Until September by Harker Jones | Book Review

Harker Jones’ Until September is the touching story of Kyle, set in the “in the lull between the conservative ’50s and the turbulent ’60”, that focuses on his last summer alongside his friends, just before life sets them apart for college – and for a number of other unfortunate reasons. A gay coming-of-age romance novel, … Continue reading Until September by Harker Jones | Book Review

Enough Rope by Dorothy Parker | Book Review

Enough Rope is Dorothy Parker’s debut poetry collection and is vastly centred around “the pretensions of everyday life and clichéd relations between men and women”. Essentially, it embodies a very specific kind of humour and views that back then, in the early 1920s, were fairly controversial. Focusing mostly on power dynamics and gender roles, Dorothy … Continue reading Enough Rope by Dorothy Parker | Book Review

Insecurity by James Nowlan | Book Review

Insecurity by James Nowlan follows a security guard, Tom, who has gone through multiple traumatising events that changed his life’s course mostly for the worst. He grew up part of a snake handling cult in the Midwest and eventually ended up homeless in New York City, from where, after horrific encounters with a very specific … Continue reading Insecurity by James Nowlan | Book Review

Why the Water Is Sweet where the River Meets the Sea by Enrique Posner | Book Review

Why the Water Is Sweet where the River Meets the Sea by Enrique Posner is a poignant, astonishingly outlined story revolving around a young girl and her friend, River. Exploring the complexities of growing up through what some might define as an odd relationship - that between a human and a body of water - … Continue reading Why the Water Is Sweet where the River Meets the Sea by Enrique Posner | Book Review

love yourself, Galatea

My inspiration for this poem was the Pygmalion myth. Simply put, the myth revolves around a sculptor who carves an ivory statue that is the representation of his ideal of womanhood and falls in love with her. Consequently, his prayers of Galatea becoming a real woman are heard and answered and the goddess Venus brings the ivory statue to life. Essentially, the myth has a happy ending, with them marrying and having a child; however, it only has a happy ending if you are willing to look beyond certain aspects – that being, misogyny, stereotyping and false images of womanhood