This poetry collection is a playful mix of fairytales, myths, and Shakespeare references which collectively come together to explore themes of grief, gender, sexual assault and the film industry. Kantor effortlessly draws in characters and settings from these fictional narratives to draw comparisons between the performance of gender whilst growing up as someone who is non-binary. There are also many nods to theatre and film in the both the structure of the collection which is divided into plot points, such as Inciting Incident, as well as the poems themselves, which include forms such as Director’s Notes and Shot Lists. Having this varied structure meant that the collection was able to act as a body of work with interconnected poems on this theme of performance.

I found that the poems that were the most impactful were those that addressed the stubborn gender binaries of the Academy Awards and the film industry more broadly. There are demands for queer actors to play queer characters and critiques of the industry for almost exclusively showing trans narratives with tragic endings.

Overall the collection is a celebration of queerness and the performance of fiction by exploring the overlap between these two themes. There are poems on the author’s personal experiences of queerness that are articulated through reflections on fairytales but also direct commentary on the film and theatre industry by highlighting the considerable lack recognition for queer talent.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

This is a really strong collection of modern poetry. Many poems are touching and heartbreakingly raw and had a big impact on me.
I’d love a physical copy I could visit again and again.

I don't read poetry often but the description of Kantor's collection intrigued me. In the world of theater, one is expected to conform to the role one is given; this task becomes more challenging when you have a "non-normative" gender identity.
I read this book in one sitting and while I couldn't relate to the material, I felt the emotion. I also appreciated the formatting of the poems -- the shapes of the lines help to tell the story, I would recommend Please Come Off-Book to readers who enjoy poetry, especially members of the LGBTQ+ community. As a cis hetero white female, I can't speak to the experiences Kantor shares, but I do believe that their story is not uncommon and many more people will benefit from reading this.

I was immediately drawn into the cover and description of this poetry book, and that interest never stopped. The poetry was gorgeous always and heartbreaking almost-always. I loved how Kantor played with different styles and formats for each poem. It is clear how personal every poem is to Kantor, and I’m grateful to have been given the chance to learn more about their perspective and how they connect their gender identity to theater. There were times where I thought the poems were a little repetitive, and that is the only reason I did not give it a full five stars. Overall, I recommend this to both poetry and theatre lovers.

This is a stunning collection, probably one of my favourite modern poetry collections that I've read over the last couple of years. I'm always eager for more work by queer, nonbinary artists and this felt like exactly what I was looking to read right now. So much so that I read it in one sitting.

Despite it being in a similar wheelhouse to other collections I've read recently, it surprised me at every turn. It was a thrill to read how they used their passion for theatre as a thread throughout the collection, how they turned classic works like Shakespeare into potential queer works. I think anyone who's going to be into poetry like this will enjoy that thread.

The frankness around loss and addiction and suicidal thoughts took me aback and yet had a deep familiarity to it. Loss on all levels - whether it's death or someone no longer in your life or the rejection of family that many lgbtq people will recognise.

Overall I really enjoyed this one and there are stanzas from it that are sure to echo in my head for a while to come.

Thanks to Button Poetry for the ARC via Netgalley, it was a joy to read.

Review also on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3799062908

Wow. Just wow.

It's been a while since I found a poetry collection that I connected with on this level which, for a debut collection, really surprised me. Kevin Kantor managed to strike the perfect balance between beautiful lyrical and metaphorical writing, while remaining accessible to people who are maybe newer to poetry. I think my favourite poem of the collection was Stage Makeup Syllabus, but honestly, scrolling back through the book, so many of the poems stood out to me and none felt like filler. I will 100% be buying this collection when it is released and I heartily encourage you all to do the same, whether you tend to read poetry or not.

I absolutely adored this one. Button Poetry really hasn't missed a step yet, as far as I'm concerned, and this is another phenomenal collection. Kantor was previously unfamiliar to me but I'd love to check out more of their work after reading this.

The majority of poems here discuss gender through the lens of performance, and although that might sound trite, it isn't. Kantor's genuine love for the theatre shines through, not just as a metaphor for the performativity of gender and relationships, but for the love of the theatre itself. There's a real respect and adoration for their subject here. I will say that I found the poems which were more directly responding to plays less resonant than some of the ones which used theatre as a more distant metaphor, but that's just because I don't have the frame of reference that Kantor does; I'm not a theatre geek.

For me personally, my favourite poems here were the ones that spoke about their family and in particular the death of their brother. I shed a very small and silent tear at my desk in work a few times reading those. I just love Kantor's use of language and imagery and will absolutely be picking up a physical copy of this one.

This is a fascinating and varied collection of poems that draws a truly interesting line between theatre (the author's passion) and the daily 'performance' of gender and sexuality, families, relationships, (mental) health and sex. Images of the stage and being on show appear regularly, and contrast and interplay beautifully with ideas of identity and societal expectation.

In an especially powerful poem, 'I Am Sure', Kantor recounts their harrowing experience of sexual assault, and the fallout from it, from both the shame and discomfort felt when reporting it, but also in friends and family not knowing how to respond.

These lines in particular, about their assault, stopped me in my tracks:

it felt like every room of my home
being broken into at the same time

remember how busy you were
trying to figure out how they got in

that you forgot
about the person living there

-

Alongside more harrowing poems in this collection are some gentler, more playful ones, and the collection overall has a nice balance. Kantor's non-binary identity is explored from many angles, from a mother wondering if she can still call Kantor their "son", to trying to understand how bodies and sexual identity intersect, and even to Kantor sat at a funeral in a man's suit, angry at the idea that they cannot wear what they would want to for fear of being attacked, whilst also knowing that they would most likely be buried in a suit as it is the 'acceptable' thing to do.

This collection was a pleasant surprise, and I think it is one that deserves to be treasured and re-read.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I cried reading this book, seriously. Kevin Kantor makes poetry in a such a beautiful and delicated way. While you find confort in their words, it feels like a punch in the throat. Mixing dramaturgy with poetry, they make an incredible fruit salad of poems and feelings. Even thought i'm a cis woman, the poems about being lgbtq+ resonate in me, as a lesbian.

I want to read more from them! And more poem from non-binary writers too.

Please Come Off-Book is a fantastic collection of poetry filled with delicious metaphor, non-binary rage, and beautifully honest emotion. The use of stage cues, scripts, dramaturgy, and scene directions is innovative and will draw any theatre lover in.

It's refreshing to see more non-binary actors write and stand up for the queer misrepresentation in the theatre and arts.

My personal favorite poem was "Essential."

I received an e-ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.


The author navigates their life experience as member of the LBGTQIA community masterfully and shines light on many of the struggles that non-binary adults and teens face in our society.

This work is heavy—- it speaks directly to self harm and suicidal ideation, but important.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I was genuinely surprised by how much I liked this; I have very low expectations of modern poetry these days. I found this really honest and personal and well-written.

I received an Earc in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, I loved the authors commentary on gender. Slipping it on and off and not know how it ‘fits’ them yet. Gender diversity is an important part of the LGBTQIA community that’s only now starting to be discussed and explored more.

That being said, I don’t think this book was for me. I’m not a theatre kid, nor do I know the nuances of theatre culture. This poetry collection was more theatre heavy than I expected. As such, I don’t feel like I connected as deeply with the poetry as I would have liked.

So for that reason I’m giving this book a two stars. This wasn’t the book for me, but don’t let my review stop you from picking it up. This poetry collection focuses on some important issues and in the right hands, it could be a five star book.

i am always wary of modern poetry and i think we all know why, but when i saw the cover and read the description i just. couldn't NOT read it.

the play-like structure worked incredibly well and even though i am not the biggest fan of theatre, i really loved it. as for the poems, long story short i teared up a few times. being non-binary myself, some lines really hit way too close to home.

the twists and reinterpretations of stories like peter pan, hamlet, romeo and juliet, ah, it's one of my favorite things ever. i am a sucker of queer retellings of famous books and even though they were merely mentioned here in a few lines, i adored them all. also, all the criticism towards hollywood and and how it treats lgbt+ actors and characters, yes SAY IT LOUDER.

i won't lie, at some points i felt like i was reading a diary or some tweets and it took me out of the mood a bit, but for the most part, this was very good, especially the first 30% or so.