I remember feeling emotional after reading this poetry collection, and therefore, I recommend it. I think that based on the cover, the title, and the description, you know what you're getting when you read this.

In Oh My Rapture, Gemma White takes readers on a deeply personal journey through her own lived experiences with bipolar disorder. Through her beautiful and evocative poetry, White explores her attempts to transcend her illness through the power of her imagination and the creation of art.

What sets this poetry collection apart is the way it is entwined throughout with allusions to themes in The Red Hand Files. Every poem is a direct response to a different file, yet each poem also stands on its own, a testament to fandom but with a self-awareness that imbues each piece of writing with unique insights from the poet herself.

White's writing is raw and honest, and her use of language is both lyrical and evocative. Her poems are filled with vivid imagery and powerful emotions, making them a deeply moving and immersive experience for readers. Her exploration of the intersection between mental illness and creativity is particularly compelling, and she does an excellent job of capturing the complexity of this relationship.

Overall, Oh My Rapture is a stunning collection of poetry that is both deeply personal and universally relatable. It's a book that will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled with mental illness or who has found solace and inspiration in the power of creativity. White's writing is a testament to the transformative power of art, and her poetry is sure to leave a lasting impression on readers.

There are 50 poems, arranged in descending order; these poems, or jottings, are formless, bizarre, meaningless, clueless at times, yet it conveys something to your own interpretation.

That's why I love reading poetry. No holds barred!

Ms White's modern poetry collection touches upon various things, including nature, love, breakup, abuse, modern romance, loneliness, woman, alcoholism, technology, family, past, songs, music, queerness, bipolarity, God, dog (dachshund), relationship, so on and so forth, in an unconventional and unassuming manner that makes no sense at first, second, or third time, yet it affects you, and haunts you, if you think deeply, without bias.

"i-text i-talk i-eat i-drink i-piss i-piss
i give no shits"

"love
sex sex
sex love sex sex love
...
oh my mystery, oh my darkness
oh my rapture, oh my music"

"Losing you was not the tragedy...
you dumped me in the psych ward"

The poetess doesn't stick to any rule, or pattern, or poetic nuance that is expected in a poem.

It is raw, real, at times filthy, yet aesthetic in its own way.

"You create your world ... with your vegan values
...
Your vegan values, your perfect world"

"you wrote to me in fifty different languages I love you
you made me soup...
you fucked me on the beach...
you said it was the end"

These poems — sometimes dialogues, conversation, text messages, lists, match the following — are minimalistic yet affective, plays with your moods.

"You're as erotic as an open wound
... your cigarettes smell like a death on your breath"

The instant casual usage of everyday words effectively conveys or de-conveys the both learnt and the unlearnt. Gives you a different perspective on various topics even though it's the author's life experience that has been filled as poetic verses.

These are highly influencing trippy poems that is very much in resonance modern-day youth.

"The dream was dressed in black fishnets ...
... So I put the dream on the bookshelf behind..."

Science and religion form the basis of most of these poems, either through the utmost hate or love for the subject. Most probably the former, and uses this as a constructive tool to critic the society and the politics behind it.

"When I write ... When I paint...
When I create songs
Maybe I am closer to God"

"Be dangerous, be like the plastic bag
everyone loves to hate them, but they're damn useful"

All of the 50 poems had something to connect, unconnect, de-connect, and disconnect with. In fact, I can quote a few lines from each of these poems. Absolutely, an experience that was ecstatic and exuberant.

But I felt safe there painting orange teapots
outlining women in Texta with the mysterious green eyes

Some days I could even feel that my soul was still alive
Such a crappy small town

FINALLY SOME GOOD FUCKING FOOD. Seriously though, I've read a lot of poetry today and a lot of it was really bad. This broke me out of the bad poetry prison and gave me a shot of something fresh; a unique, strong voice, a genuine personality and identity, a distinct artistic sensibility. This is an actual person and an actual artist with opinions and a personality who is not trying to be like everybody else or to be an airbrushed version of themselves, and that is so fucking refreshing these days. The poems in this collection, and Gemma White's voice in general, were so enjoyable and refreshing for the same reason Ethel Cain's music and lyrics are: she provides a reality, a look at something true, not a glamourized ideal.

There is a genuineness and an honesty and a refusal to polish the truth or airbrush out every microscopic flaw here that feels just so bold and down to earth, so grounded, but also so manic and so insecure and uncertain. Yet also strong, risky, beautiful.

To be clear I don't have bipolar but I definitely have some kind of mood disorder and mental instability has and always will be a part of my life. I'm lucky because my manic episodes are not dangerous or half as embarrassing as other people experience: I've heard from people whose manic episodes lead them to truly endanger themselves, people who love their manic episodes and people who hate them. I usually enjoy mine, they tend to last anywhere from 2 to 3 days and I feel energized, slightly strung-out, but in a sharp, crystalline way. I feel like I'm in sync with myself and the universe and I burn up with creative energy and do a ton of random artsy stuff and make a mess, but when I come out of it the worst that's happened is I'm sleep-deprived, a little emotional, and the house is messy.

I've learned to feel when they're coming on, how to navigate them, what works and doesn't for me to cope or ride them out. You can't just choose not to have a manic episode: if it's coming it's coming. You go through this and you learn how you work best, how to live as you. You develop your own systems and language and understanding of yourself and your inner world and patterns, and this is on display here, this self-language and self-knowledge and intricate understanding of her own patterns that White has. A familiar intimacy radiating between her and her bipolar. A sense of wry, loving, if begrudging acceptance when she speaks on it.

Because obviously for most other people manic episodes, mood and personality disorders, etc, are more serious or dangerous or more powerful than manic episodes like mine. It takes a lot of character to develop this level of self-awareness of your mode of functioning and experiencing the universe, where you can feel both the shame and the joy, appreciate what sets you apart and your unique perspective, grasp that you have experiences others don't and you're allowed to revel in moments of joy and adrenaline, but also acknowledge that it's a weakness in many ways and can bring shame, danger, etc.

The musings on bipolar experiences here were incredible. But also White's refusal to mope or throw herself a pity party. And her jab at poets who do constantly throw themselves pity parties. Her willingness to poke fun at herself, celebrate herself, acknowledge shame and regret in the past while also knowing her worth and having a true sense of love and purpose for art and a knowledge that it's her purpose. These poems really, really resonated with me.

There is something
Sacred and healing
That happens when I write
When I paint
When I create songs
Maybe I am closer to God
Maybe the bad things can't find me here

Hi hello my head is bald. Gemma White has me by the scalp!

Is everything equally sacred and profane?

Her musings on topics most poets find taboo like sex, masturbation, bodily functions, etc, are so matter-of-fact but not vulgar or showing off, she's not being a douche about it, like "Look how cool I am! I talk about things other poets won't!" ironically, when she talks about stuff like masturbation, it's not masturbatory, she's not patting herself on the back here for breaking the mold, you can tell she just really doesn't care to censor herself and doesn't give a fuck. These are her poems, this is what it is, take it or leave it.

Oh my mystery, oh my darkness
oh my rapture, oh my music

I was absolutely enchanted by this collection. I cannot believe this writer isn't going absolutely breakout viral. I was actually blown away both by her obviously good taste but also by her skill and execution.

I would absolutely recommend giving this a chance for anybody who likes poetry or is curious about it. This is a modern voice, this is a poet with a fucking brain, some opinions, and some god damn taste. This is what we need right now.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this lovely art.

I don't want to be a good poet
I want to be a naughty one!

The thing about this one is that it will make you wonder if someone has been rooting around inside your brain, and then pause for a quick, delightful tale of cunning, sausage stealing dachshunds.

Thank you NetGalley and Interactive Publications for allowing me to read this book of poetry for my honest opinion. I liked that the author wasn’t afraid to use certain language and certain phrases. I have noticed that some poetry tend not to use colorful language. I absolutely enjoyed this read.

This was my first poetry book I’ve received an early copy of. I enjoyed some of the poems but not all, which is - I believe - a normal thing to experience in a poetry book. beautiful and expressive, its short but its worth the read for sure.

I wanted to like this so much but it just fell flat, I was quite honestly bored and disappointed. This poetry style might be perfect for someone else but as for me, it’s a no thank you. The poems were overly repetitive and very basic, the description makes it sound intense and emotional yet I felt nothing of that whilst reading it

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This poetry collection is deeply personal to the poet, as they utilize their thoughts and feelings to project coherent strings or poetry onto a page. It is raw and thoroughly chilling to read poetry with such an intricate meaning, as the poet is able to reflect the jumbles of their mind into something for the world to see, which is an extremely difficult feat.

I would firstly like to say that I applaud the poet for expressing such though-provoking metaphors, as it leaves a sense of public revelation that can never be taken back. I also would like to personally say that this poetry collection just was not for me. I can vividly visualize how significant this form of expression is to the author, but unfortunately I could not connect to it as much as I initially thought that I would. The idea was there, the execution was there, but it did not mesh well with my personal preference for stylistic poetry.

Overall, this poetry collection was poured directly from the poet's heart onto the pages, to be published in a world filled with people who can connect and feel seen just by simply relating to this poet's emotional attachments. While it did not connect with me personally, I am still grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with the opportunity to read this particular poetry collection.

"how did it go?"

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

a fantastic poetry collection by gemma white. her prowess as a poet truly shines through this wonderful work. a mixture of delicately constructed diction and fun, silly repetitions that show the struggles of modern life, love, and music. as a bipolar person, i really connected with her poems. the poems count down from 50 to 1, which i found to be absolutely lovely rather than counting upwards. a sense of urgency follows you as you get closer to the final poem, wishing it would never end. white's range is incredible, and i truly adored each and every one of her poems. she portrays the human condition in such a way that is quite honestly both relatable and deeply meaningful. love, sex, music, death, dachshunds -- it's all here. i am eager to read more from this author, and i am captivated by her use of form and lyric.

I enjoyed the poetry throughout the book! It was beautifully written and made me feel different emotions within each page.