“Where She Grew Up” review of “The Worst Me”

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I’m not a big fan of poetry, but here I am reviewing my second book of poetry. This time, it’s The worst of me Author: “Where She Grew Up”

I discovered that to appreciate poetry, it not only has to be straightforward, without a lot of flowery language or subtext, but it also has to be subversive. I mean it has to have some fun, a little attitude. I’m more of a girl who writes poems about anger than a person who writes sonnets about summer. If you can inject some anger into the iambic pentameter and spice it up with swear words, then I’m more likely to be interested.

Ironically, Sonnet 18 is in iambic pentameter, so maybe it needs more swearing…

The worst of me

I first saw Where She Grows (real name Alisha Christensen) as a follower on Instagram. You know how algorithms suggest new accounts for you to follow based on proximity, aesthetics, or interests? Somehow “Where She Grew Up” popped up in my feed along with her poetry, even though I’m not a fan of poetry and I only follow one poet. Still, every time she clicked on my news feed, the poem in question was from the book. Every piece the machine feeds me resonates with me. So I bought this book.

The poems in this book are mostly reflective. Lost love, whether with yourself or with your lover. Angry at acquaintances or her own choices. But they all carry an undercurrent, a reminder that all relationships are temporary. Especially the bad ones.

when The worst of me When I received it in the mail, I was also surprised to see that the physical book was very “ruining the journal,” with a solid black cover and large white spaces on some pages. It turns out that the author intentionally wants you to engage with the book. You’ll be prompted to add a photo or write on the page. You can add doodles if you want. The author’s note even suggests using the book to emboss or add your own poetry.

This book is designed so that you don’t mind writing on the pages. The poems are handwritten or typed on a typewriter and scanned, complete with edits and scribbled sections, making it feel like an incomplete notebook, begging for your additions, thoughts, critiques, or random scribblings. There are also old newspaper clippings and periodic one-liners that convey more ideas than poetry. Some may even be classified as prank calls.

Who is this for?

I think the poetry of the place where she grew up would be suitable for just about anyone. If you’ve ever fallen out of love, fallen out of love with yourself, or fallen in love with the worst possible person (even if that person was you), you’ll find something extremely relatable in Alyssa’s poetry. in the case of The worst of methe book’s poetry and design are both intellectually accessible, although I would also say that the design is less accessible to the visually impaired and may be difficult for people with dyslexia or those with any form of aphasia Will be difficult due to typing and handwriting fonts.

If you’ve ever had the thought that you might not be a good person at all, or that you suffer from perfectionism, then The worst version of me will talk to you. It might even feel oddly reassuring to know that you’re not alone, and that bad choices or anger don’t make you a bad person. The worst of me Acknowledge that women are sexual beings, pranksters and provocateurs, and acknowledge that we cast shadows and then play in their depths.

This book is like a piece of performance art. It invites you to acknowledge the “bad” and subversive parts of yourself without judgment or shame, to admit bad decisions and reckless decisions. It invites you to sit in the dark for a moment, revel in what you’re doing, even if it doesn’t end well, and heal and be creative in the process. She grew up in a place that wanted to acknowledge the full, imperfect human being and celebrate it, or at least allow you to mess up.

Where She Grew also invites you to become a part of the poetry rather than just an observer, giving you space to insert your own poetry or add to existing work in the book. Prompts throughout encourage you to break pages, add drawings and notes, engage in art-making, and feel your feelings. She wants you to be able to name a mistake or bad choice that didn’t seem so at the time.

I think The worst of me Particularly timely as the current zeitgeist is filled with negativity. It reminds us that we all have negative emotions and that we are not alone. It’s part of the human experience. This book uniquely encourages you to feel those emotions and give them a voice and a space to exist, which I think can be healing. I think this collection of poems reminds us that life isn’t all sunshine and roses…and that’s okay. Years from now, maybe you can look back at what you added and see how things have changed.