Sway

by Tricia Johnson

Poems that welcome and embrace Mother Nature's seasonal wind blown mysteries.
This book of poetry invites you to pause, kneel down in a meadow and experience the flora and fauna of Pennsylvania. To live among the rolling hills and valleys, as nature's changing rhythms keep the time.
In Sway by Tricia Johnson, we imagine ourselves in the wilds of Nature with our heads resting on the back of our arms, eyes wide, observing the Living World.

Genres: Poetry

108 pages, Paperback

Published September 13, 2022

Reviews

[mas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very atmospheric and a cozy read. It made me feel like I was there in the places mentioned in the poems. Especially loved the poem 'Interconnected'.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this poetry collection. I especially enjoyed the fact that it was split into two separate parts each containing a different sort of theme to them. It was also easy and quick for me to read. My only complaint would be that some of the formatting was a bit wonky and sort of took me out of reading mode and into sort of editor mode. I definitely recommend this book to others though.

[Afrodite Kyhn · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Thank you NetGalley for this eARC, in exchange for an honest review*

This collection of poems did nothing for me or my soul. And when I look for poetry and think poetry is good, is when the poems makes me feel things, and makes me emotional. These did not do that, some of them were pretty written or explained gracefully, but it was not something for me.
I think most of it was boring and didn’t hit any nerve or gave me a desire to shed a tear.

[Book Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sway by Tricia Johnson is a collection of poems about the changing seasons and embracing nature from the perspective of the author. This is the second book of poems Johnson has written; readers who liked her first book: Whirl Away Girl, will enjoy her newest edition.

Johnson’s poems are written almost like a coded diary that is full of emotion and feelings that are deep and guttural and evoke emotions in the reader. The poems are easy to read, but I feel like the poems are open to interpretation. I found one poem blended into another, and without the strong theme of summer, fall, winter, and spring (in that order, I believe), I wasn’t able to tell one poem from another.

My favorite poem in this book would be Shadows Bold, as it holds a steady rhythm and is easily interpretable. Depicting the snow melting and spring coming alive. I liked how the author began and ended the poem with similar lines, “Sun makes shadows bold… As sun keeps shadows bold.”

I enjoyed the inconsistency of the poems, and it was a nice surprise that accompanied each poem. Most of the poems do not rhyme or form a certain structure.

For example, on page 17, the poem does not start with a rhythm; however, if you continue to read, there are two lines that start a rhyme “Nighttime haze/ Your eyes glaze…” Only these two lines, and then the rhythm is dropped. But the author then picks up the rhythm again in a chunk at the end. “Silent prick to eye/Unstoppable weather drifting by/Pop-up storm of emotion/Clouded by such devotion…” And the rhyme is dropped again. This does not follow any structure that I’m familiar with, and I find it interesting.

Sway is a pleasant and light read for those who enjoy poems about nature and enjoy the reflective nature of poetry.

[TheReadingAngel · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

Have you ever wanted to feel like Elizabeth running through the moor? Or Anne breathing in the forest air and feeling one with the Earth? Then look no further than Sway. Absolutely loaded with imagery from any nature scene you could imagine, Tricia Johnson delivers a magical view of the world that can only be expressed through poetry.

Johnson leaves no stone unturned. Literally and figuratively. She explores every side of nature you can think of while still being gentle in her prose. I could imagine myself at each and every scene that she lay before me.

I did, unfortunately, become a little tired of the relentless imagery. This collection just wasn’t for me. Actually I don’t think it was written to be read like how I did. I would recommend not reading this book in its entirety in one sitting like I did. Instead, pick it up when you feel wistful or long for a season you’re not currently in. Keep it close for the rainy days and the misty mornings when you need a reminder of how beautiful Earth can be. This would make an excellent coffee table book. One you can flip through and read your favourite poem over and over.

[Margot]

These poems celebrate the natural world, the changes of season, the ways the wind can blow, the sound of snow falling, the colours, the many subtle and dazzling shifts that are visible when one pays attention. Like Johnson, I live in the country and I too am fascinated by all that surrounds me, and that is what drew me to her work. I applaud Johnson for her keen observations and celebrations of all that nature has to offer. I did feel at times the poems got repetitive, and that many good lines got lost within mediocre poems. Occasionally, the poet's interior state would be made known, and I wanted more of that. Obviously not all nature poets can be Mary Oliver, but part of what made her brilliant was her ability to bring together the external and internal landscapes. Without that interiority, nature poetry can feel a bit simplistic. Still, I appreciated Johnson's strong imagery. Thank you to Netgalley and Atmosphere Press for an advanced copy.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sway by Tricia Johnson is best read a few poems at a time, dipping in and out of nature’s changes and seasons. Johnson’s poems are primarily focused on nature and the narrator is caught up in all the beauty. She’s distracted by it, enthralled by it, and in awe of it – as it should be. In “Nestle,” readers are invited to meet the narrator “in the tall grass/We will settle in its hidden places/Nestled with mother earth” (pg. 12)

Read the full review: https://savvyverseandwit.com/2022/11/...

[Maggie Chatterton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sway by Tricia Johnson is a poetry collection full of poems inspired by the nature of Pennsylvania. The poems had a zen-like feel with how they are written. The collection follows the turning of the seasons from Summer to Spring with some great sensory verses that really help set the scene for the poem.

[Raychel]

I’m not going to rate this. I don’t necessarily think these were bad poems, they just weren’t for me.

Big thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an eARC copy

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sway was such a treat for the senses. For a nature lover like me, there is nothing more exhilarating than watching the signs of the seasons and Johnson brings that to life in this poetry collection. Starting with summer and progressing through the seasons, all her poems contain clever observations and lyrical phrases which I wanted to commit to memory. This is a gentle and accessible read which I would recommend to anyone new to reading poetry as well as nature lovers.