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dembury's review against another edition
5.0
Blackout poetry sometimes walks a fine line between feeling gimmicky and genuine, but Baer has absolutely refined it to an art here in "I Hope This Finds You Well". She does a remarkable job at deftly carving out messages and turning them into poignant standalones pieces, meditations, and/or replies. The tone oscillates between hope and snark, but has a constant undercurrent of strength and fervor that offers a commentary on being a woman in the 2020s. Baer is able to call the readers attention to various points in just a few words, which, read after the original message, makes the poem all the more impactful rather than too sparse.
I enjoyed this just as much as "What Kind of Woman", and thought it was a superbly well-executed collection. The line "repurpose harm in hopeless times" in her final poem really sums up what this book is about and I loved it.
I enjoyed this just as much as "What Kind of Woman", and thought it was a superbly well-executed collection. The line "repurpose harm in hopeless times" in her final poem really sums up what this book is about and I loved it.
ashley_wohner's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I read this in one sitting, and then went back to reread all that I had bookmarked. It takes "twisting their words" to a completely different and powerful place.