such as with “The OUTside & the INside of the Joke.” There is so much creativity exploding off the page. Two of my favorites were “You Are Never Too Young” and “It Is Hard to Tell Someone On Fire That You Are Drowning.”
Overall, this is a wonderful collection and I will be highly recommending this to everyone!
TW: drug dealing, gun violence, death, suicidal thoughts, dead animal, tuberculosis, lupus, racism, s and n slur, cultural appropriation, cheating, suicide, murder, police brutality, and self harm.
Rep: Queer rep.
This poetry collection is raw, poignant, intricate, vivid, and all around heartbreaking and beautiful. There is no holding back in the author’s emotions or thoughts and it truly feels like you are stepping into their heart and mind.
I was drawn to this book because of the cover and it was even better than I could have imagined. The flow of words and rhythm in every poem is beautiful and I kept reading them in a way that I imagined they would be performed for slam poetry. It was loud in my head and I was just obsessed with the way that cadence comes through. I’ve read tons of poetry books and I’ve never experienced that before. This collection is truly something special, and Siaara Freeman is a poet I will be seeking for more books.
There are heavy topics discussed in this book and I appreciated the vulnerability from Siaara because although I cannot relate in a lot of ways, her words make you feel like you could because she steps you into her shoes. There were some poems I skipped because I felt they weren’t for me as a mixed white/indigenous person based on word usage and the feeling of the poems being deeply personal to those who live by and understand that reality, but I still read most and feel I understood the gist of what Siaara was expressing on every page. This collection can be read by everyone though I think it will touch people who can relate to Siaara on deeper levels in significant ways, such as representation and relatability.
This collection also has poems in formats I’ve never seen before, such as with “The OUTside & the INside of the Joke.” There is so much creativity exploding off the page. Two of my favorites were “You Are Never Too Young” and “It Is Hard to Tell Someone On Fire That You Are Drowning.”
Overall, this is a wonderful collection and I will be highly recommending this to everyone!
TW: drug dealing, gun violence, death, suicidal thoughts, dead animal, tuberculosis, lupus, racism, s and n slur, cultural appropriation, cheating, suicide, murder, police brutality, and self harm.
Rep: Queer rep.
October 10, 2023
“Urbanshee was 15 years in the making . . .” In a short video from WKYC Channel 3 on YouTube featuring Siaara Freeman and the release of her incredible book, the poet explains that she has been working on these poems for nearly half her life. This is likely part of why many people have commented that Urbanshee does not feel like a debut. Each line in this collection has been thoroughly considered.
The different chapters of the book each contain a title and quote to guide and prepare the reader, creating a seamless reading experience. In the WKYC video, Freeman describes how this book is about carving out space for oneself and one’s story. The book’s speaker unapologetically shares her experiences, powerfully addressing racism, classism, homophobia, and the murder of her father–embodying the narrative power of authentic expression.
As I read through Urbanshee, I deeply enjoyed Freeman’s technique of reimagining mythological creatures and tropes to solidify the overarching narrative; I found pleasure in how the poet creates her own lore in adapting her main character, Urbanshee. Freeman explains how she had to allow this character to become fully fleshed out, and this thoughtful development has made the book a massive success.
It must be stressed how beautiful this book is in terms of its visual aspects. This poet not only has an astute ear for poetry and spoken word, but she also has an eye for bringing shape and texture to how the lines fall on the page. Freeman creates unique imagery throughout Urbanshee, exemplified in poems such as “Haint Red,” in which the speaker describes:
“Someone made my jaw drop & I liked it enough to let them
do it again & again—until the ground beneath me wore hellish
lipstick in my shade.”
After experiencing Freeman’s poetic talents, by the end of this book, I found myself calling her the “Last Line Queen.” The last few lines of each of her poems often left me speechless and amazed. In “The Such Thing as the Stupid Question,” the poem ends with these few paragraphs:
"I sound like my mama now,
who sound like her mama who sound like her mama who
sound like her mama, who sound like her
mama who sounds like her mama who sound like her
mama who sound like her mama, who sound like a scream.
& that’s why I’m so loud remember? You wanna know
where I’m from? Easy. Open a wound
& watch it heal."
These lines resonated in a way that stilled me instantly. Freeman has made magic in this collection with her distinct voice and rhythm.
Admired internationally, Freeman is the Poet Laureate for Cleveland Heights and University Heights. She is a teaching artist for Center for the Arts Inspired Learning and The Westside Community Sisterhood Project in conjunction with the Anisfield Wolf Foundation. Freeman is also a 2021 Premier Playwright fellow recipient and the 2022 Catapult theater fellow with Cleveland Public Theater.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmqoh...
The different chapters of the book each contain a title and quote to guide and prepare the reader, creating a seamless reading experience. In the WKYC video, Freeman describes how this book is about carving out space for oneself and one’s story. The book’s speaker unapologetically shares her experiences, powerfully addressing racism, classism, homophobia, and the murder of her father–embodying the narrative power of authentic expression.
As I read through Urbanshee, I deeply enjoyed Freeman’s technique of reimagining mythological creatures and tropes to solidify the overarching narrative; I found pleasure in how the poet creates her own lore in adapting her main character, Urbanshee. Freeman explains how she had to allow this character to become fully fleshed out, and this thoughtful development has made the book a massive success.
It must be stressed how beautiful this book is in terms of its visual aspects. This poet not only has an astute ear for poetry and spoken word, but she also has an eye for bringing shape and texture to how the lines fall on the page. Freeman creates unique imagery throughout Urbanshee, exemplified in poems such as “Haint Red,” in which the speaker describes:
“Someone made my jaw drop & I liked it enough to let them
do it again & again—until the ground beneath me wore hellish
lipstick in my shade.”
After experiencing Freeman’s poetic talents, by the end of this book, I found myself calling her the “Last Line Queen.” The last few lines of each of her poems often left me speechless and amazed. In “The Such Thing as the Stupid Question,” the poem ends with these few paragraphs:
"I sound like my mama now,
who sound like her mama who sound like her mama who
sound like her mama, who sound like her
mama who sounds like her mama who sound like her
mama who sound like her mama, who sound like a scream.
& that’s why I’m so loud remember? You wanna know
where I’m from? Easy. Open a wound
& watch it heal."
These lines resonated in a way that stilled me instantly. Freeman has made magic in this collection with her distinct voice and rhythm.
Admired internationally, Freeman is the Poet Laureate for Cleveland Heights and University Heights. She is a teaching artist for Center for the Arts Inspired Learning and The Westside Community Sisterhood Project in conjunction with the Anisfield Wolf Foundation. Freeman is also a 2021 Premier Playwright fellow recipient and the 2022 Catapult theater fellow with Cleveland Public Theater.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmqoh...
February 28, 2023
Urbanshee by Siaara Freeman (5⭐️)
‘Urbanshee’ is a poem collection that discusses themes of family, blackness in america, and grief.
This is such a beautiful, raw and sad collection. I often struggle to read poetry but Freeman’s writing style really worked for me. Many of the poems are very honest, raw, and personal and it really makes you feel like you’re inside the author’s brain. I really appreciate the author sharing their personal experiences and struggles. This was such a thoughtful and beautifully put together collection. I’m excited to check out Freeman’s spoken word work.
My favourites were - ‘Fearless Sounds Like Fatherless On The Right Tongue’ and ‘It Is Hard To Tell Someone On Fire That You Are Drowning’. Some quotes I liked were:
“If you kiss her, you may wake up in a new religion.”
“I am a bakery with little sweet left in it.”
“Most days I am an alley that no one should enter alone.”
“Even when the flies came, I simply introduced myself to the rot.”
“What if there is more to me than a place you run to when you are cold inside?”
“it’s a thunderstorm somewhere with your heartbeat & everyone is afraid to hear it but you.”
“Someone made my jaw drop & I liked it enough to let them
do it again & again—until the ground beneath me wore hellish lipstick in my shade.”
“All I got is this fatherless fortune of bones. All I got is a chest, but the treasure is for the drowned.”
“sometimes no one even notices a person’s problems until they set themselves on fire”
“I bled my way back to myself, left crumbs of myself to remember where I came from.”
“Sacrifice is not a shattering of glass, it is blood on your hands for getting someone out alive.”
“My mother clouds when she don’t want nobody to see her pain, which is how
I inherited my blur.”
“my heart is a BandAid for other hearts that have been bloodied by other hearts & once they heal, they rip me away.”
Rep - Black (Author); Dyslexic (Author); Lupus (Author); Queer (Author); OwnVoices
TWs/CWs - Alcohol; Animal Corpse; Animal Mutilation; Blood; Bugs; Cheating; Cultural Appropriation; Cussing; Death; Death of a parent; Dissection; Dog breeding; Drugs; Generational trauma; Grief; Gun Violence; Marijuana; Misogyny; Murder; Piss; Police Brutality; Protests; Racial Profiling; Self Harm; Serial Killings; Sexual Content; Sexual Harassment; Slavery; Slaves; Suicide Ideation; Tuberculosis
‘Urbanshee’ is a poem collection that discusses themes of family, blackness in america, and grief.
This is such a beautiful, raw and sad collection. I often struggle to read poetry but Freeman’s writing style really worked for me. Many of the poems are very honest, raw, and personal and it really makes you feel like you’re inside the author’s brain. I really appreciate the author sharing their personal experiences and struggles. This was such a thoughtful and beautifully put together collection. I’m excited to check out Freeman’s spoken word work.
My favourites were - ‘Fearless Sounds Like Fatherless On The Right Tongue’ and ‘It Is Hard To Tell Someone On Fire That You Are Drowning’. Some quotes I liked were:
“If you kiss her, you may wake up in a new religion.”
“I am a bakery with little sweet left in it.”
“Most days I am an alley that no one should enter alone.”
“Even when the flies came, I simply introduced myself to the rot.”
“What if there is more to me than a place you run to when you are cold inside?”
“it’s a thunderstorm somewhere with your heartbeat & everyone is afraid to hear it but you.”
“Someone made my jaw drop & I liked it enough to let them
do it again & again—until the ground beneath me wore hellish lipstick in my shade.”
“All I got is this fatherless fortune of bones. All I got is a chest, but the treasure is for the drowned.”
“sometimes no one even notices a person’s problems until they set themselves on fire”
“I bled my way back to myself, left crumbs of myself to remember where I came from.”
“Sacrifice is not a shattering of glass, it is blood on your hands for getting someone out alive.”
“My mother clouds when she don’t want nobody to see her pain, which is how
I inherited my blur.”
“my heart is a BandAid for other hearts that have been bloodied by other hearts & once they heal, they rip me away.”
Rep - Black (Author); Dyslexic (Author); Lupus (Author); Queer (Author); OwnVoices
TWs/CWs - Alcohol; Animal Corpse; Animal Mutilation; Blood; Bugs; Cheating; Cultural Appropriation; Cussing; Death; Death of a parent; Dissection; Dog breeding; Drugs; Generational trauma; Grief; Gun Violence; Marijuana; Misogyny; Murder; Piss; Police Brutality; Protests; Racial Profiling; Self Harm; Serial Killings; Sexual Content; Sexual Harassment; Slavery; Slaves; Suicide Ideation; Tuberculosis
March 12, 2023
Urbanshee, by Siaara Freeman, is a collection of poems that is marketed as a retelling of fairy tales and mythology through an urban lens. The book explores how the physical world can be a part of your identity and discusses blackness in America with raw emotion. Freeman’s poems cut to the heart of modern struggles, shocking you and forcing you to reconsider the fairy tales you remember from childhood.
Freeman’s poems circle around the “hood” where she grew up, the loss of her father, and the pain of feeling like an outsider. One poem, “World in Which the Word Father Is Replaced by Hood” presents the neighborhood as a stand-in parent, while a series of poems such as “Once You Know What Your Father’s Brain Looks Like” and “Fearless Sounds Like Fatherless on the Right Tongue” confront the pain of losing a father to violence. Freeman also contemplates her mother in the poem “On the Day I Learned My Father Was Murdered, I Learned” when she writes “My mother is a person. A real one. / Not just a mom person, not just endless / love, not just mine.” Fairy tale images permeate Freeman’s deep emotional explorations of growing up in urban America.
Freeman’s poetry is experimental with some poems unfolding in unique ways. She writes several poems that feature frames of words and one poem with large blocks of ink blocking out words. She curses, uses vernacular language, and references pop culture like “flaming hot Cheetos” and the television series “Orange is the New Black”. She returns again and again to colors in poems titled “Haint Blue”, “Haint Pink”, Haint Green”, and “Haint Glitter”, and attempts to capture the experience of a girl growing up in a liminal urban space.
Freeman’s collection is more real world than most fairy tale retellings, and the harsh tone of the poems is not for every fairy tale lover, but it will make you think about poetry, fairy tales, and urban life in new ways.
Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.
Freeman’s poems circle around the “hood” where she grew up, the loss of her father, and the pain of feeling like an outsider. One poem, “World in Which the Word Father Is Replaced by Hood” presents the neighborhood as a stand-in parent, while a series of poems such as “Once You Know What Your Father’s Brain Looks Like” and “Fearless Sounds Like Fatherless on the Right Tongue” confront the pain of losing a father to violence. Freeman also contemplates her mother in the poem “On the Day I Learned My Father Was Murdered, I Learned” when she writes “My mother is a person. A real one. / Not just a mom person, not just endless / love, not just mine.” Fairy tale images permeate Freeman’s deep emotional explorations of growing up in urban America.
Freeman’s poetry is experimental with some poems unfolding in unique ways. She writes several poems that feature frames of words and one poem with large blocks of ink blocking out words. She curses, uses vernacular language, and references pop culture like “flaming hot Cheetos” and the television series “Orange is the New Black”. She returns again and again to colors in poems titled “Haint Blue”, “Haint Pink”, Haint Green”, and “Haint Glitter”, and attempts to capture the experience of a girl growing up in a liminal urban space.
Freeman’s collection is more real world than most fairy tale retellings, and the harsh tone of the poems is not for every fairy tale lover, but it will make you think about poetry, fairy tales, and urban life in new ways.
Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.
November 22, 2022
Siaara Freeman's Urbanshee is full of raw and honest poems revolving mostly around being Black in America. You can tell you she really opened up and made herself vulnerable, especially when writing about the murder of her father, as he is a main centerpiece in a lot of the poems. Even though I cannot personally relate to any of the struggles she writes about, it in no way lessens the artistry of the poems in this collection. If anything, I wasn't smart enough to fully understand some of the pieces she published and that is on me, not the the poet.
I really enjoyed how a lot of it read like slam poetry and how a lot of the poems were set up in interesting visual shapes and sizes. Some of my favorite poems were "Hexes for my Exes", "Grinding", "Urban Girl Finally Responds to the Yo Mama Jokes", and "Urban Girl".
The one thing I will say is that I feel like many of the poems did not have a lot of mythological or fairytale connections. Or at least that I noticed, but again, I don't think I am as smart as the poet and a lot of the connections could've and probably went right over my head. I think I expected it in a more straightforward way so if you don't know a lot of the modern references, you might not get a lot of the poems and their fairytale/mythological parallels.
Otherwise, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry and especially who enjoys anything written to bring light to Black lives and struggles.
Thank you to NetGalley and Button poetry for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed how a lot of it read like slam poetry and how a lot of the poems were set up in interesting visual shapes and sizes. Some of my favorite poems were "Hexes for my Exes", "Grinding", "Urban Girl Finally Responds to the Yo Mama Jokes", and "Urban Girl".
The one thing I will say is that I feel like many of the poems did not have a lot of mythological or fairytale connections. Or at least that I noticed, but again, I don't think I am as smart as the poet and a lot of the connections could've and probably went right over my head. I think I expected it in a more straightforward way so if you don't know a lot of the modern references, you might not get a lot of the poems and their fairytale/mythological parallels.
Otherwise, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry and especially who enjoys anything written to bring light to Black lives and struggles.
Thank you to NetGalley and Button poetry for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
January 9, 2023
"It is easiest to make monsters out of gods & Black men. Zeus made an exit wound big enough for his daughter to walk out of fully armored & Athena, unlike most goddesses, finally learned to love someone until she became more than herself." - X Things They Never Tell You About the Drug Dealer's Daughter
"The lamb is just a lioness who knows a kinder way." - Urban Girl in Four Non-Oscar-Nominated Parts, Part 1: There is Always One You Guess Won't Survive // T.T
"You know enough to live & tell about it. You can pretend that is enough to survive. You can pretend to survive, but I've seen you slice open your own veins & call it reign." - Urban Girl is Her Own Nemesis Or What to Do If
"There I am, a legacy of turbulence." - Hand-Me-Downs from the Dead, Or Replace I with Joy
"My city makes the apocalypse look reasonable to outsiders. [...] Cuyahoga County was named by the Seneca Native Americans. It means "place of the jawbone." The jawbone is the hardest bone to break & typically is the first place punched. [...] My city is a proud pyromaniac licking ashes off its fingers." - Urban Girl Writes Her City's Name on Tomorrow - For Cleveland, Ohio
As a long-time fan of Siaara and fellow Ohioan, I couldn't wait to dive into Urbanshee -- and it lived up to the hype. This collection is beautiful, heart-wrenching, and everything I wanted it to be. Siaara Freeman is an incredibly skilled poet, and I can't wait to see more from her.
"The lamb is just a lioness who knows a kinder way." - Urban Girl in Four Non-Oscar-Nominated Parts, Part 1: There is Always One You Guess Won't Survive // T.T
"You know enough to live & tell about it. You can pretend that is enough to survive. You can pretend to survive, but I've seen you slice open your own veins & call it reign." - Urban Girl is Her Own Nemesis Or What to Do If
"There I am, a legacy of turbulence." - Hand-Me-Downs from the Dead, Or Replace I with Joy
"My city makes the apocalypse look reasonable to outsiders. [...] Cuyahoga County was named by the Seneca Native Americans. It means "place of the jawbone." The jawbone is the hardest bone to break & typically is the first place punched. [...] My city is a proud pyromaniac licking ashes off its fingers." - Urban Girl Writes Her City's Name on Tomorrow - For Cleveland, Ohio
As a long-time fan of Siaara and fellow Ohioan, I couldn't wait to dive into Urbanshee -- and it lived up to the hype. This collection is beautiful, heart-wrenching, and everything I wanted it to be. Siaara Freeman is an incredibly skilled poet, and I can't wait to see more from her.
December 6, 2022
Going into this poetry collection, I expected the poems to be urbanized/modernized versions of fairy tales, myths, and fables. It is the first thing mentioned in the description. There were references and allusions to Zeus, Athena, and many other mythological and fantastical beings, but many do not have these aspects. I know I went in expecting more of that because of the description, but Siaara’s poetry is some of the best I have ever read or heard. I highly recommend reading this collection of poetry.
I really enjoyed how Siaara discussed such raw topics for her, such as race, religion, and the loss of her father. The poems that she wrote about him were my favorites. I looked up her slam poetry, and I completely recommend watching her perform these poems. They are incredible. She does an excellent job evoking emotions into her poetry that the reader can feel the entire time reading or watching her perform.
Siaara is an incredible poet, and I look forward to picking up Urbanshee for my poetry collection. Along with the powerful messages Siaara conveys, I thoroughly love how she formatted each of her poems. As a poet and a lover of poetry, I enjoy seeing how others decide to present their poetry to their readers. I highly recommend this to the poetry lovers out there.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of the collection. All opinions are my own. *
I really enjoyed how Siaara discussed such raw topics for her, such as race, religion, and the loss of her father. The poems that she wrote about him were my favorites. I looked up her slam poetry, and I completely recommend watching her perform these poems. They are incredible. She does an excellent job evoking emotions into her poetry that the reader can feel the entire time reading or watching her perform.
Siaara is an incredible poet, and I look forward to picking up Urbanshee for my poetry collection. Along with the powerful messages Siaara conveys, I thoroughly love how she formatted each of her poems. As a poet and a lover of poetry, I enjoy seeing how others decide to present their poetry to their readers. I highly recommend this to the poetry lovers out there.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of the collection. All opinions are my own. *
November 13, 2022
Ms. Siaara Freeman brings us her poetry in an “uncut” fashion. Raw and openly honest!
It helps us understand her growing up after her father’s murder. The struggle of finding herself versus being what everyone else wants her to be as a black girl, as a black woman. Quite a few of her poems touched me deeply, as I to have suffered losses. Remembering our Elders in “A Lineage of Language”. All lines we cherish and remember while sitting around our Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents and their “catchy” but true proverbs that BEGAT other proverbs. “Every goodbye ain’t gone, and every shut eye ain’t sleep.”
“Self” Struggles gives us the notion to look inside ourselves… as individuals we are our own nemesis..
“Wasteful”, definitely depicts a heavy heart.
Despite growing up without a father, drugs and murder being a part of her everyday surroundings in Cleveland,, she definitely shows that an “Urban Girl Exists” and through self-love, can beat the odds!
Thank you NetGalley and Button Poetry for access to this literary work of poetry. Although I am not clear on the “retelling of fairytales”, Siaara Freeman brings it, and you better be ready!
It helps us understand her growing up after her father’s murder. The struggle of finding herself versus being what everyone else wants her to be as a black girl, as a black woman. Quite a few of her poems touched me deeply, as I to have suffered losses. Remembering our Elders in “A Lineage of Language”. All lines we cherish and remember while sitting around our Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents and their “catchy” but true proverbs that BEGAT other proverbs. “Every goodbye ain’t gone, and every shut eye ain’t sleep.”
“Self” Struggles gives us the notion to look inside ourselves… as individuals we are our own nemesis..
“Wasteful”, definitely depicts a heavy heart.
Despite growing up without a father, drugs and murder being a part of her everyday surroundings in Cleveland,, she definitely shows that an “Urban Girl Exists” and through self-love, can beat the odds!
Thank you NetGalley and Button Poetry for access to this literary work of poetry. Although I am not clear on the “retelling of fairytales”, Siaara Freeman brings it, and you better be ready!
November 8, 2022
I have received an ARC of Urbanshee from Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.
Urbanshee is a brave and intimate look into Siaara Freeman's life and childhood. She is successful in giving readers a look into many of the raw wounds she displays throughout her poetry and playful interpretations of childhood competitiveness and schoolyard games. She does not fail to give readers an unedited view of the struggles of growing up impoverished, the overwhelming loss she has faced, and the streets which inspired her poetic career.
I was initially drawn in by the cover and descriptions of "retelling of fairy tales and mythological stories", I think the retellings portion was a bit lost on me. My criticisms only lie within the heavy use of "&" throughout but that might be the artists stylistic choice. Admittedly, poetry is not my main genre but I am grateful for the push out of my comfort zone.
If you are a slam poetry/poetry fan, I would recommend giving this book a shot.
Urbanshee is a brave and intimate look into Siaara Freeman's life and childhood. She is successful in giving readers a look into many of the raw wounds she displays throughout her poetry and playful interpretations of childhood competitiveness and schoolyard games. She does not fail to give readers an unedited view of the struggles of growing up impoverished, the overwhelming loss she has faced, and the streets which inspired her poetic career.
I was initially drawn in by the cover and descriptions of "retelling of fairy tales and mythological stories", I think the retellings portion was a bit lost on me. My criticisms only lie within the heavy use of "&" throughout but that might be the artists stylistic choice. Admittedly, poetry is not my main genre but I am grateful for the push out of my comfort zone.
If you are a slam poetry/poetry fan, I would recommend giving this book a shot.
December 1, 2022
Overall, I thought this was a stunning collection of poetry. There were some raw and deeply emotional pieces that were mixed in well throughout the work.
"It Is Hard To Tell Someone On Fire That You Are Drowning" is a line that is going to stick with me for quite some time.
I was a bit hesitant at the start to read this, as I do not always connect to poetry the way the author intends, and there were a few moments in this that I felt disconnected from. But that is the beauty of poetry - it draws people in in different ways, at different times.
Freeman truly opened up and allowed us a deep look into past hurts and current emotions, sharing parts of herself that I am sure were difficult to share. And for that, I applaud.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy for an honest review.
"It Is Hard To Tell Someone On Fire That You Are Drowning" is a line that is going to stick with me for quite some time.
I was a bit hesitant at the start to read this, as I do not always connect to poetry the way the author intends, and there were a few moments in this that I felt disconnected from. But that is the beauty of poetry - it draws people in in different ways, at different times.
Freeman truly opened up and allowed us a deep look into past hurts and current emotions, sharing parts of herself that I am sure were difficult to share. And for that, I applaud.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy for an honest review.
December 4, 2022
I've been trying to read more poetry recently, so when I saw this on Netgalley I immediately requested it.
This collection is a raw, honest look at race, class, loss, and sexuality. The poems ranged in impact from heartbreaking to empowering, and they were beautifully written. Something that particularly stood out to me was the poet's use of formatting and spacing throughout the collection, which leads me to believe that this is definitely more impactful in written format than it would be in an audiobook.
There were references to banshees (as evident by the title), sirens, sphinxes, dragons, and even Cleopatra, Zeus, and Athena, which really made the poems more effective for me as I'm big on Fantasy.
I'm excited for this to be published in a couple days so I can get a physical copy for my shelf!
This collection is a raw, honest look at race, class, loss, and sexuality. The poems ranged in impact from heartbreaking to empowering, and they were beautifully written. Something that particularly stood out to me was the poet's use of formatting and spacing throughout the collection, which leads me to believe that this is definitely more impactful in written format than it would be in an audiobook.
There were references to banshees (as evident by the title), sirens, sphinxes, dragons, and even Cleopatra, Zeus, and Athena, which really made the poems more effective for me as I'm big on Fantasy.
I'm excited for this to be published in a couple days so I can get a physical copy for my shelf!
January 5, 2023
A collection of poetry about identity, loss, grief, the murder of the poet's father, race, and survival.
from X Things They Never Tell You About the Drug Dealer's Daughter: "VII. Some nights I put on my father's chalk outline & I teach / it how to walk. My face is a haunted house my mother / screams at from habit, not fear. Most days I am an alley / that no one should enter alone."
from Urban Girl in Four Non-Oscar-Nominated Parts, Part 4: The One Who Gets Away // Stony: "Did something with herself. Did / something for herself. Did something for all of us. Girls // from the hood are always scarred, so this is sacred. This getaway / get godly."
from Haint Black: "Crayola tried to make a crayon, but it kept / disappearing from every box it was placed in. Guess / it wasn't to be sold. Or lost & forgotten."
from X Things They Never Tell You About the Drug Dealer's Daughter: "VII. Some nights I put on my father's chalk outline & I teach / it how to walk. My face is a haunted house my mother / screams at from habit, not fear. Most days I am an alley / that no one should enter alone."
from Urban Girl in Four Non-Oscar-Nominated Parts, Part 4: The One Who Gets Away // Stony: "Did something with herself. Did / something for herself. Did something for all of us. Girls // from the hood are always scarred, so this is sacred. This getaway / get godly."
from Haint Black: "Crayola tried to make a crayon, but it kept / disappearing from every box it was placed in. Guess / it wasn't to be sold. Or lost & forgotten."
November 25, 2022
Rating rounded up to a 4
I can only review this collection of poems based on my enjoyment as I have barely read any poetry since leaving high school. Many books, not a lot of poems.
However, I did enjoy this collection. It felt so raw, like the author just opened up their very soul to the reader. Vulnerable, pained, and hauntingly beautiful at points
I think that I missed the fairytale references but I am putting that down to reader error and I’m not lowering my rating because I didn’t get what I hoped for. I got something else that made me think and feel and will stick with me for a really long time
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
I’m now keen to keep reading poetry
I can only review this collection of poems based on my enjoyment as I have barely read any poetry since leaving high school. Many books, not a lot of poems.
However, I did enjoy this collection. It felt so raw, like the author just opened up their very soul to the reader. Vulnerable, pained, and hauntingly beautiful at points
I think that I missed the fairytale references but I am putting that down to reader error and I’m not lowering my rating because I didn’t get what I hoped for. I got something else that made me think and feel and will stick with me for a really long time
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
I’m now keen to keep reading poetry
December 1, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Urbanshee in exchange for an honest review.
Urbanshee is a heart-wrenching collection portraying Freeman's pains, thoughts, and lived experiences. As a reader who does not often indulge in poetry, I was utterly blown away by the emotions that bled through the page, and even if I have personally not been a Black woman in America or have my father die in such a gruesome manner, Freeman made me feel so deeply. The poems in Urbanshee pierce your heart with the shattered shards of the poet, but we also have the pleasure to watch Freeman knit herself back together.
Thank you Siaara Freeman for sharing such a vulnerable part of yourself. Everyone that will pick this up will keep it safe.
Urbanshee is a heart-wrenching collection portraying Freeman's pains, thoughts, and lived experiences. As a reader who does not often indulge in poetry, I was utterly blown away by the emotions that bled through the page, and even if I have personally not been a Black woman in America or have my father die in such a gruesome manner, Freeman made me feel so deeply. The poems in Urbanshee pierce your heart with the shattered shards of the poet, but we also have the pleasure to watch Freeman knit herself back together.
Thank you Siaara Freeman for sharing such a vulnerable part of yourself. Everyone that will pick this up will keep it safe.
December 1, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley and Button Poetry for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Urbanshee was a beautiful collection of poems. I loved the different styles of writing, which made each poem stand out completely from the previous one. With poetry it’s sometimes hard to fully grasp what the author intended, so I looked up YouTube videos of Siaara Freeman performing many of the poems in this collection and would read while I listened along. I felt like this greatly enhanced my experience of the book. Siaara Freeman is talented and funny, and she lays it all out there, tackling extremely difficult subjects along with some lighter ones. I really enjoyed reading and listening to this collection.
Urbanshee was a beautiful collection of poems. I loved the different styles of writing, which made each poem stand out completely from the previous one. With poetry it’s sometimes hard to fully grasp what the author intended, so I looked up YouTube videos of Siaara Freeman performing many of the poems in this collection and would read while I listened along. I felt like this greatly enhanced my experience of the book. Siaara Freeman is talented and funny, and she lays it all out there, tackling extremely difficult subjects along with some lighter ones. I really enjoyed reading and listening to this collection.
January 10, 2023
I was already a fan of Siaara's spoken word work so when I saw an ARC of her written work on NetGalley you can imagine my excitement.
While I vastly prefer her spoken work to her written work this was an interesting read. This book is a lot of things, it's grappling with loss, both that of the idea of who someone is and that of that very person. It's a deep cut on what it means to be from and of somewhere. It's beautiful and sad, vibrant and bleak at times.
There's quite a few pop culture references that probably went over my head in there (references to Netflix shows, actors, musicians), so if like me you're not much of a TV/movie watcher you might find yourself googling quite a bit.
While I vastly prefer her spoken work to her written work this was an interesting read. This book is a lot of things, it's grappling with loss, both that of the idea of who someone is and that of that very person. It's a deep cut on what it means to be from and of somewhere. It's beautiful and sad, vibrant and bleak at times.
There's quite a few pop culture references that probably went over my head in there (references to Netflix shows, actors, musicians), so if like me you're not much of a TV/movie watcher you might find yourself googling quite a bit.
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