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pull yourself together
Arden Hunter uses the pen as both sword and paintbrush. The reader is transported between
conversational pieces which read alike to scenes from a play to intimate pieces which dance
on the page similar to a diary entry.
Hunter's strong command of the language is juxtaposed with their oftentimes playful prose;
stories are told as though the learned town’s bard is reciting them, yet simultaneously a friend
is whispering secrets that bounce alongside the folds of our ears.
Hunter effortlessly zaps between vulnerability and defiance, with a healthy sprinkle of the
whimsical and surreal. This collection truly is all encompassing and reads deceptively easily;
yet the impact of their words lingers long after the book is closed.
- Shiksha Dheda, author of Washed Away
"The robot has bones and the alien bleeds..." - in 'pull yourself together', Arden Hunter examines with wit and insight the boxes we draw around ourselves, the pain of others' expectations and the joy of breaking free. By turns lyrical and brutal, shocking and uplifting, Hunter's work reaches out across the cracks in human experience to show us tender truths.
- Katy Naylor, author of Postcards from Ragnarok
conversational pieces which read alike to scenes from a play to intimate pieces which dance
on the page similar to a diary entry.
Hunter's strong command of the language is juxtaposed with their oftentimes playful prose;
stories are told as though the learned town’s bard is reciting them, yet simultaneously a friend
is whispering secrets that bounce alongside the folds of our ears.
Hunter effortlessly zaps between vulnerability and defiance, with a healthy sprinkle of the
whimsical and surreal. This collection truly is all encompassing and reads deceptively easily;
yet the impact of their words lingers long after the book is closed.
- Shiksha Dheda, author of Washed Away
"The robot has bones and the alien bleeds..." - in 'pull yourself together', Arden Hunter examines with wit and insight the boxes we draw around ourselves, the pain of others' expectations and the joy of breaking free. By turns lyrical and brutal, shocking and uplifting, Hunter's work reaches out across the cracks in human experience to show us tender truths.
- Katy Naylor, author of Postcards from Ragnarok
Hardcover
Published February 3, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 28, 2022
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love everything that Arden Hunter writes, so I was thrilled to discover that they’ve collated their work into a full collection – and I was not disappointed. This is a book brimming with brilliance from start to finish, centred around the feeling of falling apart and trying to put oneself back together again.
I really enjoyed the way Hunter plays with form throughout – they know -exactly- what form the text should take, and they never get it wrong, the result being a heady mix of flowing prose and artfully lineated poetry, with each page being a surprise to the reader.
Hunter paints rich, vivid imagery throughout (the images of ‘the pavement in the rain’ and ‘big blue bees’ particularly stayed with me). When things in life seem uncertain or chaotic for the speaker, Hunter draws on the certainty of the tangible visual environment, the perceptibility of the body. The effect of the specificity of imagery juxtaposed against the inner messiness of the speaker of the poems is like an injection of blinding colour in the face of the dark content.
I also loved Hunter’s rhymes, the way they’ve employed rhythm and diction to create lines that serve as jabs – example: ‘Well my secrets are deeper and sweeter than anything meeker / My fever transceiver can fault her and grieve her / Selectively bleaker so catch her and keep her’.
My favourite pieces in this collection dealt with the corporeal – poems like ‘Regulator’, ‘Bullfrog’ and ‘Sometimes I shake in the mornings’ are so deliciously visceral, so palpable, it felt as if Hunter was describing my own battles with my body, chronic pain, mental and physical illnesses. It’s hard to choose one favourite from Pull Yourself Together, but I’ve whittled it down to three- ‘Advancement’ (raw, brutal, visceral), ‘DIY’ (chaotic, authentic, sardonic) and ‘Die-t’ (beautifully written).
I really appreciated that in writing about the speaker’s painful experiences, the voice isn’t entirely self-effacing. In fact, these poems depict a real strength of character, a passionate person doing their best to cope with the vagaries of life (whatever ‘their best’ looks like on any given day), someone full of wit and wisdom with a desire to see beauty in the world and in humanity, to love and be loved, to be well.
Pull Yourself Together was a joy to read. Highly recommended, especially for readers who are interested in the relationship between the psychological and physiological, and how we navigate the chaos life throws at us.
I love everything that Arden Hunter writes, so I was thrilled to discover that they’ve collated their work into a full collection – and I was not disappointed. This is a book brimming with brilliance from start to finish, centred around the feeling of falling apart and trying to put oneself back together again.
I really enjoyed the way Hunter plays with form throughout – they know -exactly- what form the text should take, and they never get it wrong, the result being a heady mix of flowing prose and artfully lineated poetry, with each page being a surprise to the reader.
Hunter paints rich, vivid imagery throughout (the images of ‘the pavement in the rain’ and ‘big blue bees’ particularly stayed with me). When things in life seem uncertain or chaotic for the speaker, Hunter draws on the certainty of the tangible visual environment, the perceptibility of the body. The effect of the specificity of imagery juxtaposed against the inner messiness of the speaker of the poems is like an injection of blinding colour in the face of the dark content.
I also loved Hunter’s rhymes, the way they’ve employed rhythm and diction to create lines that serve as jabs – example: ‘Well my secrets are deeper and sweeter than anything meeker / My fever transceiver can fault her and grieve her / Selectively bleaker so catch her and keep her’.
My favourite pieces in this collection dealt with the corporeal – poems like ‘Regulator’, ‘Bullfrog’ and ‘Sometimes I shake in the mornings’ are so deliciously visceral, so palpable, it felt as if Hunter was describing my own battles with my body, chronic pain, mental and physical illnesses. It’s hard to choose one favourite from Pull Yourself Together, but I’ve whittled it down to three- ‘Advancement’ (raw, brutal, visceral), ‘DIY’ (chaotic, authentic, sardonic) and ‘Die-t’ (beautifully written).
I really appreciated that in writing about the speaker’s painful experiences, the voice isn’t entirely self-effacing. In fact, these poems depict a real strength of character, a passionate person doing their best to cope with the vagaries of life (whatever ‘their best’ looks like on any given day), someone full of wit and wisdom with a desire to see beauty in the world and in humanity, to love and be loved, to be well.
Pull Yourself Together was a joy to read. Highly recommended, especially for readers who are interested in the relationship between the psychological and physiological, and how we navigate the chaos life throws at us.
February 15, 2022
In "Pull Yourself Together," Arden is a master of wit, rhythm, and rhyme. Arden's words can pierce through your heart like an ice pick ("Paying Attention"), or pull you into a delicious conspiracy ("Didn't she?"). You'll find poems of transformation ("Ode to my tattoo artist") and poems that will take you on a joy ride to the dark side ("DIY," "Sleep Paralysis"). Reading "Pull Yourself Together" is better than eating chocolate. It's a definite must-read.
March 1, 2022
Arden Hunter is truly a master of variety in poetry and this collection shows a repertoire of someone I will read again and again. Arden displays skill with varied voice from poetics that cut as sharp as a razor to ones that have you splitting at the sides. Structure always plays an integral role in Arden's work and within this collection that is obvious with some pieces that have distinct meter and rhyme scheme and others that dot the page like splatter paint. The topics run through the everyday with small moments and big ones; you won't be able to set Arden's collection down. Go get this one if you haven't.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews