| Title | : | Graffiti (and Other Poems) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 152721219X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781527212190 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 103 |
| Publication | : | First published March 4, 2016 |
| Awards | : | Goodreads Choice Award Poetry (2016) |
Graffiti (and Other Poems) Reviews
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Every review on poetry I have done up to this point had some remark like 'poetry is an artform that is meant to be gazed upon and felt, not understood'. It always felt unaccessible like walking through a castle and loving the fact that you can try to make up stories about how they used to live back in the day, but being unable to make up a story that would have a true representation of that time. Turns out I've just been reading the 'wrong' poetry.
Savannah Brown is the voice of my generation. There wasn't a word in there that I didn't understand, because most of them I had felt before. The rhythm and beat of her words grab you. Most of the poems made me want to scream yes, you get it! Savannah's words balance on insecurities and wanting to show the world that 'you've got the fire', which would be an accurate description of my own mind.
I'm glad poetry doesn't always have to feel like reading a classic from the 1800s. I may just like slam poetry or young poets better :). -
I love Sav's poems so much. They're hauntingly beautiful and will most likely resonate with me for days.
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4.5☆
i don't know why i waited so long to pick this up again! but i don't regret not continuing earlier, because i loved reading it now.
savannah brown truly has a way with words. her poetry is the kind you understand immediately but you'd never be the one to come up with these words yourself.
"𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴,
𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴"
"𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥
(𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴)
𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵-𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦"
"𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦"
"𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 -
𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥,
𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴
𝘪 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨"
i wish i could share more quotes, but they are connected to the entire poem, so they don't hit the same out of context. (the ones i put above weren't even my favorites)
the artwork in this is adorable!⭒ -
I woke up wanting to finish this book today for some odd reason. I first started it in 2016 when she released it & never finished it because in all honesty, I did not have the vocabulary for it at the time. I didn’t have the reading comprehension skills either. This time though, OH YES I DID! And I LOVED IT! I read this in one sitting this morning as it’s a very short 65 page book. I really love how when I read Savannah’s work, I can hear her sounding it all out/enunciating certain words. That is probably from the amount of her spoken word I’ve watched her read online, but it was still very cathartic. If you love poetry, I urge you to read this collection. She has a gripping way of writing that is slightly on the gory side at times & often sad, but hopeful at the end. I loved her word choice throughout this the most. A very wonderful book from a wonderful gal! 10/10!
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This AMAZING book was gifted to me by my forever bae, Beez. It’s also signed by the author and there’s a coffee stain on the front cover (Thaaanks Bae!).
The Bloggo
This book is the kind of book you read in your twenties. Reading it reminded me of my teenage years and it also reminded me of who I am now and who I am yet to be. Definitely, the poetry book I would recommend THE MOST to anyone!
It’s bound to take you to a trip down memory lane, all the sweet, bitter and bitter-sweet memories. And the illustrations just add a beautiful touch to this masterpiece. I know I will revisit this collection again and again because I loved 95% of the poems and the rest I just liked. I didn’t dislike any of them.
Truly, a poetry collection worth reading. The best part is that it’s PERFECT for those who want to start getting into poetry.
Lots of love,
Raven -
I wanted to like this book more than I did (I was so excited and immediately preordered a copy and got it specially signed for me.) I'm a big fan of Savannah's YouTube channel where she reads these poems but on paper, the writing is nothing particularly special or mind blowing. HOWEVER, when these poems are performed or read aloud, it sounds pretty good. I think this would've been a great audio book but not a collection of poetry I will be reaching for again anytime soon. I will continue to watch Savannah's YouTube channel because I think she's a great performer but an average writer.
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This beautiful little collection took my breath away and I will hold it close to my heart and read it again, and again, and again.
My favourite poetry collection❤️
The poems were long poems with beautiful illustrations and explored the poets life growing up, from the ages of 17-19. Being 18 years old myself, I could really connect with this collection and I found the poems so beautiful.
The poems centre around themes of love, family, breakup, the future, the struggles of growing up and the wonders of growing up.
Since the poems were in first person I could really feel the emotions embedded within the words and it felt as if Brown was there, whispering her feelings in my ear.
My heart felt so warm while reading this and I will hold this little collection close to my heart. I will read this again and again. It’s great to have a poetry collection written about the stages of life I’m going through right now. I related to every poem and it felt wonderful.
I’ll definitely be flipping through this poetry book time and time again.
I highly recommend this collection, especially to those who are between the ages of 17-19! -
actual rating: somewhere between 2 and 3
honest and refreshing at times, but a little cliche (her second, newer collection is much, much better).
braving rain, we'd pedal / to the river styx at dusk / where the world did not stretch further than / the thickets and the rust
here, i play the role of past-girl, / jumping back onto the scene-- / i fit the part so nicely that / you'd think the girl was me
i always find poetry collections SO hard to rate. some poems i really didn't like, and would give only a 1/5, but there were also some that i found truly incredible, and would give an undeniable 5/5. so to make it fair, i've put my rating somewhere in the middle. (although, this particular collection made it even harder, as there were very few poems that i would actually give a 3/5-- for some reason, i either loved them, or hated them.)
no one would know, but please tell my mother / i'm sorry, i'm sorry, / but it had to be done [...]
human heart humming / human mind numbing, / someone please help me, i think i'm becoming / insignificant again
although this is brown's first published collection, i actually read "sweetdark" first, around a year ago. i remember finding it incredible. i'm not usually a fan of contemporary poetry-- i find it very hard to get 'right'-- but she blew me away with that book, and so i immediately purchased this one (yes, it took me a year to get round to reading it), but unfortunately, i didn't find as much to love.
as i bought a later copy, it includes a new preface by brown, wherein she discusses her criticisms with this work, and says that there's many things she would change, but didn't for the sake of honesty and growth. and it's true: comparing the two publications, 3 years apart, you can see an insane amount of improvement. brown is a fairly young author, too, so it's no surprise that she improved so much within a short space of time.
no, there's no angels / but yes there is love [...]
it is there, but it's dirty / and under the ground / where the rawest of all of / humanity's found
my main critique with this collection is the consistent over-use of cliches and imagery that appear so, so frequently in a lot of modern poetry (usually those written by fairly young authors). and it's a shame! because brown would write the most beautiful, wonderful imagery, but then 'ruin' the emotion and impact with some kind of banal platitude or phrase. and this happened quite a lot throughout the book, where i would be thoroughly enjoying a poem, and then such a phrase would totally draw me out of it.
if you've read a lot of similar poetry (or if you spent a lot of time on the writing/literature side of tumblr), i'm sure you will know what i mean by all this. the repetitive mentions of cravings and flesh and blood and holy and divinity and female rage and sugar and barbed wire and fireworks and cigarettes and sentences in brackets that are neither deep nor raw, just there to seem interesting. and it's a shame, because a lot of the poems in this collection would be a million times better with these removed or changed! sometimes less is more, and over-explaining can diminish the effect.
to end on a positive note: savannah brown is undoubtedly a brilliant writer, and her ability to recall emotive imagery and use small details to set the atmosphere is wonderful. there were many times that the rhyming scheme actually made me feel happy/proud, because it just flowed so well, and was almost lyrical.
and ignoring the cliches and such, brown writes some amazing things of her own-- she truly doesn't need to use them, and i'm glad she seemed to realise this in her second collection. her works are original in their rhyming schemes and forms, and the lines and stanza breaks are purposeful and for a reason (unlike, unfortunately, a lot of modern poetry i've read). she has fun with her writing, and that makes it fun to read!
my favourite poems (not in order) to maybe read online if you can't purchase:
> dew-grass
> too quiet
> moles don't think about space or small talk
> no angels
> a poem for ohio -
This was a pleasantry enjoyable book of poetry with some interesting illustrations. I started following Savannah's YouTube channel a few months ago because of her poetry and was glad to see that she had a book release, I took that opportunity to snap it up. I've read through it a few times now and thus far my favourite is burgundy walls; she puts into poetry something that many of us do when we take a stroll through our own neighbourhoods.
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I'm a really big fan of Savannah's poetry and I did enjoy 4 or 5 of the poems but I think I prefer it when I hear them read out in videos.
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Some poems were okay. But all very similar.
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Gorgeous illustration, I certainly didnt like all the poems but some really striking words.
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I don't think this is a bad collection of poetry, it just wasn't a collection for me. I'm not sure Savannah had really found her voice yet here. The poems fell somewhere between minimalist, popular poetry and traditional poetry; I felt like it lost its strength due to this.
She uses some beautiful imagery, and there were some poems I quite liked. But overall, it didn't quite make me feel what I'm looking for in poetry collections. I also think it may be one of those things better read aloud, rather than quietly in your head. I think the imagery sounds beautiful, even if the meaning behind the poem wasn't as apparent or touching.
I think I like what the collection stands for, more than the collection itself. It's the product of a young woman, creating something beautiful and putting it out there. I love that, I appreciate her Foreword so much. I'm hoping her newer work will be more what I look for, I'm very willing to keep trying. I suspect that I may have liked this collection more when I was younger, and perhaps her most recent work will be closer for me now. -
Graffiti (And Other Poems) Man, am I glad that I purchased the book. I'm kinda kicking myself that I didn't get the actual book, but just the ebook.
But no matter the format, this book was just beautiful. The illustrations where just super cute. And the writing. So amazing. I seriously loved all these poems so much, there wasn't one that didn't touch me for some reason. So many of them were so relatable.
Ah, I'm just in love. I can't wait to read more from her. -
4.25/5 stars
i didn't love every poem, but my favourites include "Real Estate", "After", "Moles Don't Think About Space Or Small Talk", "Graffiti", "The Only Thing I Know To Be True" "Heirlooms", "Three Things I Have Learned Four Thousand Miles From Home", "Words Of Gods". i think around the end the poems got better, and i think i will definitely re-read this book some day. -
Explosion of emotions.
♥♥♥ -
3.5 ⭐ For what this is, poems by a 19yo about being a young adult, it's a solid collection with some mediocre, some good and some great poems - I also very much appreciate that it's actually p o e t r y and not a normal sentence split up to make it look like it (*cough* Rupi Kaur *cough*) 😌
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περιμενα πολλα παρα πανω μετα απο τοσο promotion που υπηρχε γυρω απο το συγκεκριμενο βιβλιο. Η γραφη της καλη αλλα ενιωθες οτι υπηρχαν κενα και οτι σε μερικα σημεια επαναλαμβανοταν
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I really, really liked this! I will be making a video review soon.
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A beautiful anthology. Easily relatable. I can’t wait for her upcoming novel
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3.5 stars.
Review to follow. -
I don't usually read poetry, but the art style (by Ed Stockham) on the cover got me interested. Savannah Brown turned out not to be as much of a stranger as I thought she was. I had actually stumbled upon one of her videos on Youtube a few years ago. A slam poem: What Guys Look for in Girls. It got me into writing some poems myself back then and made sure I opened my mind to poetry a bit more.
Graffiti (and Other Poems) is awesome. I love the illustrations as much as I like Savannah's way of writing down her feelings. Not every poem was as appealing to me as the next, however some of them were very relatable. I adore Words of Gods and The only things I know to be true. While Heirlooms had a bit of a perfect timing feel.
If you'd like to give poetry a go I'd definitely recommend this, eventhough it might be a little expensive if you compare it to a full on novel. I'd say it's worth it. -
The poems are written from a place of introspection, but with enough perception to make them astute and mature. Poems like a poem just for me, real estate, and the only things i know to be true reveal an author who knows herself, but knows she’s not infallible, and knows she’s going to grow and change. While i relate to many of the feelings and sentiments in these poems, it’s with hindsight–i would never have been this self-aware as a teenager.
And the art! The accompanying pieces amongst the words. They’re perfect little visual snippets of the poems. There is one in particular of a capsizing ship that I would consider having tattooed on my body. Such simple artwork speaks volumes, in just the same way three verse poems contain as much depth as a novel.
A slightly longer review can be read at my book blog:
Marvel at Words. -
Love, love, love. I've always adored watching Savannah reading her poetry. I love how honest and fragile the words are that she writes. And I'm so glad that she decided to put them into a book, so I can find myself reading them over and over.
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This is the first collection of poems I have ever read, and I enjoyed it so much! The poems are so beautiful and rhythmic and strong, and the illustrations are adorable! Would definitely like to read some more poetry now :)
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(note: I'm not sure how to review poetry so I won't be rating this book!)
This poetry collection was so bittersweet and dark at times, but it also made me truly, deeply think. Savannah Brown is an incredible writer and I will definitely be coming back to these poems in the future! -
"someday it will flow from you natural / it'll feel so lovely to say! [...] I'm okay! I'm okay! I'm okay!"
"Graffiti" is a collection of poetry about finding your place in the world. It addresses both love and death, and more than anything it's an ode to growing up, to changing and yet staying the same, to the future.
When I first read it two years ago I already loved it, but now at 18 years old I relate to it so much more, especially to the poems about change, as that one's prevalent in my life right now (and always will be, anyway). Some poems didn't mean much to me, but some stirred something deep within me and made me hopeful for something worth struggling for right now.
The author has such a way with words - and read aloud, her poetry is twice as good. Admittedly her writing style sometimes seems a bit pretentious here, but that doesn't mean the book is bad, at all.
My favourite poems right now are "burgundy walls", "a poem just for me", and "real estate" - and these verses were exquisite, as well:
"no, there's no angels / but yes there is love"
"I always figured the weight / of all my fears and nights / I spent crying / would make you shrivel and die" -
It pains me to rate this collection a mere 3 stars. While there were some lovey poems, and some absolutely wonderful quotes, I could not get past the somewhat shallowness of her poems at times.
The layout of the book itself was also something I had an issue with, in which the stanzas are often separated along pages (in such a way that I expect the poem to end, and it probably should have).
I would recommend this collection to those just getting into poetry, as it’s simple to read and comprehend. She explores her concepts well; wading through the perils and joys growing up, self realisation, first loves and losses, all mingled with existentialism. Just, for myself, I yearned for more complexity.
I will, however, add how absolutely beautifully she ended her collection. The book encapsulates to be a teenage girl, to be overwhelmed by the world and the vastness of it all. And to say, “in the midst of a storm / in the mouth of the beast, / I am okay!”.
I will look back to Graffiti with fondness, and I look forward to reading Sweetdark very, very much. -
Lovely little book of poems. I didn't know Savannah Brown until very recently so I looked up a few videos of hers before starting to read Graffiti. She reads some of her poems on her channel, which I thought was very nice and easy to connect to.
I had a harder time with the book at first, perhaps because she was very young when she wrote it and some things I just couldn't relate to. I did really like the poems from the second part though, particularly the last few ones.
Savanna uses a lot of imageries in the way she writes, and it seems like thoughts appear in the middle of her poems at times. The main theme is her teenagehood, with her love, desires and struggles.
For fans of hers and curious souls both, I'm sure it'll be a very good read.
