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fiendfull's review against another edition
4.0
Wicked Enchantment is a collection of selected poems by Wanda Coleman, a Black American poet born in Los Angeles in 1946. The poems are gritty and sharp, reflecting on her daily life and wider problems like racism, poverty, and law enforcement, and they feel immediate, at times in a stream of consciousness style. As she's not been widely published in the UK before, the collection also introduces her and her life, and provides a great way to discover her writing.
I hadn't read any of her poetry before and these ones were powerful and cutting, the kind you need to return to and read again and fully take in. The minute details of her life are combined with wit and wider commentary, and even some comments on poetry itself. A note at the end states that she carefully ordered the poems in her books, and it would be interesting to see these poems in context, as is often the case when you read a selection of poems that span a poet's life.
I hadn't read any of her poetry before and these ones were powerful and cutting, the kind you need to return to and read again and fully take in. The minute details of her life are combined with wit and wider commentary, and even some comments on poetry itself. A note at the end states that she carefully ordered the poems in her books, and it would be interesting to see these poems in context, as is often the case when you read a selection of poems that span a poet's life.
verityw's review against another edition
4.0
****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review ****
This is my first encounter with Wanda Coleman and it has made an impression. This is a thought provoking and well put together collection - the order is drawn from Coleman’s own preferences and examines her life and black American experiences as she saw them. Strikingly relevant today.
This is my first encounter with Wanda Coleman and it has made an impression. This is a thought provoking and well put together collection - the order is drawn from Coleman’s own preferences and examines her life and black American experiences as she saw them. Strikingly relevant today.
minamoon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
2.75
randisworld's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I loved this collection of poetry by the “unofficial poet laureate of Los Angeles”. Excited to read more work by Ms. Coleman. She wrote short stories in addition to her poetry and I am eager to read that as well.
sarah5's review against another edition
4.0
Despite the fact these poems were written in the 80’s and 90’s, they feel very relevant for today. Themes of inequality, racism and poverty are prevalent. She experiments with form but has a distinctive style throughout.
Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.
Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.
catie132's review against another edition
5.0
Wanda Coleman wrote poems that should be read always, but especially in this moment and from now on. As my first introduction to her writing, this collection provided a comprehensive overview of her work, and left me desiring to read the anthologies these selections were pulled from. I am still grappling with understanding poetry, but her American Sonnets and Letter to My Older Sister series were particularly heart wrenching to read, for their raw honesty. Terrance Hayes did a terrific job in picking out which poems were included.
pawswithabook's review against another edition
3.0
This collection of poems from the late Wanda Coleman despite the majority being written around 30-40 years old are still resonant with many of the issues that are unfortunately all too familiar, particularly around racial prejudice and discrimination.
Coleman’s poems are full of hurt, fear and anger...and are so powerful, raw and emotionally charged. In 2004 she wrote that effectively she had found her own style which was ‘frenetic, sometimes lyrical free verse, dotted with literary, musical, and cinematic allusions...’ and I wouldn’t disagree with her.
I will include trigger warnings for: graphic sexual content and language, suicidal thoughts, alcohol and drug use and addiction.
She was clearly brave, and ground-breaking, and I would’ve loved to read a little more about her in Terry Haynes’ introduction, or if some context could have been inserted between poems in the collection. Although I understand that the collection was sequenced as Coleman herself had done, personally, I would’ve enjoyed the collection more if they had been catalogued, themed or grouped and contextualised in sections.
There were poems that I thought were phenomenal, and these were generally the lyrical, more easily accessible poetry. My favourites being ‘The Saturday Afternoon Blues’, ‘How Does It Hurt’ and ‘Thiefheart’. They were sad, but honest real, with Coleman sharing her heart-breaking truth .
However I really did struggle with about two thirds of the poems in the collection. Coleman’s writing is very free, and abstract, and sometimes I felt they went a little too wayward and their meaning and power was lost on me. I would love to explore these some more because I know there is more to them.
I can see that Coleman is an amazing poet but I honestly just felt like the majority of poems in the collection were not easily accessible, and as a result that I didn’t appreciate them sufficiently.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this collection, to introduce me to this powerful poet.
Coleman’s poems are full of hurt, fear and anger...and are so powerful, raw and emotionally charged. In 2004 she wrote that effectively she had found her own style which was ‘frenetic, sometimes lyrical free verse, dotted with literary, musical, and cinematic allusions...’ and I wouldn’t disagree with her.
I will include trigger warnings for: graphic sexual content and language, suicidal thoughts, alcohol and drug use and addiction.
She was clearly brave, and ground-breaking, and I would’ve loved to read a little more about her in Terry Haynes’ introduction, or if some context could have been inserted between poems in the collection. Although I understand that the collection was sequenced as Coleman herself had done, personally, I would’ve enjoyed the collection more if they had been catalogued, themed or grouped and contextualised in sections.
There were poems that I thought were phenomenal, and these were generally the lyrical, more easily accessible poetry. My favourites being ‘The Saturday Afternoon Blues’, ‘How Does It Hurt’ and ‘Thiefheart’. They were sad, but honest real, with Coleman sharing her heart-breaking truth .
However I really did struggle with about two thirds of the poems in the collection. Coleman’s writing is very free, and abstract, and sometimes I felt they went a little too wayward and their meaning and power was lost on me. I would love to explore these some more because I know there is more to them.
I can see that Coleman is an amazing poet but I honestly just felt like the majority of poems in the collection were not easily accessible, and as a result that I didn’t appreciate them sufficiently.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this collection, to introduce me to this powerful poet.
jamiecoughlin's review against another edition
5.0
First time reading Wanda Coleman and I was completely blown away. Each line lifts right up off the page and floors you. I don't know that I've ever read such a long string of incredible poems in a row, each completely different but equally vital. Sad, angry, heavy and humorous-- like Mary Karr said these poems break you and heal you.