A review by mozbolt
There Are Trans People Here by H. Melt

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

 

This collection functions beautifully on so many levels. Firstly, the poems themselves are frank, full of joy, friendship, love, and also anger, vengeance, and exhaustion. There are many references to other poets and individuals such as Ross Gay, Frank O'Hara, and Chelsea Manning, which adds brevity to the work as it implements historical and literary criticism. Also, the collage pages add a level of imagery and reflection on the faces, postures, and bodies of many recognizable individuals who are trans, do drag, or are nonbinary, or are cis dressing as the opposite sex. Finally, the study guide at the end of the book is a great addition that provides questions and project suggestions that ask the reader to interact further with themes and stories in Melt's collection, as well as footnotes on names mentioned in the poems. This book felt like a conversation, and I will be reading more of Melt's work in the future.