3 stars

I liked some poems in this collection, but nothing stood out to me. As I was reading it felt like I was just kind of reading poems to get through them. I didn't feel overly emotionally moved except for the poems about some of April Gibson's more traumatic moments in her life. She has lived through and overcome a lot of hardships and those poems were more emotional for me.

What Gibson has created here is a stunning exploration of various themes—family, motherhood, relationships, racism, childhood, love, and more.

The first two pieces pulled me in effortlessly-- they were shiny and sharp. But the third one pushed me right back out. It was essentially a lengthy medical report on Crohn's Disease. As someone with a phone full of notes about my own medical struggles, this piece read like one of those—just raw information about Crohn's. Maybe it was a bit over my head, but I think if it had come later in the work, after we got really settled into the flow, the effect may have been less off-putting.

Then came the heart of the work. The author dove into how religious trauma can condition us to be gaslit by medical providers, teaching us that suffering is not just inevitable but somehow virtuous. She explored her medical trauma, her childhood and becoming a young mother, and much more. The later poems were particularly compelling, rounding out this thought-provoking, creative, and beautifully written collection. I ultimately enjoyed this book of poetry immensely and will be keeping my eyes peeled for more of her work.

And I have to say—"Incubus is Latin for Fuckboy" is a 10/10 title. No notes.

The Span of a Small Forever beautifully encapsulates black girlhood, motherhood and life with a chronic illness, easily turning readers to empaths alike. These poems are both deeply relatable and yet truly original, one of a kind.

Thank you Netgally and the publisher for my e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

A perfect way to kick off National Poetry Month is to get yourself a copy of April Gibson’s debut collection, The Span of a Small Forever: Poems. It packs a punch sometimes when you want it, sometimes when you least expect it. I read this on my phone, which I am sure dulled the power of Gibson’s erasure poems. But her words do the job at evoking the pain of chronic illness, racism, and medical racism. She muses on motherhood that arrives sooner than one expects or wants. It is breathtaking to read such vulnerability, tenderness, and fierceness in the same piece.

The Span of Small Forever by April Gibson is a poetry debut
The central themes, such as disability, family, and mundane miracles are explored clearly, using blunt comparisons that require a reader to do much research or self-reflection.

I found the poems self-aware to the point of being disingenuous. The alternate use of different poem structures is interesting, and pairs well with the plain language. I would have preferred the poems to be less centered and more focused on the author's personal experiences and imagined experiences of her narrator(s). This collection could be a good entry point for someone getting into poetry who is interested in reading about disability, social justice, and the role of familial relationships from someone who has deeply thought about these topics and their interactions.

such emotional poems - would recommend reading with a tissue box nearby. gibson’s command of language is truly masterful & the way she weaves through figures of speech, references, and themes had me re-reading and re-reading. my only complaint would be that, because so many of the poems in this collection are marvels, some poems end up falling flat (or perhaps i’m just not a fan of encountering several prose poems in close proximity).

I absolutely love this collection. I related so much because I too live with a chronic illness. I think it is beautiful and heartbreaking. I cannot wait to buy the physical copy because I know that is the best way to truly read and enjoy poetry.

summary: so this is a poetry collection, and features poems about topics like blackness, grief, moving, and loss.

footnotes: as someone who isn't black, i felt like i missed a lot of the subtext and cultural meanings behind the book. while you can still read and enjoy the book, it will only make sense if you understand the cultural context behind it, in other words, it's obvious i'm not the target audience for this book.

thoughts: overall, i enjoyed this book. i thought the prose was excellent and the author knew how to hold your attention in just the right way to get you to pay attention. the book also had cool formatting, whit some poems blacked out, and others spaced interestingly. it was a fun dive into another culture, and person, and i learned a lot. i walked away with some more empathy, and i mildly enjoyed my time.

again, i didn't like how centered the book was on race, and only cultural meanings, but i still got some enjoyment from it.

This was a really sad, raw and powerful book about chronic pain, childhood trauma, motherhood and racism, along with many other important topics. There were several poems from this collection that I was drawn to, such as Blue Magic, Dear Everyone Who Ain’t a Black Woman, and Just When I Thought I was Grown, I Grew. I was only able to understand about 50% of the poems in this collection, but I still really enjoyed hearing from an experience unlike my own and I liked the prose and rhythm. I also really like the cover! I do think that it was a little on the longer side and could have been edited down, but that’s really my only critique.

THE BIG EFFIN OUCH.

April Gibson is a fricking literary wizard and was able to make me cry and feel so embarrassed by my white privilege. Gibson narrates her life and the lives of fellow black women around her through a series of short-form prose and verses that detail the horrors and sorrows that bleed onto the page, painting the bigger picture. Themes of disabilities, death, rebirth, and heartbreak are encroached and depicted throughout this piece.

I am so thankful to Amistad, Netgalley, and April Gibson for granting me digital access to this one before April 2, 2024.

I devoured this book in sections, my heart yearning for more time to savor and ponder its soul-stirring poems. Within its pages, a tapestry of emotions, a tapestry of history and politics, threads of hope and confidence, and the haunting echoes of trauma are carefully woven. Each line adorned with layered metaphors that paint vivid pictures in the depths of one's being. The sections, a sanctuary for like-minded topics, empower both solitary and all-encompassing readings, immersing oneself in the unparalleled experience. And oh, how I marveled at the exquisite diversity of poem types and structures, a testament to the author's incredible artistry. It left an indelible mark on my soul, forever treasured.

I read an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. First and foremost, I want to say how beautifully this collection came full circle. It begins and ends with poems about chronic illness that perfectly tie together all the poems that reside in between--family, loss, grief, racism, disability, religion, illness, and broken systems. Typically I do not enjoy rhyming poetry (usually it feels outdated, forced, and unnecessary) but the way April Gibson plays with language in this work is truly astounding. The handful of rhyming poems that are included only add to the richness and depth of this collection and serve to enhance the way she utilizes other poetic language tools. There were several lines that absolutely took my breath away, though I hesitate to quote them lest they be removed from the final edition (hopefully not!). The Span of a Small Forever is a complex and skillfully crafted collection that contains and conveys so much within such a small space. I did not want this to end. I cannot wait for this book's final publication date so I can hold and keep a physical copy--it is one that I will definitely be purchasing.

April Gibson's book, 'The Span of a Small Forever', is a collection of poetry and thoughts on emotions, disability, religious beliefs, womenhood, and everything else. April uses her writings to share her story and what she's going through. Inside the book, it shows a Black woman's journey through her writings. There are some triggers warnings like racism, chronic illness, grief, and other things. Thank you to Amistad and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book and do a review.

This is my first poetry ARC! I had to read this book in sections because I kept finding that I wanted to sit with the poems and ruminate for a bit longer. The poems are emotional, historical, political, hopeful, confident, traumatic, and full of layered metaphors. The sections are helpful because they group like topics together, allowing them to be read as individual pieces or as a whole. I appreciated the variety of poem types and structures throughout. Trigger warnings: racism, sexism, the “n” word, domestic abuse, white supremacy, teen pregnancy, miscarriage, chronic illness, disability.