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chillcox15's review against another edition
4.0
One of the many impressive things about this Jenny Johnson is the structure and organization of the poems in relation to each other here. It's a bit of an underrated aspect of writing a poetry collection, being able to order the poems so that they can flow or even tell a narrative (and doing so without it being so obvious that it's blunt trauma by verse). In In Full Velvet , Johnson opens with a series of poems abound with natural imagery and specifically various fauna, yet you don't get the vibe of a straight-down-the-line natural poetry. As the collection goes on, the natural and the animal eventually morph into more openly memoiristic poems that crystallize the romantic intricacies of lesbian relationships. The movement between these two threads is so well-balanced that you can barely feel it taking you as you dig deeper into this too-short collection, and then it moves back to animal poems by the end of the collection.
tirragen's review against another edition
reflective
4.5
“We alter / nothing. We alter everything.”
Jenny Johnson traces a legacy of butchness throughout history and the natural world, and she writes of butch desire with incredibly clarified, sensual seriousness. I really enjoyed some of the formal elements in Johnson’s verse, and I thought it was a very sexy volume. “Severe” and “Vigil” were standout poems to me. I can definitely see the Gerard Manley Hopkins and Larry Levis lineage!
Jenny Johnson traces a legacy of butchness throughout history and the natural world, and she writes of butch desire with incredibly clarified, sensual seriousness. I really enjoyed some of the formal elements in Johnson’s verse, and I thought it was a very sexy volume. “Severe” and “Vigil” were standout poems to me. I can definitely see the Gerard Manley Hopkins and Larry Levis lineage!
keight's review against another edition
4.0
The title of this book refers to furry skin on the antlers of young deer, which most shed as the antlers finish calcifying. The titular poem mentions some whitetails that don’t shed their velvet, seen by hunters as “raggedy-horn freaks” who live “long solitary lives, unweathered / by the rutting season.”
There are moments in this collection that felt too florid for my taste; I appreciated the more everyday, banal poems — about going to the barbershop and not getting gay married. But I enjoy the animalistic nature of Johnson’s work, where a “child is a little lion cub” and a “mouth is stretched panther-wide,” later someone else has a “dogged smile.” Read an excerpt on my booklog
There are moments in this collection that felt too florid for my taste; I appreciated the more everyday, banal poems — about going to the barbershop and not getting gay married. But I enjoy the animalistic nature of Johnson’s work, where a “child is a little lion cub” and a “mouth is stretched panther-wide,” later someone else has a “dogged smile.” Read an excerpt on my booklog
nataliedc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
A reflective, emotional debut collection of poetry that gets at the heart of queer identity, community, and love. A few months ago, I had the privilege of virtually meeting Jenny Johnson and hearing her read some of her works, so I knew this collection of hers wouldn't disappoint. Sensual and oh-so-rich in its verse, each and every poem in this collection is packed with heart and never failed to pull me into its hypnotic language. My favorites from this collection include "Dappled Things," "In Full Velvet," and "In the Dream" - I can't wait to explore more of Johnson's works! <3
briesposito's review against another edition
4.0
As I reveled in the experience of this lovely book, I snagged heart on so many lines. Glad to have this one on my shelves.
janiceehernandez's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
alexandraidonea's review against another edition
5.0
Poetry has always been difficult for me - I love it but it's almost never quite what I want it to be. I was lucky enough to be brought to see Jenny Johnson by my boyfriend last weekend at the Word Barn in southern NH, and was blown away by her - performance? sharing? giving? - of her work to us. It was shattering, it was skipping, it was sneaking, and just at any moment when I thought "this poem is not for me" she would use a word, turn a phrase, drop her voice, lilt it up - and it was the perfect poem. I didn't hear her read it there, but the title poem is my favourite. I gave this collection to one of my best friends, who, like Jenny, loves women - but her poetry is for everyone, not only the community of which she is firmly a part. Her images of nature, the way she evokes forests and city bridges, snuggling birds and playing elephants - her delight in the world is evident, even if it is an imperfect and fragile world in which we live.