“I once found myself lost at Sea,/ but what I discovered out there was as reassuring, as a city, loan, jackpine, centered on a glittering Canadian landscape: life’s oceans are full of strong, ebbing, seafoam tides; and they will always pull me home.” (Radburn, 126)
“On an Ebbing Seafoam Tide” feels as though one has wandered from the seas shore. Salt sprays in your eyes as the world you’ve always known to look for but have never had to feel engulfs. You are trapped im the waves of betrayal, of love, of searching for the end where you can open you eyes and find yourself at the shore.
The poetry collection walks you through this experience, having to experience life and love, regret and finding peace, being pulled through the waves. For one day, surely, you will be pulled from the waves, and what you will find is a peace immeasurable, something that only comes when one has faced the storms.
One sparkling structure within the collection is how the poetry seems to grow as the timeline advance, as we near the end. The poems from the beginning present themselves as hesitant, young, holding language but not knowing yet how it interacts with the world. The poems at the end, though, become fluid, sure, gorgeously crafted like waves sparkling as they hit the shore. They are able to capture the epitome of hope, leaving readers to know that while the tempests of storms arise, and pull you under, you will always find a place to call home.
It was beyond a pleasure to read this collection of poems, and I look forward to Radburn’s future work.

Wow, I... really liked this. I get down on myself because I don't "understand" poetry, but maybe I just need a very niche type of poetry. I have exclusive tastes! That feels like a kinder interpretation. :)

The experience of reading this wasn't so much a close reading line by line, but more of running my eyes over the page and taking in a broad impression. Like, I did read every line, words in order and everything, but this experience was more: using the entire text to create a feeling, a state of mind. This book is, and I apologize to the author for making such a hash of this, what you'd get if you wanted to read a book that made you feel in your bones the definition of "cottagecore." This book is the emotional equivalent of looking out the window at the rain, mushrooms by the pathway, kitchen-witch ambitions.

I don't know what to do with that or who to give this to; I guess: to other people who don't "get" poetry but who do get nature. It's like taking a forest bath, somehow, in book form.

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!

I've never been a huge poetry reader but the cover and description of this book drew me in immediately. A lot of the poems, particularly about grief and loss, hit me hard and that's rare for me from poetry. This is also the first time I've read poetry relating to queer/WLW love and it was incredible. I could feel how much of herself the author put into these poems and knowing that made the experience of reading them all the more lovely.

I think for me the one downside was the shift in tone. The poems took a jarring (for me) turn from being about love and being in love to being about anger, grief, and loss. I absolutely related to these poems more because grief and anger are much much more recent for me than love has been, but the tonal shift kind of threw me. Like I said, I don't generally read a lot of poetry so it's entirely possible there was a thematic reason behind the tone shift that completely flew over my head. Overall, as someone who isn't well-versed in reading poetry though, this collection was incredible and I'm very glad I took a chance on it.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

So, I've never really been into poetry, but I've always liked the idea. Therefore I was delighted when Alannah Radburn DM'ed me on instagram, asking if I wanted an ARC. The poems were beautiful, I could see that, but, unfortunately, I didn't enjoy them as much as I thought I would. Even though I did like the focus on queer relationships, feminism and the likes, it felt repetitive at times. The last line being separated and in cursive sometimes worked really well, and sometimes just felt kind of random and off.

Overall the poems were separated well, but the one about school shooting came out of nowhere. It was good and definitely hit me right in the feels, but it would've fit better in at the end, or in another collection.

The problem was not the poems themselves, but the fact that I prefer a different style. Though I'm certain people with a preference for this exact style will enjoy them a lot and I highly encourage poetry lovers to go check out this collection. We need more poems with focus on queerness and all it's beauty, and I applaud Alannah Radburn for writing just that.

In this poetry collection, Alannah Radburn writes about love, growth, comfort, fear, and abuse. With many nature similies and metaphors she opens a world in which being in love and being angry can exist alongside each other, where the cruelness of some people doesn't erase the gentleness of others and vice versa.
The way she writes about being in love and loving someone made me smile in recognition, but she's also capable of writing about anger about violence that's been done to you with the same depth and familiarity. I enjoyed this collection a lot, but maybe would have arranged the poems a bit differently, although this just comes down to personal taste. Would definitely gift this to a loved one!

If the title catches you, this book is absolutely for you. An achingly beautiful, tender, ocean-deep, & delicate depiction of sapphic love, lust. & longing. Never have I met a book whose title perfectly captures the feel of the contents inside. This book is for the Swifties, the Emily Dickinson readers, the Anne of Green Gables girlies, who whole-heartedly appreciate the moment a string of perfectly-tied-together words saturates your soul. I am immediately purchasing a physical copy of this to mark up with my own words and tears. When I was young I devoured poetry but it's been a while since I consumed it regularly. This beautiful book was the beacon that called me home. I was enchanted.

Thank you NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for letting me read this book early!

This is a beautiful poetry collection, lots of gorgeous imagery, a lot of it to do with the ocean, which I loved.

I’ve bookmarked several poems in my digital copy, as there were so many relatable experiences shared, written in beautiful language.

“Don’t tell me words are not
The most powerful thing in this world;
They’ve doubtlessly completed the most beheadings.”

“There’s a certain beauty in unravelling;
You’re left with ample loose thread
To stitch new opportunities.”

“Nothing can harbour this sadness.
She is too big a ship.”

Releasing in just 4 days, I definitely recommend picking this book up!

on an ebbing seafoam tide by alannah radburn is a poetry book that evokes a range of emotions. some of the poems resonated with me, capturing poignant moments and painting vivid images in my mind. i appreciated the rawness and vulnerability conveyed through the words.
however, it's worth mentioning that not all the poems struck a chord with me. there were a few pieces that didn't quite connect or resonate as strongly.
despite the mixed bag, on an ebbing seafoam tide is a good collection that showcases glimpses of the author's talent and ability to evoke emotions through poetry. i especially loved the constant imagery of the sea in each poem the most and felt deeply connected with it.

I always find it difficult to rate and review poetry because it is such a deeply personal medium of art, usually born from trauma and/or pain. However, this collection was an easy 5 stars. Maybe it's the richness in the imagery or the emotions I could palpably feel from the page. Maybe it's the references to all the natural and mystical wonders of the world - something I find myself drawn towards in all art forms - or maybe it's the feeling of hope and healing that comes from completing this little, but powerful, book.

Is this a perfect poetry collection? No. But am I rating it 5 stars? Yes.
Because what is perfection? Especially in terms of poetry? Especially in terms of pain?

I do not know the answer to these questions, but what I do know is that this author has struggled and suffered and brought these poems to life from the suffocating brambles growing tightly around her heart. With all this emotion, all this expression, and all these beautiful words and metaphors that I love, how could I not rate it 5 stars?

I'm trying to get into poetry, and I can feel that there's something in it for me, but I hadn't been able to find a book that pulls me in quite enough. I think this book was a welcoming start to that path. While it didn't sweep me off my feet exactly, it's well crafted, the order of the poems makes sense, they're the right level of abstract, and I ended up highlighting many passages. I celebrate that we have a poetry collection written by a queer woman, with many poems being about being queer.

The author of this poetry book reached out and asked if I would be willing to read and review this ahead of its release, and I obviously said yes.
I grew up writing poetry, so I always love to read others work. This collection, specifically, seemed to have so many pieces I felt connected to or knew others who would feel connected to. It truly felt like there was something here for everyone and I am so glad Alannah reached out because I wouldn't have heard of this otherwise. I really enjoyed this and think its a must read poetry book!

I was grabbed by the idea that as a millennial this collection would grab me, however, it never fully pulled me in. I found myself staring at the collection of words on the page occasionally wondering what exactly it was I was reading. It had a bit of a dreamscape quality to it and I think that it is well conceptualized. However, it just didn't work for me.

I'm not a great reader of poetry, I would say that I dabble in it and generally enjoy what I read. I can recognize that this is well-thought out, but for me, the concept and the words on the poems never joined together to form a cohesive until. However, this is just me. I think a lot of poetry readers will really love it and should give it a chance.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I felt transported to a fantasy world, the start of time, a rough beach, an enchanted woodland and the embrace of a lover. So many lines were highlighted and I'll definitely be rereading this.

This collection is sultry like salt kissed skin. I loved every letter of it. Would recommend to my poetry loving friends.

probably a personal preference but this didn't grab me - well-written enough, conceptually compelling enough, but i prefer my poems with a bit more bite and clarity. these felt a bit woozy and, occasionally, saccharine. especially for such a short collection, this could have used with a bit of tightening and punch. but! some of the poems are nice and the imagery is pretty.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the eARC of this beautiful collection**

On An Ebbing Seafoam Tide is beautifully written and so many of the poems seek to describe feelings of love, safety, and the world around us. I found myself bookmarking and highlighting so many lines which is very unlike me, but there were certain things I want to be able to go back and read again and again.

Some of my favorite glimpses from this collection:

"you know the saying about the tree and the wooden axe. i remember everything that i have done to myself."

"is there a timeless whirlpool of everything anyone has ever thought of me? would it make me weep; would it make me proud?"

My complaints with this collection : I know it is a book of poetry. I know it's meant to be "artsy" and it was a stylistic choice by the poet - but the lack of proper abbreviation, punctuation, etc drove me a little bit mad.

There were also several poems in this book that suddenly reached points of anger and carried a completely different vibe than the rest of the work. They were still ~good~ but it did make everything feel a bit disjointed at times.

Overall, I really liked this collection and look forward to seeing what the author does next. Check this out if you like poetry, longer poems, metaphors, love, and genuine feeling.

***I thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review***

Alannah Radburn writes very beautifully and uses stunning imagery in her poetry collection, On an Ebbing Seafoam Tide. It is graceful, for her words flow magnificently like waves throughout the book. What is unique about her writing is that it creates this atmosphere which places you in these tender scenes, quite personal to her.

However, in middle part, the writing and theme lost some junction and could’ve used a bit of editing. But it was succeeded by the glorious depictions of sapphic love, and it healed my sad, gay heart.

“lap like a dying cat on its ninth life at a desert oasis.
for you, water is in abundance.
for you, oceans run wild.”

Very lovely and exquisitely woven overall.
★ ★ ★/5
Happy pride <3

⊹ . ⋆ ☽ ⋆ . ➶

Firstly, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for sending me an ARC of this book. The following review consists of my honest opinion.

"love is a volatile ocean,
and i dare not count the times i've been cautioned:
you can't keep diving in wide open
and be surprised when you come up with salt in your eyes."

It’s been a few months since I’ve read my last poetry collection and this was the perfect one to get back into it.

The theme of nature weaves its way through the entire book, oftentimes serving as a metaphor while delving into the topics of (queer) love, feminism and finding inner peace. This collection was a great example of how an overarching theme can make the whole concept feel cohesive while still dealing with different topics. The collection as a whole felt well thought out and that is something I really appreciated.

"early november brings with it
colder weather and faded-to-grey thoughts of you.
all this rain on my upturned palms, all this sorrow
dipping its hands into me and licking its fingers dry.
i am still,
feeling with an immensity that could drown oceans."

Radburn has a strong voice; even the shorter, seemingly simpler poems were powerful. On my first read-through, I took a lot of breaks between reading because I had so many thoughts. Some of the lines were beautifully crafted, with great lyricism and vivid imagery. Some lines I was still thinking about days later.

"i am a woman of two bodies:
one survived the initial scream.
the other houses the echoes."

I really can say that a lot of the poems resonated with me; some I‘ve read again and again since reading them for the first time. I definitely want to get the physical copy for myself so I can mark all of my favourite lines in there, too.

‘On an Ebbing Seafoam Tide‘ comes out July 11th and I recommend checking it out. Even if you haven’t really read poetry yet but are interested in getting into it, I think this collection could be a great starting point. It was also an absolute pleasure to read love poems about queer love (and joy) – and during Pride Month no less.

"ask me why i love you;
ask the desert if she feels time.
a human heartbeat, a geological blink.
we exist when the eyes are closed,
the darkness a backdrop to two starlit silhouettes.
this place is only us.
a geological eternity.
soft sailing across the inner lid,
rippling moonshine. oceans hang heavy in the air.
only forever.
only horizons."

Alannah Radburn hypnotizes you with her beautiful poetry in ‘On An Ebbing Seafoam Tide.’ Each poem reads as though it’s a love letter that will never reach its intended reader, giving this poetry collection a sense of delicate beauty. It’s as though this love Radburn implies is forbidden or a part of the past. Sometimes we don’t have the right words in-the-moment (thinking about those emotional conversations of the heart), so when you come up with them hours later, we must deal with the regret that those words will never be spoken in their intended way. I’d heavily recommend reading out-loud, or listening to this as an audio book (if it happens in the future). While I didn’t align or relate to the themes, it is still an amazing collection that reflects a similar tone as ‘Love Her Wild’ by Atticus.

Alannah Radburn brings queer love and gorgeous metaphors of the ocean together into a beautiful collection that was a delight to read.

As a lover of poetry, a zoologist who loves the ocean, and a queer woman myself, even the description of this collection spoke to me. As I continued to delve into these notable poems, I started to feel like I could see into the author’s soul as she penned these. The deep love Radburn feels for her partner is evident throughout the collection as she touches on various topics and phases of a relationship.

My only real critique is that a handful of the poems (for example, the poem on gun violence) simply felt out of place despite being powerful poems on their own.

I would recommend On An Ebbing Seafoam Tide to anyone who enjoys reading striking poetry, especially queer women.

A few of my favorite lines include:

“my waterfall lover’s heart falls out of her mouth in similar fashion; plunging to unseeable depths.”

“to know her mundane is to be gifted her intimacy.”

4.5/5 stars rounded up.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.