All My Distances Point to Home

by King Llanza

"All My Distances Point to Home" is an examination of what intimacy is like when not in close proximity, as observed in personal relationships with people and, most especially, with the natural world. This volume of queer ecopoetry is poetry for our time, and it reminds us of our connections to the Earth and the intricate ties we have with humanity and with flora and fauna.

Genres: Poetry

92 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2022

Reviews

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book of poetry with my cousin to pass time while we were outside with family. Eco-poetry that touches on a plastic-clogged turtle beached lifeless, death as a tender and cyclical release of carbon, and venus fly traps consuming unsuspecting prey like the author wants to be consumed by lovers, permafrost and fossilized ferns, Manila bay, and hermit crabs amongst other things. I'm not familiar with much poetry, including contemporary work, but this anthology was intriguing and enjoyable by bringing up images of the natural world, themes around desire and self-reflection, and some Philippine places and objects.

It makes for good conversation, try reading it with someone together!

I just
don't get how
word layouts
add and detract from
the poems. (p.s Goodreads didn't retain the word spaces i put aww haha but yea long space in between words, indented lines, etc.)

Lots of the poems (but not all of them) follow this e.e. cummings modern type of construction, and they don't really follow a meter (just as a disclaimer but sort of expected given this style has been in vogue for awhile now)

[Meeko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picking up this book, just by looking at the title, I genuinely thought that the collection will be about things related to distances such as places, longing, the usual things attributed to distances but I’m wrong. As I read through, and as explicitly told in the overview at the back of the book, it is a collection of queer ecopoetry. As a first time reader of ecopoetry, I find myself in awe of how smooth King Llanza intertwines human experiences and relationship into nature. The metaphors are laid brilliantly in the poems no matter what theme the author is trying to describe. There’s a clear queer vision reflecting off of the collection to which it adds to how well-put and wise the author is in writing these poems. There is also an unexpected display of humor in some of the poems which made it more fun to read.

On a more serious note, themes of sadness, of longing, even death, that as the author put it, instead of melancholy, there is comfort and fulfillment in those usually undesired emotions.

And the thing I love most is how gutpunching those endings of the poems are. Llanza clearly know how to end a poem in a high note pushing the reader to go back and read the poems again one more time that just makes it more sensical. Lastly, the author proved his brilliance by closing the book and dropping the one last poem as an epilogue. You just have to read it to understand. It’s so good and King Llanza is another queer writer to watch out for.

[aya · Rating 5 out of 5]

"... the last time we shed something of ourselves is the moment we become useful to the earth."

Pieces are both intimate and worldly, personal and political.

Carbon Cycle, while entirely different, reminds me of Erin Greene's monologue in Midnight Mass where she says,
"I remember that every atom in my body was forged in a star."

We don't die, we just return to earth and galaxies and become another form of life. 🍀

[King Llanza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my book and I'm very proud of it. If you wanna read about queer Filipino ecopoetry, this is the book you're looking for. It's pretty much a landmark book for this generation because this is the first ecopoetry collection by a solo author. Previously, the Philippines only had an anthology of ecopoetry

[Yana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poetry collection is throughtfully filled with all-too-Filipino and environmental references that add an unusual but very welcome flavor to Llanza’s poetry. Simultaneously personal and artful, this book is a welcome addition to the shelf of any veteran poetry reader.

[Kalay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite poem in the collection is 'Til Death Do Us Part."

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poetry book is excellent at explaining how intimacy reflects on the personal milieu of a person.

[rizhareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread this for our literature and the environment class!