We Find Our Way

by Reyna Biddy

“To describe this book, I wrote from the perspective of the black experience.  My experience particularly.  It’s a book about grief, death, rebirth, ancestors, and spirit. I talk about the matrix and wanting out of it.”—Reyna Biddy
 
A collection of poetry focused on rebirth, ancestors, spirit, and so much more from the unique perspective and voice of a revered spoken-word poet, author, and self-love enthusiast.

We Find Our Way , the latest and third collection of poetry from creator Reyna Biddy, explores themes of love and dependency, both within ourselves and with the people we hold close. Biddy’s propensity for making readers feel welcomed, healed, and hopeful is evident in every poem; every sentence; every word she pens. The variety of writing styles––from short, thought-provoking pieces to longer, more lyrical versification––perfectly cradle Biddy’s unique thoughts on intimate topics like motherhood, childbirth, and sacrifice, and many of the other complexities life contains. Biddy’s words are more influential and necessary now than ever.

Genres: Poetry

160 pages, Paperback

Published October 25, 2022

Reviews

[Meghan Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this collection of poetry from Reyna Biddy to be a great representation of the many faces of this life. Reyna focused these poems mainly on grief, acceptance, ancestors, spirituality, family & love. I’ve read all of her books now & you can definitely tell the amount of self-work she has been doing through reading this. She has stepped into her power & grace in this life. She is practicing radical acceptance, servitude, & expressing the need for that from others around her. She is saying “this is how I really need you to love me” & I just really appreciate that! It’s so nice to read such a clarified collection of her inner thoughts especially throughout the pandemic. Her words on loss & Blackness were especially potent in this body of work. I dog-eared & underlined so much of this because of her tone. She just DELIVERS. I can’t describe it any other way! I love that because she does so much spoken word poetry I can kind of hear in my head how she may read these aloud & what parts she’d emphasize. Another wonderful book from Reyna Biddy! Such a great poet of our time.

[LiteraryMarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has to be a gripping description for me to pick up poetry. I am very picky when it comes to spoken word/verse. Usually I stick with the very few I know: Rumi, Rupi Kaur, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes and Nikki Giovanni. However, a blurb from the author is what piqued my interest: "To describe this book, I wrote from the perspective of the black experience. My experience particularly. It's a book about grief, death, rebirth, ancestors, and spirit."

We Find Our Way is Reyna Biddy's latest and third collection of poetry. Themes include love, sacrifice, healing and hope. In just 162 pages, there is a variety of writing styles. Most poems are short yet thought-provoking while a couple are long and lyrical. I found myself pausing to reflect on certain lines. I see why Reyna Biddy is not only a poet but a self-love enthusiast.

Right away I noticed that We Find Our Way follows the trendy structure of all lowercase, no punctuation. Sometimes left margin, sometimes center spaced. Some poems made sense but didn't create the urge to dig deeper into thoughts before moving on to the next unrelated poem.

Collections are supposed to flow smoothly from one poem to the next. But the formatting made it seem disjointed with the poems losing interpretation along the way. Perhaps the poems could have resonated with my soul more if the transitions were smoother. I can best describe it as papers falling to the floor then picked up in no particular order and stapled together.

Again, I am picky when it comes to poetry so my opinion could be unpopular. The good thing about poetry is that it hits readers differently. We Find Our Way may be worth YOUR reading.

Happy Early Pub Day, Reyna Biddy! We Find Our Way will be available Tuesday, October 25.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

~LiteraryMarie

[Bambi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection was alright for me. The poems that felt more impactful were her narrative ones which were only a few.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

|| WE FIND OUR WAY ||
#gifted/@andrewsmcmeel
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I loved this collection. A perfect pick heading into Spring as it focuses on rebirth and self love. These poems are infused with wisdom and self reflection. Biddy's words caught in my throat many times and I found myself highlighting and rereading. Stunning!
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For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful book; so many topics in here that I related to and the way they were written about were eye opening. I loved the style of the poems and how centered a lot of them were on being a woman.

[Tatiana Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

don’t get me wrong there were some beautiful poems, but for some reason this one didn’t have me hooked the way the other did
6/10

[Hayley (hayleys.little.library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of poetry by Reyna Biddy, which covered topics such as grief, death, rebirth, ancestors, and spirit. I recommend reading this book slowly as some of the poems are quite dark and heavy, but also to take the time to reflect on the poems. I also really liked how the poems had a mixture of different lengths with some being quite short and others being a few pages long. Personally, I think that helps break things up and I often find that the smaller poems leave a big punch. Although some of these poems didn’t really resonate with me, I will definitely try some of Reyna’s other work in the future.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed many of these, but some just didn't speak to me as much. I guess that's my personal taste at play more than anything else.

[Annalise Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This poetry book is set to release on October 25, 2022.
Thank you so much Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review and thoughts.

This was a little stagnant for me. There were some quotes that I really enjoyed, but I did feel as though I was connecting to many of the poems. The pain and suffering in a universal aspect are very large and easy to connect to, but nothing about this collection of poems really blew me away.

Overall, I think this book would be amazing for people who are just starting to get into poetry and feel as though they aren't ready for the deeper poetry books that hit a little too close to home.

[Seher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC.

Reyna Biddy's poetry book can first and foremost be described as honest. You can tell that all of these came from a place within her, and for that the collection is commendable.

However, that being said, some poems were definitely better than others; I absolutely stopped paying attention to some of them and started skimming them. Some of these, long and short, should have been removed as they did nothing but bring the quality of the book down. See you, forever more, join me, spring cleaning and some others were not good. I also didn't like the organisation, I didn't get a sense of any journey but jumps from one place to another which made it harder for me to sink into a feeling.

I will add that I did truly love some of them such as new age. circle back, be kind to your elders, and, tribe. For these alone I'll be keeping an eye on Reyna Biddy and reading whatever she publishes next.

[Hanna K. Brojan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25/5⭐️

[Indy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank the author, Reyna Biddy, the publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing, NetGalley, everyone that made it possible for me to receive a copy of this book of poetry to review.

To start off with, from the description alone I knew these poems would hit me close. While reading these poems to review I ended up saving excerpts on slips of paper to find later.

This is a book of poetry for anyone in love, to anyone facing addiction. Whether it be addiction to substances or to a person. To the ups and downs of life. This is poetry for the modern human. Everyone could learn some lessens from these words. In these words you can find strength for those who need to be strong, strength to recognize toxicity that surrounds us. And ultimately telling us that its okay to let go. Soul mates are people that you will meet in the next life as well.

Reyna Biddy’s words are full of lessons we all could use. Lessons I identify with as a woman of color. I see myself in so many of these words and I appreciate it.

[Jen Woodrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reyna's poetry book was full of raw and real messages about experiences of grief, motherhood, love, and spirit. I loved the empowerment she provides to readers about finding ourselves, healing, and having hope. I enjoyed getting a glimpse into her perspectives as a black woman.

The poems ranged in length and style, and I really enjoyed the diversity in presentation. Some of her longer poems with more substance really resonated with me, and I grew in viewing the world in a new light. I liked the shorter poems that really hit you with a tough but true reality.

I did wish that the poems were organized or had some structure by topic. However, this is a personal preference, as I sometimes get lost in poetry books when I don't have a little organization to go off of.

Overall, I think many readers of poetry will enjoy Reyna's expression and art. She has a gift of communicating the experience of being a woman, growing through hardships, and finding your strength.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I will be sharing my review on my Instagram page closer to the pub date!

[Bellatuscana Bellatuscana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Reyna Biddy and this one is no exception. I found some of her earlier poems to be bordering on some religiosity, but her view of the world now is so much more well-rounded, Gnostic, and speaking so much truth to our times. Her focus on her family’s cultural background is also so much needed. I found this author years ago and found so much relation to her style and her insightful poems. To be honest, she has grown so much in her style and insight. My mom actually read her poems and said “This sounds like you.” It’s very little often I find someone who has improved so steadily like this author. Recommend all her poetry books to see her progressive improvement as well as the elevation of the long poetic form in comparison to some other more notable Instagram poets. Thank you for continuing to write and inspire. I hope one day we can have coffee together!

[Risa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read and review so much poetry that some of it begins to blend together. Not this book. I am amazed and moved by Reyna Biddy's ability to put so much raw emotion and honesty into such impactful, flowing words. While the poems can be heavy, they are also cathartic. After reading these poems I instantly went to order Reyna's other books. When an author is truly vulnerable with their work it resonates with an audience on such a personal level - even though not all readers have faced similar situations. The undertones of persistence and healing are felt on every page. One of my favorite reads of the year thus far.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC.

[Natalie D.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

~Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review~
a reflective, yet hopeful exploration of the author's trauma and grief told in rhythmic verse. while i love the gorgeous rhymes and figurative language throughout this collection, i could've done without the one/two-line "poems" that felt more like "instagram poetry" and filler for the collection as a whole. the wellness/self-help vibe of this story could've been communicated in many less, but larger pieces. with that said, i'm a big fan of the affirmations that this collection sends as well as Biddy's style as a poet overall, so I'd recommend this for anyone looking for a quick journey into the process that is healing.

[Aravind Mahipani · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book revolves around a lot of topics. Poems, phrases, quotes, sometimes abstaract feelings. The poetry style is something different from what i read usually, maybe thats one reason why i couldn't connect, or because its far from my nativeness. The poems start from deeper feelings and slowly transcend to anger, mostly anger, its anger and relavance to situation, the personal touch maybe loses here and there, because its more style over the feelings, when the feelings turned into different questions or short quotes, connecting to it just becomes very temporary.
But its intersting to see this new style, maybe I'll return to the rest of the works of the writer.

I just reviewed We Find Our Way by Reyna Biddy. #WeFindOurWay #NetGalley

[conti ☆ *ੈ₊彡 · Rating 3 out of 5]

even though i liked some poems, it was an overall alright collection for me and i just think that has to do with the fact that i couldn’t relate to it and that’s okay! it wasn’t written for me and my experiences, and although it allowed me to see other forms of human experience, obviously i didn’t connect to it as it’s not something i can relate to. i really loved the introduction to this poetry collection, and it actually made me buy this book because i really related to the introduction, but as i read, i realised that i preferred the beginning of the book more than the end. after the middle of the book i was just not really finding any poems that really spoke to me.

[sinag · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 stars!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The concept was a bit jarring for me. This book tried to tackle a lot of things all at once and I feel like some don't fit well when looked in the bigger picture. The emotions was there but the organization of each poems and the overall chemistry of the topics/subject matter was not it for me. I appreciate the inclusion of astrology and esoteric concept, though. I just wished it picked a lane on whichever way the collection goes.

[Jeremy J. Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

All comments on the haters of this book aside (not gonna there) - I enjoyed this book a lot! It's been a long time since I read a book of poetry from cover to cover. In my opinion, good poetry doesn't need to be ethereal sounding or out there in "la-la literature land", where we don't understand what the writer was intending to say. Sometimes people take books like this too seriously. Good poetry CAN reach us universally, at a level in our lives where someone's else's experiences can also be our own.

[randi · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Arc provided by NetGalley but all opinions are my own*
4.5
I read “We Find Our Way” in a cold math classroom and though my fingers shook and my teeth chattered I kept scrolling and reading. I really liked this book. I’m not a huge poetry lover but “We Find Our Way” has changed my mind. My favorite poem was “before it’s too late”, however I loved so many more. I would recommend this book to women and poetry/spoken word lovers. I think the cover is also so beautiful.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

To me the first half of the book is very different to the second half, it feels as if it was written by 2 different authors. There was also randomly sentence structure and spelling issues in the second half which was rather annoying.
Overall I did enjoy a lot of the poems and I already have a friend in mind who I would buy this book for cause I think they would really enjoy it. So I'm glad I read it

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

[periwynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't really for me, I found the writing really dry and the poems not as impactful as I hoped they would be. I did enjoy an occasional quote here and there and the themes which were relatable, since they encompassed many different aspects of life, but even that felt messy at times, lacking direction. I sadly couldn't connect with this poetry collection at all.

(I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.)

[Wren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid poetry collection.

Some of my favourites:
- In this life
- New age
- Funny like that
- Good woman
- Forgive me
- Void of course
- Get lucky
- My fault
- Universe
- Pour out

[Amity Eagleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars.

This was good. There were a few poems that stuck with me, but ultimately I found that a lot of them were much the same and could have been cut to make a more succinct collection. I loved the theme running through the collection and can see this being a very relatable collection.

[Daina (Dai2DaiReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Emma Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was good. it taught me some things that i shouldn’t worry about and others

[elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Kyrstin Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really pretty poems but not too many that resonated with my own experience.

[The_J · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonable turn of phrase, occasionally