Book Review & Giveaway - 'star things' by Jess L Parker

By Amy Lee

“Like an ocean and moon on the inside at the same time, 
we orbit and are orbited by.”

Jess L Parker's debut poetry collection, star things, is an ethereal and exquisite tribute to all things celestial, cosmic and calamity of the heart. These 69 pages microscope into the soul and the universe, often with a surprising twist and heartfelt kick at the end of the poem. Through lyrical pace, experimental formats, contemporary chic and beautiful metaphors, she delves into every love, every bruise and everyday life.

​The depiction of abandonment is most powerful in poems such as Moonless (“Leave it on the island were you left me…”) and Dream Life (“If two people could sneak a dream to meet, they were we.”).

Part I immerses the reader into longings and memories drawn from the moon, Saturn’s rings and eulogies. Despite these intense feelings and nostalgia, the revelation of hope is tender, sweet and revered (“I’ve loved for a thousand lives. In each you were mine -  Dream-blue). 

In Part II, childhood memories, domestic life, abandonment and past loves are revisited. These pieces dignify the messiness of family life with passion and wistfulness. My favourite poem was Forcing Peas which powerfully recollects a family strife with a killer last line about broken chandelier pieces and the peas forced at dinner time that night. When faced with these raw feelings and vulnerability, we learn to heal through Tongue & Laces (“Now that you’re gone, who cracks jokes and talks trash with me?”) and Fireflies (“you’d taste the ghost of daylight watching fireflies ignite”).

In Part III, the reader continues to gravitate towards feelings of loss, hurt and reminiscence through the poet’s pensive lenses and her carefully chosen crisp words. There are gentle and glorious metaphors intertwined with moon things in Pumpkin Moon, Bashful Moon, Moonpull, Moonfruit, Wolfmoon, Moondust and star things in Starry-eyed, Starborn. These tributes draw upon the complexities of relationships whilst drawing out the simplicity of natural beauty. 

The most exciting and satisfying impact from star things is that it will have you gazing at stars and reflecting upon past loves with new revelations. The astronomy of love and loss remains well captured and capsuled in star things.

About:
Jess L Parker is a poet and strategist. Originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Jess lives in Madison, WI with her husband, son and two ageing bulldogs. She holds a BA in English and Spanish from Northern Michigan University, an MA of Spanish Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an MBA from Concordia University. She is the Winner of the Dynamo Verlag Book Price. 

Enter Book Competition:

Follow Jess on IG to be in the draw to win a copy of star things.

Must be over 18 and U.S. resident. Winner will be drawn on April 30 2022.

Tag Jess and Quail Bell Magazine with a picture of you and your winner’s copy!