"Vanishing Below the Waist" by Ellie White is disability poetry and chronic pain representation at its best.

Thank you to Netgalley and Querencia Press for this ARC of ‘Vanishing Below the Waist’ by Ellie White.

I loved this! So beautifully written and brings attention to so many important issues. Definitely a must read for all women.

This succinct and poignant chapbook of poetry felt relatable and visceral, sometimes uncomfortably so. I think this is a solid little collection, and the length was perfect. It left me thinking, for sure.

This was a good little chapbook, with 4 sections that are well divided and organized by distinct themes. Some of the poems felt a bit repetitive at times.

My favourite poems in this collection:
- Everything is so okay
- Vanishing Below the Waist
- Strawberry Fields Forever
- Dream Lover

This collection of poetry was so captivating. I was worried it was going to be too short and leave me unsatisfied but it was the perfect length

Poetry is a tough thing for me to review and this was no different. To me, poetry is so personal to the writer that it almost feels wrong to critique their creativity. I did enjoy this collection. Several times lines in a poem made me think. I especially loved the Endometrioma poem. I have endometriosis and I found out in the later stages with an endometrioma. I thought the collection was very female centered which was disclosed during the synopsis. Overall I enjoyed it very much!
Thank you NetGalley for sharing this with me in exchange for a review. All opinions are mine.

"Vanishing Below the Waist" by Ellie White is a poignant collection of poetry that delves into the often unspoken struggles faced by women, particularly those dealing with issues related to their intimate health. This chapbook offers a raw and honest portrayal of these experiences, making it highly relatable for women who have faced similar challenges. It also serves as a powerful tool for fostering empathy in men who seek to understand the experiences of the women in their lives. White's writing is both lyrical and evocative, providing readers with a glimpse into the reality of living with conditions such as dyspareunia, vulvodynia, and endometrioma. "Vanishing Below the Waist" is a must-read for anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of these often overlooked issues.

Thanks to Ms White, the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a short, somewhat disjointed chapbook. The poems that stood out were the ones focused on the author's struggles with sexual dysfunction and how this has affected her life. Visceral writing, at times veering into discomfort.

There are times when I pick up a poetry book and think, I'm ready for this to move me, and then am surprised at how much I am moved by it. That the artist and their words moved my heart so with words is a shock, even though it's what I came there for. It's just so good. There were times when I had to stop because the words took root in my heart so deeply. Dream Lover was my favorite one.

Thank you NetGalley and Querencia Press for the chance to read this poetry collection.

All in all, Ellie White put together a solid collection that showcased some fantastic poems that centre on female bodies. I think my three favourite ones are definitely

1. Poem in Which I Cure Myself of Binge Drinking
2. Dream Lover
3. Strawberry fields forever

I'm definitely going to be checking out more from this poet in the future.

Vanishing Below The Waist by Ellie White
☀️☀️☀️🌥️

A big thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I've not ventured into the world of poetry too much - something I wanted to rectify this year - so stumbling upon this collection was fortuitous. I knew nothing of the content or style going into this publication.

I didn't find every poem grabbed me, but that's to be expected from a collection like this. The works are stronger as a whole, painting a powerful and raw picture of womanhood and the female experience, and the trauma that can be associated with it.

Individually the pieces that really spoke to me are:

Vulvodynia
What I Mean
Blue Mud Dauber
Ode to Bathing on My Period
Poem in Which I Expand

White takes time to explore elements of life that I haven't seen touched upon, unique angles and entries into the minutiae of existence. I liked her perspective and the honesty through which she explored.



"As our bodies revolt, as they have every time this year: this decade: this life: we are still quietly apologizing as the elephant crushes us to death."

"When I ask you not to say you're sorry, I mean a person can die of sympathy.
When I say, again, don't touch me, I mean what is left of me is fanged and feral"

If I had to choose only one word to describe this book it would be visceral. That's how these poems feel. Like a punch to the gut, the gut being your feelings. I had tears in my eyes reading some of them. As a woman with chronic illnesses, it was like seeing some of my inner thoughts and personal experiences reflected in those lines.

This is an insightful exploration of womanhood, pain, and trauma. The author explores medical conditions not often talked about, in a very lyrical way. There's sadness and frustration, but also hope and humour peaking from its pages.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. #VanishingBelowtheWaist #NetGalley

<i>Dream Lover

Every night,
the moon wraps me in a space blanket
and appoints a star to tell me a story.
The moon stays awake until I fall asleep.
The moon strokes my hair,
tells me my eyes look like comets.
I can squeeze the moon as hard as I want.
It never complains.</i>

I really liked the last few poems in the book, the rest wasn’t as good in my opinion.
Still, it was a nice book.
The cover is beautiful and some poems are really good.

This was appalling. I requested it because it sounded interesting. It wasn't.

I 'read' it in around half an hour during a break at work. The poems think they are clever because they split sentences across two lines. Every single one. I'm guessing this is supposed to suggest that they are "meaningful". I just found it incredibly irritating and shallow.

The book got very repetitive and the content of the poems was shallow and/or whiny. Fortunately it didn't take long to get through.

With very few words the author manages to describe situations probably every woman has been in before. That is a skill that I admire. My favorite poems where 'Dyspareunia / Genesis' and 'Street Corner Mermaid'.

I think this book is for anyone who would like to get into reading poetry and for women who have gynaecological issues that are not frequently talked about.

Thank you to Querencia Press and Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for my review.

💬:“...when women didn't cry in their showers, didn't cry at all
for fear of ruining their complexions.
your complexion is already ruined.
what the fuck are you trying to save? ”

White, Ellie. Vanishing Below the Waist (p.07).

📖Genres: poetry, poems

📚Page Count: 34

🎧Audiobook Length: N/A

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 - 3.75/5


Vanishing Below the Waist is a collection of poems by Ellie White about physical and psychological sexual disorders & dysfunctions in women and non-female folks with vaginas.

This collection was somber but powerful. Someone very close to me has sexual dysfunction and this made me think about her, I even cried while reading some of these poems. These poems were powerful and they gave in a small insight into the pain that these people feel and the struggles that they're going through. My favorite individual poems were "The Spectacle of Craving" and "Everything is so okay."

Overall, I found the collection to be very moving and very sad. I'm going to give this 3.75 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Thank you <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">[NetGalley.com]</a>, the author, and publisher for the arc (advanced reader's copy.)

A collection of poems centering around the female body & medical conditions not often talked about.
Endometrioma was my favorite poem in this collection, albeit sad as it was. Some of these conditions I had never heard of before. I definitely recommend for that reason alone. It was definitely a new experience to learn about conditions that could affect my own body in such a lyrical & symbolic way.

I have not read Ellie White's poetry before and am thrilled to have discovered "Vanishing Below the Waist." Her poems whisper and confide, amplify and cast spells -- they sparkle like the glitter and silver stars from her "Poem in Which I Expand." Looking forward to following her work. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. #VanishingBelowtheWaist #NetGalley

I read this book as a pre-release e-book obtained through NetGalley, provided by the publisher.

Poems of different styles, each with a stark rawness about something about being in a woman's body or living as a woman in today's world.

This work was unlike any that Ive taken in.... It was complex, yet I completely understood each piece and yet was left in the end with some wonder. I had no idea what Dyspareunia was, but I think now I have a pretty damn good understanding. I know this person so well, through only just a few words. THAT IS TALENT.

A ton of religious innuendo that left me curious .. just a few things that left me with questions ..
'Poem in which I expand' was probably my favorite

Thank you to Querencia Press, Ellie White, and Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for my review.