Beautifully written, tender, and fresh.

This is a really lovely collection of poetry that I didn't necessarily connect with, but I found well written and fun to read. Olayiwola take queer & black masculinity and inspects it and dissects it. The poetry is pastoral and melodic, creating a wave of emotion throughout.

My favorite poems are: "Strange Beach" and "Mother Poetica."

A stunning collection of poems that will cradle your heart while piercing it with emotion!
Olayiwola is captivating, vivid imagery and raw honesty, each poem a delicate dance of words.

Strange Beach by Oluwaseun Olayiwola
Pub date: January 21st 2025

Jump into this ocean world of words where every emotion is tangible and every word is drenched with feeling.
It’s a journey through the tender poetry that speaks to the deepest parts of human experience. Just...lovely.

Thank you @netgalley & @softskullpress

I adored Strange Beach. This is why I read poetry. While poetry can encompass a variety of styles, intents, contents, etc,... to me- this is what poetry is supposed to be.

Strange Beach is a compilation of many unadulterated, emotional, and unashamedly queer poems that re-explained to me the world I should know in a creative and passionate way. I am not a poet, nor do I have the same way with words that Olayiwola does, so I know what I type won't properly describe how I appreciate his work. There were many lines that stuck with me while reading, but the quote that resonates with me the most is "he needs experience to mean something like in a novel". I personally struggle with this belief so much in my personal life. I read into things way too much, interpret things way more deeply than they were meant, and hold things too personally. While this is a quick line, I always appreciate when an author/poet is able to call on something I have personally felt or thought.

This is the first time I have read any of Olayiwola's work, and I look forward to reading more in the future. Thank you to NetGalley, Catapult, Counterpoint Press, and Soft Skull Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will post my review on Goodreads today, Sept. 18, 2024.

I don't really care much for poetry that is more like choppy stories. I also don't care much for it when the author quotes other authors in the middle of a poem.