A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng – Book Review

Book: A Collection of Dreamscapes

Author: Christina Sng

Genre: Poetry Collection, Twisted Fairy Tales, Dark Poetry

Publisher: Raw Dog Screaming Press

Publication Date: 16 April 2020

Number of pages: 170

A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng is a poetry collection divided into 5 sections and featuring an array of beautifully dark poems.

I particularly enjoyed the rewritten "Fairy Tales" and "Myths and Dreamscapes" sections.

A Collection of Dreamscapes opens with "Allegra," a 5-star stunning and beautiful mythological story within a poem. I absolutely loved this one. I must note though, that the poems in this opening section should be read in order – as I realized – but you will enjoy them nonetheless.

As I said, I loved the "Fairy Tales," where Sng takes on common tales like Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast and twists them all. Sng also has several different stories/poems about a single fairy tale, like Rapunzel.

My favorites were: "Little Red," "Snow," "The Girl from the Tower," "Jack and the Giants," and "The Mermaid."

"Snow," the poem on the Snow White and Seven Dwarves tale, is different from anything I've read. Sng introduces ideas such as social media into the story. That said, I felt the poem was a bit long, less poetic in some places, and unbelievable in others. Still, it was definitely a far cry from the prince charming theme known for these types of tales but still Snow White wasn't the strong woman, unlike Sng's version of The Red Riding Hood.  

An interesting take is Sng bringing the modern world into the fairy tales. Interesting but a bit jarring still. You can find this in "Snow" and "Rapunzel."

"Beauty Sleeps for a Century" is a good rewrite of the Cinderella story, however, there was a significant repetition of "but" throughout that, for me, disturbed the flow of the poem.

I also liked how Sng mixed some of the tales together as you'll see in "Cinderella," "Always a Beast" and "Living Well Is the Best Revenge."

I absolutely loved "When There Are Monsters." It’s a dark and powerful piece and easily relatable to the real world, where monsters aren't just confined to books or TV screens.

The poem "The Monsters Within" is one of the more gruesome pieces in A Collection of Dreamscapes. It sent shivers down my spine. Similarly, "Violation" is a dark, gruesome and heartbreaking piece.

"In the Tall Grass" is a full on sci-fi poem. And I've never read a poem like it before. It's interesting, exciting, and definitely different.

I absolutely loved "The Lady of the Lake," with Sng's take on it; dark but brilliant. I wish I can quote it whole.

"The Joy of Sewing" is a creepy and gruesome piece that reminded me of the movie The House of Wax.

One recurring problem for me with A Collection of Dreamscapes is that many of the pieces read as more prose than poetry. An example of this is seen in "The War of the Fall," which has a great story but is not very poetic. I also found the sequence of the poem to be a bit confusing.

I have no problem with free verse, I write in it mostly myself but when writing in free verse there is a fine line between just dividing your sentence and having poetic flow to the piece. At the end of the day, you want people to read your free verse pieces as poems not as a newspaper article.

Other recommended pieces in A Collection of Dreamscapes: "Margritte of Mer," "Concepts," "Lobotomy," "Annalise Wanders the Forest," "Noonwraiths," and "The Tooth Collector."

Overall rating for Christina Sng's A Collection of Dreamscapes: 4 stars

Originally I rated this collection 3 stars, but upon an inspection while writing the review, I think the book deserves 3.75 to 4 stars.

Note: I received an advanced reader's copy (ARC) of A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng from Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi. This review is part of National Poetry Month.

Ship of Death by Nada Adel Sobhi - Poem

Through high wind

And a bloody red sky

The Ship of Death sails

A beast of the seven seas

Traversing perilous waters

Carrying nightmares

From centuries past

Come high water

Come rain, lightning, and thunder

Come bellowing beasts

From the dark depths

Nothing shall stand

Before the Ghost Ship of Death

Written Friday, 10 April 2020 at 02:02 am

Inspired by a painting by J Edward Neill on Twitter

Artwork by J Edward Neill

Follow J Edward Neill on Twitter and Instagram for some amazing dark artwork and books.

Fire Molten and Ash by Clarence Barbee - Book Review

Fire Molten and Ash by Clarence Barbee is a short and diverse poetry collection divided into 3 parts: Heat, Fuel, and Oxygen; kind of like the recipe you need to get a fire started.

When I first started reading Fire Molten and Ash I felt lost in the pieces. I liked some parts of the wording and how Barbee phrases his pieces but I was lost. I'd read the poem from start to finish, silently or out loud, but in the end, I wouldn't 'get' it.

Bit by bit, I got used to Barbee's style and there were a few political poems in there; some of which I could relate to, because who hasn't been keeping up with news about US politics, but some were too US-focused for me. For those who don't know, I'm an Egyptian living in Egypt so the details of US politics can sometimes evade me (especially now that I no longer work in the news business).

But back to Fire Molten and Ash, there were a few pieces that wowed me including "Crudeship," one of those political pieces.

Many of the poems in this collection are relatable, especially "To Continue" and "Sometime Before Tomorrow and 5pm," which talk about life and work and the two combined. These two pieces were 5-star poems for me.

I also loved "#Fragile II." It's a brilliant poem, using the hashtag #vss which is short for 'very short story.'  All of the pieces in the second segment of the book "Fuel" have the #vss hashtag.

I read Fire Molten and Ash in one sitting in March but I've postponed the review to April to coincide with National Poetry Month.

Overall rating for Fire Molten and Ash is 3 stars.

Note: I received a free copy of Fire Molten and Ash from its author Clarence Barbee in exchange for an honest review. This did not in any way affect my review.

Takhayyal writing prompt 106: Red Sea Dreams

Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's monthly picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal or Imagine.

Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.

Finally April is here, which where I'm from means lots of wind and dust and in other parts of the world, it's when flowers bloom. But considering the on-going coronavirus pandemic, even if there are blooming flowers somewhere no one will be out to enjoy them.

That said April is National Poetry Month. So combining poetry month with home-confinement for many across the world, and some reports that the earth is finally breathing since humanity is cooped up, I think it is fitting to have another nature-inspired writing prompt.

This time I'm featuring photography from friend Sara Shaker. You can follow her on Instagram for more photography and nature photography.

I was with her when this picture was taken in Abou Galloum, the Red Sea, Egypt. It's a gorgeous location for snorkeling and diving. Once this pandemic recedes, I highly recommend you visit and take a swim.

So, look at the image, there are corals beneath the water, and let your imagination take flight. What happens beneath the pristine waters of the Red Sea? If you were there right now, what would you do? Do you have fins to swim with the fish?

Photography by Sara Shaker, near Abou Ghalloum, the Red Sea, Egypt

Whether you write short stories, flash fiction, poetry, thoughts, an imaginary situation, an artistic thought; you name it and write it.

Whatever you can write, Takhayyal is a place for all creatives to have fun and imagine. 

Leave your piece in the comments below or post it on your blog and share the link here. All pieces will get comments and be shared on social media.

Update: I'm keeping this prompt as the image for May 2020 since I'm a little pressed for time this month. New image will be released in June.

General rules:

·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.

·  Use the image for inspiration and write your piece in the comments below or publish it on your blog and leave the link to it in the comments

·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture

·        Multiple entries allowed

·     It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.

·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets or tag me @NadanessSobhi and I'll retweet you :)

Let's IMAGINE!

Change, a poem by Nada Adel Sobhi

Change

It's all around us

From the rising and setting

Of the mighty sun

To the trees

Shedding their leaves

– to even snakes

Shedding their skins –

Each changes and grows

Even the river that flows;

There is a power

To their change

So do our emotions

And moods

We shed the cold

For the warmth of spring

And the heat of summer

Change

Is all around us

Sometimes expected

Other times not so much

And yet

We often resent it

Change

It takes us out of our shell,

Our comfort zone, our routine,

But like the trees

We grow with every change

We open our eyes

To new challenges

To a new world

With every change

We mature a little,

Become a little wiser

Change;

It can be an opportunity

We just have to learn

To embrace it

And grow

A little wiser

Along the way

Photography by Mahmoud Mansi - Takhayyal Writing Prompt 105 

Written Friday, 27 March 2020 at 01:03

(During the Corona Virus Pandemic)

I originally wanted to keep this poem till April for National Poetry Month, but someone told me it was "perfect for this time" so I decided I'm celebrating National Poetry Month a little early :)  

This poem was inspired by the March 2020 writing prompt (Image above, photography by Mahmoud Mansi)

Exclusive Interview with Author-Poet Sophie Schiller

Today I'm featuring an author and poet whose poems just spoke to me. Meet Sophia Schiller, whose poetry collection On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles I read and reviewed recently and gave a 5-star review.

The interview and review were originally planned to published in April 2019 for National Poetry Month, but due to some setbacks from my end, both were delayed.

About Sophie Schiller

Sophie Schiller was born in Paterson, NJ and grew up in the West Indies. She is a novelist and a poet. Kirkus Reviews has called her "an accomplished thriller and historical adventure writer." Publishers Weekly called her Island on Fire, “a memorable romantic thriller,” her Race to Tibet, "A thrilling yarn," and her Transfer Day, “a page-turner with emotional resonance."

On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles is her first collection of poetry. She graduated from American University, Washington, DC and lives in Brooklyn, NY. She is presently working on a novel about a Founding Father. 

Connect with Sophie Schiller via Facebook, Twitter, and her blog.

On to Nadaness In Motion's exclusive interview with Sophie Schiller!

Q: Did you do anything special for National Poetry Month?

Sophie Schiller: I conducted a giveaway on my Facebook page for 5 free copies of my poetry book. I’ve been posting my poems online to get people to take a few minutes of their day to look at the world a little differently, through the lens of poetic verse. Almost any topic can become more salient through the use of poetry. Poetry allows us to discover more about ourselves.

Q: Your poetry collection On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles was inspired by the Caribbean, what other countries have inspired your writing?

Sophie Schiller: No other countries, but other poets have inspired my writing, such as Emily Dickinson, Derek Walcott, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Rudyard Kipling, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats. Their poetry inspired quite a few poems in my collection, such as “I Found a Danish Skilling” which was inspired by “I had a Guinea Golden” by Emily Dickinson, and “Annaberg” was inspired by “To Helen” by Edgar Allan Poe, and “A Song to Hugo Larsen” was inspired by “Ode to Salvador Dalí” by Federico García Lorca.

Q: Where else do you plan to travel in search of other adventures and inspiration?

Sophie Schiller: I think the West Indies is the place where my soul is most at home, and where my creativity comes alive. I would love to see St. Vincent, Nevis, and St. Lucia, not necessarily in that order.

Read Nadaness In Motion's 5-star book review of On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles by Sophia Schiller.

Q: I noticed that your poetry mostly rhymes, do you have difficulty with rhyme while not making it sound forced? Have you tried writing in free verse?

Sophie Schiller: During the course of my writing I have found that for every problem (in rhyming) there is a solution. If you work on a poem for a long time and it’s not working, in other words, it if sounds too forced, it probably means you have to approach it from a different angle. The solution will come to you eventually. Sometimes you have to put the poem away for a few weeks or a few months and approach it from a fresh perspective. I have never tried writing in free verse. I would have to take a course in it to really understand the technique and the artistic elements of it.

Q: I see you have several books of historical fiction. Are you a history teacher?

Sophie Schiller: No, I discovered late that I love history and stories set in the past, so all my novels are historical. There’s so much to discover!

Q: What are you currently working on? And what books are set to be released in 2019?

Sophie Schiller: Currently I’m working on a novel about Alexander Hamilton’s boyhood in the Caribbean. The novel should be released in 2020. The only book I released in 2019 was my poetry book and it has turned into one of the most fulfilling projects I have ever worked on.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring writers, what would it be?

Sophie Schiller: Never give up. Nothing good ever came without some sacrifice.


Check out more exclusive author interviews on the Nadaness In Motion book blog.

Open Your Eyes to a New Day - Poem

Lightly, nimbly, let's forget

The sad dream we dreamt in the night

Like the darkness that fades in the morning rays

Let's forget…

And then let’s open our eyes

To the morning light

Let the rain fall on our skin

And wash our souls within

Let’s awaken anew

With purpose and strength

Let’s open eyes

To a new day

A friend posted the first part and it inspired my reply. I later learnt that this first part was part of a Korean song from the late 1970s. The part in green is entirely my own.

The original is in Korean, so I'm guessing "Lightly, nimbly, let's forget/The sad dream we dreamt in the night/Like the darkness that fades in the morning rays/Let's forget…" is a translation. But here's the song via YouTube: Song Çang Şig- Unutalım

Special thanks to my friend Sara Ahmed for bringing these words and this song to my attention. Thank you for the inspiration :)