Genre-bending creativity!

I picked this up as a venture into poetry. What I found was a sort of hybrid of poetry, yes, and also self help, affirmations, and photography. The collision of all of that didn’t really work for me. The sustained metaphors of natural plant growth, blossoming and decay were interrupted with terms like “family of origin” and “self-care.” I found the combination jarring.

I think there’s a reader out there for this book. It’s heartfelt and beautifully packaged, and might make a nice gift for someone going through a hard time and wanting a sort of bedside pep talk.

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lovely Seeds: A Walk Through the Garden of Our Becoming by R.H. Swaney is a heartfelt collection of poetry that tackles deep topics, such as mental health and self-love. These poems, while written in a simplistic manner, really brought to life some of the powerful messages the writer was conveying. And while I couldn't connect to several of the poems, I did connect to most and found myself pausing to reflect.
The writing style was reminiscent of the overall metaphorical meaning, giving an almost vulnerable feel at times.
As said, I did connect to most of the poems. One of them was this one called Feeble Advice from Well-Intentioned Friends:
You cannot run from what is haunting you
if what plagues you comes from within.
It hurts when they tell you to just relax,
because you know your brain doesn't work that way.
You wouldn't tell the tree to be like the flower,
or the flower to be like the tree.
So why do they think it's that easy?
-I apologize for the ones who have minimized your pain.
That particular poem hit close to home since so many say something (while trying to be helpful) that doesn't ever work since that is not how life works.
This collection was just sheer beauty.

‘Lovely Seeds’ is a short collection of poetry. In under an hour the books takes you through the stages of life of a seed and gives the reader a gentle journey through the writer’s memories of his family, people he meets and lessons in compassion.

Reading this collection is calming and affirming. The poems are mostly short, under ten lines, they remind me of Rupi Kaur’s style. Some of the poems paint intricate pictures to slowly unravel, but mostly the poems are plainly to the point; this does not mean that they are any less valuable!

I would recommend this book to readers in need of soothing and inspiring, we can all benefit from this and a reminder to leave the world a better place than you found it.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for my complimentary copy of #LovelySeeds in exchange for an honest review.

A very heart-warming and gentle book that sidesteps the more usual themes one might find in other poetry collections for the most part. Lovely Seeds has a laser-like focus on healing, growth, family, and friendships. A self-help book written in verse, or a self-help poetry book, if you will.

While admittedly, the style in which the verses are written isn’t my particular cup of tea, the poems do have a sweet and earnest sincerity about them that is rather touching.

Overall, I do genuinely think that there a number of people out there who are maybe going through a difficult period, or suffer from anxiety that may very well get a great deal out of this collection; so much so, that I’ve passed the title of the book along to a couple of people I know who are employed within those areas of care work. Even if the book only helps one person feel a bit better within themselves then that can only be a good thing.

This was an ARC from NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

This collection of poems could be categorised as self help poetry. It envelopes the reader into the safety of the authors family though the black and white photographs, and the warmth of a true friend in the words that he shares.

"Speak words into hearts you wish were spoken into yours."

In particular the authors insights into depression and these shared experiences are wonderful. He speaks directly into your heart and lets you know that you are not alone.

I was very pleased to see the author touch upon male body image representation and tackling the expectations of masculinity. Topics of race and status were also mentioned, without being political or unnecessarily provoking.

Unfortunately the repetitive imagery and too often simplistic verse stops this from becoming a perfect recommendation. While this makes it more accessible it loses some of the potential beauty and depth that is hinted at in some of the more detailed poems.

Overall this for me was a pleasurable read and on a dark day would really give faith in people and a hope of understanding and acceptance when it could feel otherwise impossible.

I applaud the sentiment and ideas behind this book - using the life of a plant, from seed to bloom to decay, as a metaphor for emotions and healing. But...this is another in what I call the "PLATITUDES NOT POETRY" series of recent books - which Dana Gioia, in his lovely introduction to the 2018 volume of The Best American Poetry, says he hopes will introduce more people to the world of poetry, and while that would be nice, I just have to wonder why these books keep getting published and ultimately do they really serve any purpose beyond reinforcing the cliche of "bad poetry"?

Look, Swaney has a couple of promising poems here, where instead of telling and preaching and making banal statements he actually taps into the power of words to SHOW:

<i>WHAT LIES BENEATH

I was awakeneed in the middle of the night by a forest fire
in my chest. There were old parts of me that were burning,
but I was scared to let go of them. The moon whispered,
"Breathe." Smoke billowed from my mouth. I coughed up
ashes and swallowed a waterfall to put out the flames. I fell
into a deep sleep and awoke with the first signs of green
sprouting from my heart...</i>

...which I wish Swaney would've ended there instead of tacking on the last two sentences which are emblematic of the problem with the rest of the book:

<i>Sometimes, there are parts of us
that need to die before we can truly grow. Sometimes, it
takes a secondary succession to truly see the beauty that can
arise from the scorched surface.</i>

The debut collection from Swaney, Lovely Seeds is a collection that sees her discuss growth, autonomy and change in a stunning and lyrical way that sticks with you.

Swaney certainly delivers emotion in her words throughout this book as she explores different themes. Moving through Political and Personal and how they connect, this book is a sign of the times in the best of ways.

A fantastic collection of poems, R.H. Swaney shines in her debut here, giving us something fresh and thoughtful that you will be dwelling on for days.

(I received an ARC from Netgalley for a honest review).

*ARC kindly provided by Central Avenue Publishing via Netgalley*
Lovely Seeds: A Walk Through the Garden of Our Becoming by R.H. Swaney is a collection of thoughts in an evocative lyrical prose, accompanied by stunning photographs.
Swaney’s poetry covers serious themes such as mental illnesses, growth, self-love and even social issues.
This poetry collection is divided into six sections: Seed, Water, Growth, Bloom and Restore.
Each part analyses in a very introspective way the human mind and life’s struggles.

Throughout the collection I noticed a fil rouge: the healing process compared to the slow and difficult growth of a plant.
Nothing is immediate, recovery least of all.
We, as human beings, are not perfect and Swaney understands this very well, that’s why we need to cherish all the good in our lives, instead of only tearing ourselves down.
But we also need to be an example for others, our happiness and strength will give them hope.
And it’s exactly this love for the other that Swaney seems to value so much that made me think of how many times have I with my negativity brought people around me down.

As for the writing style, the choice of using lyrical prose, instead of verses, somehow brings the author and the reader closer in a sort of affectionate familiarity.
Rarely such deep and dramatic themes are dealt with a never superficial lightness.
Each poem was beautifully written, in a suggestive and thought-provoking way.
I think that the combination of poetry and photographs made the book even more impactful without it resulting overwhelming, especially since the discussed topics are so serious.

I was honestly positively shocked to see how much of Swaney’s thoughts were my same exact ones. In a way it was often like reading my own feelings on paper.

Lovely Seeds is a powerful yet calm poetry collection that focuses on validating feelings and finding the light and room for growth in the world. The poems move from those on the difficulties of mental health and on people not understanding that, to reflecting on life and being positive despite the harshness of the world. The poems are short, some only a few lines, and it would make a great gift for someone who enjoys contemporary poetry and would like the chance to take a step back from life and read something contemplative yet relevant. It constantly reiterates the point of taking care of yourself and radical gentleness, making it also a good collection for those who need to hear that message.

Wow.

This collection felt like it was specifically targeted to me. It uses both imagery and metaphors (and probably more literary devices than my brain remembers) of nature to weave together themes of anxiety, self care, reflection, friendship, living for the moment, and so many more. There are also pictures of gardening and nature to reinforce the themes.

Unlike many poetry collections, it does not discuss romantic relationships and instead focuses on one's self, friendships and familial relationships.

I loved this collection and would have loved to have a physical copy to have circled, underlined, and highlighted my favorite parts.