First of all, this book needs SERIOUS editing, the ammount of grammatical errors drove me crazy. Secondly, the poems were not this great and most of them were really hard to understand. The concept is really good but it wasn't depicted in a good way. I get why some people would like this but it's just not my cup of tea.

I had a great time with Old love skin. Written beautifully, with a cohesive line and never being repetitive, i found myself represented and lost many times between the words of these amazing poets.

The authors tell us their experience growing up on Africa in the most real way. Giving space in the pages for many issues that people face in their lives.

Reading it I connected with some poems more than with others, as it happens for me with anthologies. However, I could recognise why the writing was there and for who was it, simply, it was not me. I found my favourite poem of all time in this anthology: Contingencies. Powerfully written and devastating at the same time.

Thanks NetGalley and Mukana Press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this anthology. It was quite long, but never felt repetitive. As with any anthology, I liked some poems/poets more than others, but that was a matter of personal preference. None of it felt out of place. I think it takes a lot of skill to collect so many voices and have it feel cohesive without growing stale. One change I would make would be putting the poet bios with their poems instead of all together at the end. I would have liked to be able to connect the writing to their work a little easier.

This book is a collection of poems by several African poets who describe life in Africa and the difficulties faced by women there. When it was necessary to be raw, it was, and when it could have been unpleasant, it was gratifying.

The lack of subtlety or sugarcoating in this book gave you the idea that it might have been translated in a number of different ways despite the fact that nothing was subtle or sugarcoated. I believe that writing poetry's primary goal is to evoke an emotional response in readers that they may take home or to their hearts in a variety of unique ways.

These poets carried it out. And I appreciate their openness and enlightening thoughts.

If I were to describe the feeling when I read this, it would be like drinking a pomegranate wine with the color of crimson, so dark it could easily pass as black. While drinking the wine, I savored the smooth ascent and descent of the roller coaster;y ears were deafened to the harsh slap of the wind against my face. Above, there revealed a starry night sky freckled with stars, lending their light to the vastness of the universe.

This poetry book would make you question things, realize something, and ruminate on certain things. The voices that were portrayed in this book were amplified to a higher volume it felt like it could break a glass. These voices belonged to the African-American community which was treated as if they were inferior to others.

An excerpt from the book:

"So I am easy on myself
and gentle, so gentle.
The words I say to me
always have a smile behind them;
a sprinkle of love and a little bit of awe.
I am careful to be gentle, and patient, and always
unfailingly kind
to me -
my precious, my priceless,
my first and forever love."

3.75 ⭐️

I haven’t read a Poetry Novel in a long time. And to come across an ARC on NetGalley with a collection such as this I couldn’t resist. It truely was as the description details; deeply personal yet collective.

I’ve since ordered the physical book, to be able to highlight particular poets entries that I found particularly stunning and moving.

The collection of voices, writing styles and topics are extremely wide. As such, and to be expected, I did not love all the entries. And had a very hard getting into the rhythm and flow for the first 30% of this collection. After halfway however, I could not put this down, and ever so subtly started to lean closer towards four stars than three on average.

The poems in this poetry anthology were written by several African poets. The poems were heartfelt and profound. There was no concealment; it was a straightforward depiction of the difficulties of living in Africa.

I personally enjoy how a single poem can mean many different things to various readers. That is how it felt without a doubt. The poems were very powerful, and I could apply them to various aspects of my life.

Thank you to net galley and Makana Press for providing me with a copy of ‘Old Love Skin’ in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is a compilation of many different poets from Africa recounting from experience or word of life in Africa and the struggles of being a woman in Africa. It was raw when it needed to be and gratifying when it could have been harsh.

Nothing in this novel was sugarcoated or subtle, but it was still blindly giving you the impression that it could have translated in more than one way. I think that's the main point of poetry, writing something that appears to have an effect on everyone, but in many different ways that they take to the heart or to their home.

These poets did that. And I thank them for their educating words and vulnerability.

Thank you to Net Galley and Mukana Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and thoughts.

What an exceptional compilation of poems featuring a diverse representation of voices. There is no sugar-coating here. The poems are stark, uncontrived representations of life in Africa, as experienced through the eyes of each poet. Beautiful, often dark, and profoundly moving. There is humanity and wisdom in these words.