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Floating, Brilliant, Gone
In her electrifying debut, Franny Choi leads readers through the complex landscapes of absence, memory, and identity. Beginning in loss and ending in reflective elation, Floating, Brilliant, Gone explores life as a brief impossibility, "infinite / until it isn't." Punctuated with haunting illustrations by Jess X. Snow, Choi's poems read like lucid dreams that jolt awake at the most unexpected moments.
86 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2013
46 people are currently reading
1603 people want to read
About the author
Franny Choi
11 books575 followersFranny Choi is a poet, performer, editor, and playwright. She is the author of Floating, Brilliant, Gone and the chapbook Death by Sex Machine. Her poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, American Poetry Review, the New England Review, and elsewhere. She is a Kundiman Fellow, Senior News Editor for Hyphen, co-host of the Poetry Foundation's podcast VS, and member of the Dark Noise Collective. Her second collection, Soft Science, was released from Alice James Books in April 2018. A current Zell Postgraduate Fellow at the University of Michigan, she is currently based near Detroit, Michigan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
December 9, 2022
this is early franny choi, so not nearly as fantastic (+ much more clumsy/inexperienced) as their later work. still pretty nonetheless. 2.9/5.
December 19, 2022
I know Franny Choi through the VS podcast, a poetry podcast she hosted for a few years with Danez Smith. I was a huge fan of them as hosts of that podcast and thought I’d check her book out (I’ve already read a few of Danez’s and enjoyed them), but unfortunately it’s not really my taste. It’s very experimental, which is far from the poetry I enjoy or understand. Honestly, my bad for picking it up. I thought it would be more like her poems that I’ve seen in publications, which seemed to me to be much less structurally inclined and more simple for the layman to understand.
August 25, 2016
I wish I had come across Franny Choi much before now, that way I would have been able to enjoy her slam poetry for longer. Much like the many people I love on Button Poetry, she either brings me joy with the activism through her words, or makes me extremely displaced with society at large. Both are acceptable feelings.
Her strength lies in her ability to portray and tackle racism and discrimination. Yes, her poetry tackles loss, and is funny, and there is even witty wordplay when related to "rap" music; the best is always her portrayal of issues affecting many differing groups. She speaks with truth and eloquence, and in a much more sympathetic manner than some people on news networks.
Listen to her poetry performed on YouTube, it is wonderful, and heart-hitting. You're welcome.
"For Peter Liang"
"Choi Jeong Min"
"Sweat"
"Pussy Monster"
Her strength lies in her ability to portray and tackle racism and discrimination. Yes, her poetry tackles loss, and is funny, and there is even witty wordplay when related to "rap" music; the best is always her portrayal of issues affecting many differing groups. She speaks with truth and eloquence, and in a much more sympathetic manner than some people on news networks.
Listen to her poetry performed on YouTube, it is wonderful, and heart-hitting. You're welcome.
"For Peter Liang"
"Choi Jeong Min"
"Sweat"
"Pussy Monster"
November 15, 2021
Franny is all knives out and bluster: aggressive anger and whataboutit attitude about the wounds she flaunts. But there are glimpses of softness behind the facade- moments of working out, change and life rather than hard shell.
August 8, 2017
3.75 stars. I've been listening to Franny Choi talk about poetry a lot, lately, and I finally got around to reading her book, which is a cool little grouping of poems and artwork by Jess X. Chen. I really appreciate this as a book of poems that don't all carry the same tone or style or subject - I think poets can become too fixated on a collection's cohesion, to the extent that it sort of dulls the book as a whole. This book's looser feel moves it along at a better pace. There are some misses, some pieces that don't feel as strongly crafted as others, but again, they're all different enough to keep readers interested. I look forward to Choi's future collections.
January 4, 2024
i finished this poetry collection while waiting for my gynecology appointment to begin, which truly just feels central to the female experience. franny choi’s masterful conduct of the english language was entrancing — i was caught up in her storytelling and grew frustrated whenever i had to bring my eyes away from the page.
April 14, 2018
I cannot tell you what a pleasure it is to find a poet in our generation who can speak about this depth of themes. Choi's use of imagery, her honesty and her ability to openly translate loss and sexuality make me admittedly envious of her writing skills. Combined with her visual poetry and collaboration with artist Jess X. Chen, Choi has delivered a powerhouse debut.
For those of you who fear this contemporary landscape of blog poets, fear not! Franny Choi has arrived!
For those of you who fear this contemporary landscape of blog poets, fear not! Franny Choi has arrived!
March 16, 2018
I may have even gotten a little dizzy on this wildly creative meditation on identity and culture. Choi is a creative writing teacher so the supplementary lesson plans online for teaching these poems were eye-opening and worth downloading.
September 4, 2017
A lot of poets and readers of poetry are tired of birds. My advice, read Franny Choi! I'm ready to take flight. Excellent collection.
January 1, 2016
Floating, brilliant and here to stay.
March 20, 2020
I’m so glad that I finally got the chance to read this collection. I was familiar with Franny Choi’s slam poetry (which I highly recommend, by the way), and while this is somewhat of a different medium, it was beautiful to see the words on paper. Choi knows how to write with an eloquence that is simultaneously firm and delicate; her words further complemented by the illustrations of birds by Jess X. Chen. Like many modern poets, she delves into grief, identity, and social issues. What stands out about her poetry is its colorful and ephemeral quality that’s meant to linger and haunt. She plays with different styles in her poems, which might throw some off, but I think what makes all of them work is her ability to present vivid imagery with these nuanced descriptions.
Another thing that makes Floating, Brilliant, Gone stand out from other modern poetry collections is the absence of the unapologetic poet. I don’t mean to say that other poets can’t be angry, positive, or what-have-you. Choi’s emotions run strong throughout her poems (her poems on racism are goddamn delights), but I felt there was clear contemplation before putting those thoughts into words; something I don’t get as much of in many of her contemporaries’ works.
It’s likely that I’m projecting, but there were certain words and ideas that seemed even more nuanced to me because of its connections to Korean culture. It’s one thing if she just mentioned a generic tree in her parent’s backyard. She opened the door to something richer, however, by mentioning that it’s a persimmon tree. There were little moments like these throughout the collection that conjured up distinct, Korean American experiences that I truly appreciated.
Not every poem worked for me, but those poems were far and few between. I can’t wait to pick up Soft Science and throw myself back into her imaginative wordplay.
Another thing that makes Floating, Brilliant, Gone stand out from other modern poetry collections is the absence of the unapologetic poet. I don’t mean to say that other poets can’t be angry, positive, or what-have-you. Choi’s emotions run strong throughout her poems (her poems on racism are goddamn delights), but I felt there was clear contemplation before putting those thoughts into words; something I don’t get as much of in many of her contemporaries’ works.
It’s likely that I’m projecting, but there were certain words and ideas that seemed even more nuanced to me because of its connections to Korean culture. It’s one thing if she just mentioned a generic tree in her parent’s backyard. She opened the door to something richer, however, by mentioning that it’s a persimmon tree. There were little moments like these throughout the collection that conjured up distinct, Korean American experiences that I truly appreciated.
Not every poem worked for me, but those poems were far and few between. I can’t wait to pick up Soft Science and throw myself back into her imaginative wordplay.
April 10, 2020
More 4.5 than 4
Sometimes when I read a book of poetry, I find myself thinking, "This is decent, but not great." I worry that I am imagining the great book of poetry.
This is a great book of poetry. The poems convey a sense of mood individually, and the way they are ordered moves us in and out of relationships -- and life. If it was the type to highlight or underline, every page would have something marked. A stanza, a turn of phrase, an entire poem, even a title. You know immediately what you are in for when the poem is called "JUST LIKE A WOMAN OR, GIRLS ARE LIKE PEOPLE EXCEPT THEY DON'T HAVE DICKS."
Opening randomly to any page, there is a treat waiting ("free fall into miles of sleepless" or "i must have dreamt his face once / our passing on the tip of my tongue like salt" or the entire poem THE HINDSIGHT OCTOPUS). Even the stunt poem PUSSY MONSTER (where she takes the lyrcis of a Li'l Wayne song and rearranges them in order of word frequency) is insightful.
Sometimes when I read a book of poetry, I find myself thinking, "This is decent, but not great." I worry that I am imagining the great book of poetry.
This is a great book of poetry. The poems convey a sense of mood individually, and the way they are ordered moves us in and out of relationships -- and life. If it was the type to highlight or underline, every page would have something marked. A stanza, a turn of phrase, an entire poem, even a title. You know immediately what you are in for when the poem is called "JUST LIKE A WOMAN OR, GIRLS ARE LIKE PEOPLE EXCEPT THEY DON'T HAVE DICKS."
Opening randomly to any page, there is a treat waiting ("free fall into miles of sleepless" or "i must have dreamt his face once / our passing on the tip of my tongue like salt" or the entire poem THE HINDSIGHT OCTOPUS). Even the stunt poem PUSSY MONSTER (where she takes the lyrcis of a Li'l Wayne song and rearranges them in order of word frequency) is insightful.
August 28, 2020
I read this as a follow-up to Choi's most recent book, Soft Science. The difference is startling (Choi's writing has focused and generally developed a lot since this book came out), but I still enjoyed this one quite a lot! The poems are spread across a lot of different genres--they reflect a broad interest in different poetics, while maintaining major themes Choi's latest work covers more thoroughly: conversations on race, ethnicity, multi-national identity, and gender. There's a bit of the slam poetry/performance poetry in these poems, too, which doesn't really come out in Soft Science at all, so that's a nice addition. Having lived in Rhode Island, seeing the poems that dive in deep into some of those locales resonated highly. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book, but I'm really glad I picked it up.
December 15, 2022
3.5, for reasons that mostly aren’t the book’s fault. i haven’t read poetry in a while, my standards are probably higher and unfortunately more impatient than they used to be, and unfortunately when you’ve read soft science her early work just pales in comparison. (i highly recommend soft science it absolutely gutted me.) if this was like the first book by someone i’d never heard of then i’d round up to 4, and i recognize that’s not terribly fair.
a handful of memorable lines and the illustrations are lovely, but overall it didn’t really sustain my attention. a lot of unoriginal phrases
a handful of memorable lines and the illustrations are lovely, but overall it didn’t really sustain my attention. a lot of unoriginal phrases
October 15, 2022
“[...] & i
was still an insect scuttling
over the ruins of battles
i hadn’t fought.”
It wasn't quite what I expected but I'm not disappointed! This is what I call hight quality poetry.
March 22, 2020
her more recent collections are better but this was a decent debut
June 20, 2023
It's ok? I think this collection wasn't for me and that's ok.
December 30, 2020
a close friend i trust lent me this (i still have to return!)
it is immensely intimate & a must-read for anyone who has struggled greatly with identity
it is immensely intimate & a must-read for anyone who has struggled greatly with identity
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2022
Incredible. A new favorite collection
June 7, 2021
Some really gorgeous poems; Choi does spoken word and it's pretty clear, so I'd strongly recommend reading these poems out loud. There's a whole flow of emotions within it that are all handled with such tenderness. Fave poems include "Notes on the Existence of Ghosts," "Pussy Monster," "Too Many Truths," and "Heaven is a Fairly Tale (& Vice Versa)."
January 30, 2021
Halloween, Too Many Truths, Metamorphosis, My Lovers and To The Man Who Shouted “I Like Pork Fried Rice” At Me On The Street all made me cry.
Her life experience was so relatable as a queer female Korean-American and just being human. She writes what I often think but can’t articulate.
Thank you for this brilliant book of poetry.
Her life experience was so relatable as a queer female Korean-American and just being human. She writes what I often think but can’t articulate.
Thank you for this brilliant book of poetry.
December 30, 2023
This was just what I needed to read right now, nurturing and exciting.
September 24, 2015
Franny Choi is a Korean American poet and "Floating, Brilliant, Gone" is her illustrious debut from Write Bloody Publishing. Jess X Chen's accompanying illustrations add a surreal and haunting element to an already moving set of poems. Deftly written, Choi maintains an exquisite range from the quietly stated to the urgent and impactful. She packs so much imagery in a single line, just look at this segment from "To the Man Who Shouted 'I Like Pork Fried Rice' at Me on the Street": "a fever. dead meat. butchered girl". It's a fiercely powerful line as it stands against sexism and racist fetish.
But racism is not the only topic she speaks about, as she also tackles loss and grief like in her opening poem "Notes on the Existence of Ghosts." There's that first stanza that denotes the ghostly qualities of a sidewalk: "Leaves stained onto the sidewalk from yesterday's storm create gray-green watermarks on the pavement, like the negatives of pressed flowers, or the ghost of a letterpress still whispering up from the page. A sidewalk is a haunted thing." Choi can turn what is ordinary and usually ignored into such a striking and delicate metaphor. Her writing stains your skin and stays with you.
Yet there is a joy in her occasional irreverence like in Ode to My Armpit Hairs:
"...For so long, I thought myself
a rich douchebag's gardener- or else, hummed
India Arie and ignored your steady march,
claimed liberated but secretly calling myself
a negligent housewife..."
It's a silly ode but definitely a fun one. She even goes as far as to rearrange the words from Lil' Wayne's "Pussy Monster" in order of frequency. It's a clever piece on sexism in the mainstream and quite hilarious. Choi is quite inventive with her other poems, creating black out poetry, a flowchart, scientific analysis, a conversation and more. Overall, this is a significantly strong debut and marks the entrance of a poet who will remain someone to watch out for, for years to come.
Eileen Ramos is a Filipina-American writer with a deep, abiding love for words. This passion drives her to read, create, and absorb all she can. Let's hope it ends well. Read more by Eileen on her blog.
But racism is not the only topic she speaks about, as she also tackles loss and grief like in her opening poem "Notes on the Existence of Ghosts." There's that first stanza that denotes the ghostly qualities of a sidewalk: "Leaves stained onto the sidewalk from yesterday's storm create gray-green watermarks on the pavement, like the negatives of pressed flowers, or the ghost of a letterpress still whispering up from the page. A sidewalk is a haunted thing." Choi can turn what is ordinary and usually ignored into such a striking and delicate metaphor. Her writing stains your skin and stays with you.
Yet there is a joy in her occasional irreverence like in Ode to My Armpit Hairs:
"...For so long, I thought myself
a rich douchebag's gardener- or else, hummed
India Arie and ignored your steady march,
claimed liberated but secretly calling myself
a negligent housewife..."
It's a silly ode but definitely a fun one. She even goes as far as to rearrange the words from Lil' Wayne's "Pussy Monster" in order of frequency. It's a clever piece on sexism in the mainstream and quite hilarious. Choi is quite inventive with her other poems, creating black out poetry, a flowchart, scientific analysis, a conversation and more. Overall, this is a significantly strong debut and marks the entrance of a poet who will remain someone to watch out for, for years to come.
Eileen Ramos is a Filipina-American writer with a deep, abiding love for words. This passion drives her to read, create, and absorb all she can. Let's hope it ends well. Read more by Eileen on her blog.
May 9, 2014
Floating, Brilliant, Gone is, quite simply, the best book of poetry I've read this year (from a press that never fails to delight). Between the pages is a heart that takes a hit and then hits back, a breathless throat that croaks its way up to a howl and then a steady hum. These poems lay emptiness out on the table, take its measure, and sew it a new pair of clothes. At the book's core are explorations of loss, identity, love, the body, and their relationship to each other, carried along in a tide of words that swells and recedes with dreamlike elegance. To quote the writer, "sometimes entire libraries/ of epic poems land/ in your palm as a single/ paper-thin sigh. sometimes/ it is as simple as love" ("Metamorphosis"). Track down a copy and you'll be thanking yourself as soon as the first page.
November 5, 2020
This book is why Franny is my favorite poet. I loved everything about it, and would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. It's beautiful, but in a violent way. It's sad, but in an uplifting way. It's full of contradictions, yet coherent somehow. I loved it.
On second read, I still love these poems a lot, but the growth from this book!! All of Franny's work is incredible, but she has grown so much from this collection, it's incredible.
On second read, I still love these poems a lot, but the growth from this book!! All of Franny's work is incredible, but she has grown so much from this collection, it's incredible.
August 15, 2014
I loved this. Engages sexism/racism and other topics with a playfulness that betrays the anger simmering beneath. Beautifully written. The drawings throughout were very cool, but I found them a little distracting.
December 31, 2015
Franny Choi is an incredibly dynamic poet; this collection never sits still in one form of poem, which makes her incredible use of language all the more exciting.
The book is dreamy yet hard hitting, a beautiful meandering through Choi's thoughts and larger themes of grief and identity.
The book is dreamy yet hard hitting, a beautiful meandering through Choi's thoughts and larger themes of grief and identity.
July 5, 2014
LOVED IT!
November 3, 2014
If I could be the pages Franny Choi writes on, I'd dig myself into the earth and turn into pages.
November 24, 2024
4.5 stars. Strong power in the voice of these poems. The illustrations are a tremendous addition to the work. Cohesive collection.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews