When Love Rises by Michelle G. Stradford

When Love Rises Reviews

• 
  Dona

  Strung tight
  on your
  Spanish guitar,
  you strum me
  one kiss closer
  to recklessness.
  Just play me faster.
  End this
  breathless
  note.
  
  | Spanish Guitar p34
  
  I bought Michelle G Stradford's first poetry book, WHEN LOVE RISES, a couple years ago. Since then, Stradford has released five more books of poetry. The most recent was released just the past September, called SELF LOVE NOTES II, and I never got around to read this collection until now.
  
  Like most contemporary mainstream poetry collections I read, there are stunning examples in this collection of that style. In some of her pieces, like the one I excerpted above, Stradford showcase what makes this style of poetry so special-- so beautiful, so accessible, most importantly, naked in its vulnerability.
  
  One more:
  
  Is this
  tremor in my voice,
  vibration in my chest,
  the anticipation
  or the aftermath
  of the sensation
  you?
  
  | Tremors p14
  
  These poems display a clever grasp of language and also construction. Short lines stacked atop one another encourages a fast read, almost a tumbling through the lines. So each time a reader completes a piece, they must then rise (WHEN LOVE RISES) to the beginning of the next.
  
  Not every piece is this clever or beautiful, but that's not really how poetry collections work. The poems in WHEN LOVE RISES that do work, work hard enough to elevate this whole book. I look forward to reading more from this poet.
  
  Rating 4.5 rounded down
  Finished November
  Read this if you like:
  ✒️ Contemporary mainstream poetry
  😍 Love poetry
  💋 Romance
  💔 Breakup poetry
  ❤️‍🩹 Healing poetry
• 
  Cookie M. ***Putting my little family back together as healthy and strong as it can be.***

  DNF. This poetry said nothing to me and I gave up on this book.
  Maybe it is because I have lived a long life, and have loved well and been loved deeply in return, but the love expressed here seems very adolescent and shallow to me.
  Even the poems of "first love" were not at all what I experienced in my first loves and my first heart breaks.
  
  I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Orion O'Connell

  This one teeters at about a 2.5 star read for me (somewhere between 'it was okay' and 'i liked it'), something that I finished in a bit under an hour (some of the pages were illustrations).
  This one didn't speak to me like I thought it would, although there was a lot of expression and care put into its making. I feel as though this one would have been well suited for coffeehouse readings, with the author reading in a set tone to add to the punchiness of the prose, inflicting a rhythm to her poetry.
  As I read it on my own, I found that the style was not something I followed along with easily and couldn't connect with, which is what I look for in my favorite poetry. This didn't sink me. It didn't make me rise, either. It was simply me appreciating this woman's words, written in a way that was beautiful to her, and I'm sure will be more understood and endearing to other readers.
  All in all, there is no such thing as bad poetry. Poetry is something that I think resonates with different people differently- based on how they find their self-expression. If you prefer nonfiction to fiction, there's nothing wrong with that; same if you prefer one style of poetry to another.
  If you like expressive poetry, give it a try- most of the poems are short. I think, delivered to someone who relates more to the author's writing style, this could easily be a 4 or 5 star read. Just not my cup of tea.
  Kudos to the author though! Getting your work out there takes so much bravery and it was all very deeply and beautifully written! Thank you for sharing!
• 
  PanOrpheus PanOrpheus

  With a colorful picture, the initial poems are partially inspired by a hummingbird. Then we experience a tightrope, a free fall, and a ‘trusting of the fall’. Through analogy, metaphor, and “sumptuous verses” the author entrances us with words and tastes. The sound of a piano, a poem brilliantly orchestrated with words flames and music all telling us of the different stages of a love affair, and much more. And amidst this a bracing for the fall. This is an extremely creative, imaginative collection, each poem related to the one before and the one after, the whole of the book creating an enduring tapestry of a love—of all love. Two thumbs up and five stars for a unique collection by a writer of exquisite poetry.
• 
  Rick Hardesty

  Most Excellent!
  
  I started reading this and couldn't stop. I finished after two nights. This book is broken up into three sections. Love Rising, In the Dark, The Light. My favorite being the first section which speaks of the glory of falling in love. Michelle writes with such a passion, and she uses unique words that flow like music in every sentence adding to the beauty of each poem. This is my third book that I have from her Rises collection. I honestly thought while reading this book that I want to keep it in my back pocket all day so I can check out a cool poem when I want some inspiration. Thank You Michell for this work!
• 
  Toya Taylor

  This was a powerful and emotional book of poetry.
  
  When Love Rises starts with the beginning stage of falling in love. You dream about that person, and even come up with a scenario in your head of the life that you would have. Next the book moves on to when that person is not what you thought. That perfect picture that you've had is not gone, and you are broken. Lastly, when that person realizes what they've done and try to come back. But you have already healed from the damage that was done.
• 
  Wilde Sky

  Heartfelt poems pour from every page of this book.
  
  I found this poetry collection well written and oddly moving, with each piece (all of which are short and punchy) evoking a different part of a “love affair” – a rich tapestry of love, showing (in an extremely creative / imaginative way) all the good and not so good elements of love.
  
• 
  Kali

  Won this in a giveaway. Although I love poetry, I did not enjoy this collection. It felt very awkward and juvenile, and throughout the whole book, I felt I was reading lines from hallmark cards or unfinished song lyrics.
• 
  Frankie Winchester

  The poems were not inspiring. I expected something deeper. Of course there were moments of meaningful connection but they were too few and far apart. The author's use of language was not as intense as I expect from good poetry.
• 
  Leigh

  I felt the journey these poems took you on was very emotional. The prose was sometimes abstract and sometimes vivid, but always beautiful. This collection was raw and real and worth reading.
• 
  Daniele Mayberry

  Soooo good! She’s so well written! I am her biggest fan! I can’t wait to read more of her work.
• 
  Ken Foxley

  Not my favorite
  
  Definitely not my favorite but it still captured my attention, I have the second one and I’m going to read that next!
• 
  Csimplot Simplot

  Excellent book!!!
• 
  Michael Froilan

  Beautifully written!