Title: Nocturnal
Author: Wilder Poetry
Published: June 2019
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Readership: Adult
Genre: Poetry
Rating: ★★★★
I received a copy of Nocturnal from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The poems of Nocturnal—newly revised and expanded—are constellations to guide those on a journey of healing and self-discovery, no matter how dark the night.
From @wilderpoetry comes a heavily expanded revised edition of Nocturnal, a collection of poetry and beautifully illustrated black-and-white imagery inspired by darkened days and sleepless nights. Poetry meets presentation in each of the four sections (“Dusk,” “Northern Lights,” “Howl,” “Lucid Dreams,”), which trace the author’s continuing journey of self-discovery while illuminating a path for others along the way. Ink stains, landscapes, dreamlike animals, blackened pages, and textured spreads create a multifaceted reading experience. And true to the moniker, these poems are linked by a motif of “the wild.” Celebrating the art of self-love poetry with both word and image, Nocturnal will leave readers comforted, curious, and inspired to explore the world around them.
I don’t often read poetry collections, but every now and then I stumble across one the piques my interest and Nocturnal definitely fits that bill.
The first thing I have to say is just how stunning this collection of poetry is from an aesthetic perspective. I’m a really visual person and when a book has illustrations, different coloured pages, and text in different sizes, styles and placement it really appeals to me. I kept flipping back to previous pages to reread and re-examine pages I’d read because something about it stood out to me.
The poems themselves are simple and easy to read. They explore self-discovery and the ‘wildness’ that exists within us all. Unlike some collections I’ve read previously (and enjoyed) this one came across as far more hopeful and light-hearted and as such it made it a pleasure to read.
This is a book I will be preordering a physical copy of for my shelves because it’s just so beautiful and it’s something I know I’ll come back to time and again.
Noveltea Corner 