Apollo Weeps

by Elizabeth Clements

Apollo Weeps is the second collection of poetry published by Lizz Clements. Her first anthology, Car Chases & Fake Bologna, explored the depths of both loving and hateful emotion. Apollo Weeps continues that tradition. The author's talent for exploring and capturing the sheer essence of her feelings enables the reader to better understand her poetry as well as their own thoughts and experiences. From the playfulness of "Veggie Boy in Love" to the sadness of "Alone," Apollo Weeps is not just a poetic chronicle of a young woman's life, but also an exploration of the nature of poetry and the written word.

Originally published by iUniverse in 2003, the book is now available through Lulu as a second edition.

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read anywhere near as much poetry as I should and I always say I'm going to change that. I'm glad I got a chance to make this one part of that. Clements has a unique voice. The poems are very intimate in a different kind of way than I am used to. Rather than trying to pull the reader into some kind of forced intimacy with the poet's hidden internal world, Clements seems to just start writing from herself. It's a very unpretentious kind of intimacy, natural seeming without an obvious amount of labor. The poems in this collection tend to be somewhat playful and often very emotionally charged. I think it will be interesting to watch that voice develop as Clements continues progressing as a poet.

[V · Rating 2 out of 5]

Above all else, the poetry in this book was written with a genuine voice. And for the most part it was noticeably different from the usual mid-to-late-adolescent angst-ridden verses, which was surprising and kind of refreshing. I wrote countless angsty pieces at that age, and it was a little shocking that the writing in this collection was mostly upbeat and a lot of the events in the journal entries seemed anathema to my image of what an ~18-year-old self-professed writer would be doing.

However, aside from a few really original and powerful turns of phrase, it just wasn't my cup of tea. When I read poetry, I often wince a little and wish that there was some sort of rhyming license for poets... and the bulk of this little tome proved to be no exception. The journal entries also seemed to have too much exposition- some of them felt as if they had undergone extensive editing for the sake of the reader. I understand that editing may be unavoidable to make the content comprehensible to a reader that is not oneself, but the entries didn't seem as deeply understood and personal as I would expect a journal to be.

I expect that with time, Clements's voice and style will mature and improve... she appears to have potential for excellence

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

whats better than a book by Lizz about Lizz? :D