Spectral

by Fay Roberts

Moving through moods and atmospheres, Spectral is a book intended to be read in a number of different ways:

1. From beginning to end, moving through the blended spectrum of moods laid out in order;

2. As a mood-picker - either finding something to match your feelings from one of the seven main sections, or using something to change your mood to where you would like it to be; or

3. As a pic'n'mix menu of topics, emotions, and poetry forms.

The pieces come from a number of places across the years - some of them from NaPoWriMo prompts, some from commissions, some from workshops, others inspired by random book pages, musical sequences, or just turning up without warning. A couple come, inevitably, from this past age of isolation and confinement, and still others are inspired by the wisdom and grace of chosen family.


Source: Publisher

Genres: Poetry

160 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2022

Reviews

[Wyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this book in 45 minutes on my break from work and came back to the shop floor feeling a little out of my body in the best way possible. this is what good poetry does, in my opinion: destabilises you from reality to consider matters we rarely think about. things like homo/transphobia and how it affects us, ableism and what chronic pain does to a person or even the very simple act of a kiss. roberts uses every poetic tool in zir arsenal and it’s a joy to read zir book start to finish, pick’n’mix or just by opening to a random page. my personal favourites were ‘silken’, ‘wayfaring’, ‘seasonally affective’ and ‘first and last’. please read this book, it’s eye-opening, soul-searching, breath-taking and so sensory you can almost chew the words as you read. and they’re delicious!

[J.S. Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lush, multi-layered, resonant and brave. This is a poetry collection that bridges the gap between performance and page poetry and takes us to a place beyond.