All art is subjective and I believe that’s especially true of poetry. This one missed the mark for me, or more accurately, I wasn’t the right reader for these works. Catalogued by month from the beginning of the pandemic, the writer touches upon the many historic events that took place in 2020 - isolation, mass death, George Floyd, blackness in America (from a white author 😬), police violence, the leaderless and rudderless ship that has been the country over the last ten months, and more.

Some poems were good (see below). Some tried too hard and fell into purple prose territory. The strongest were the takes on civil rights issues. The ones that focused on the quiet of isolation or life changes due to Covid weren’t as strong for me. My favorite of the bunch, They Were Just Following Orders, is below. I wish more hit me like this one did.

The cover design needs to be redone. It looks like it was made in Word.

They Were Just Following Orders

When Caesar commanded his soldiers across the shallow waters of the Rubicon and the die was cast;

When Crusaders took up the holy cross, their pilgrimage a promise of redemption as they ravaged Jerusalem;

When Custer and his men, determined to preserve their race, rode head first into the slaughter;

When Nazis stuffed Jews into cattle cars and delivered them to their final destination where they turned on the gas spigots;

When state troopers unleashed attack dogs in Selma, National Guardsmen shot students at Kent State, and federal authorities teargassed protesters in Washington D.C. to clear the way for a photo op.



Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review

I got a digital galley of this book via NetGalley. Some of the poems were really good and some were ok. But as a collection these were good. I specially liked the poem “dear Human Race”. Some of the poems which had a word or two per line were also very nice. I haven’t read poems like that in a long time.

Also, this is not your typical collection of poems which follow the literary rules of poems but still fulfills the function of poetry - which is to make the reader think about the topics being written a bit more deeply.

This was lovely. I have been very hit or miss with poetry lately, and the words and imagery was just beautiful in this collection. Very much enjoyed spending time in this dreamy collection.

@Thanks NetGalley for giving me the access to read these kinds of poems full of love and emotions.
I loved every poem and it thrilled my heart and also my mind. I really love to read such a well written poem dedicated to love and many more. I give 5 stars to Before The After Love, Loss, and Revolution in the Time of COVID written by Mary Anne Anderson

Anderson has done well to write the emotions felt by any person in America throughout the 2020 year. We all started with a sense of interest that turned to fear that turned to loneliness, longing, and confusion as the events have unfolded. A great read and a great re-read for people wanting to recollect life in America in 2020.

This poetry collection tracks the first months of COVID in the United States--from March to August. It is a really interesting idea, that I think would find a better home within some sort of book/collection that elaborates on the context--I literally just went through this, and some of them I didn't really understand where she was coming from. It also came across as really preachy, and I really don't think the N-word needed to be used at all. I thought Good Friday/Bad Friday and Rewind were the two best poems in the collection.

So, I was really feeling these poems until I got to the sentence that made it all come crashing down hardcore - “Please, Joe, help me to regain my fervor”. Seriously? I’m anti-Trump but that doesn’t make me pro-Joe. How could a bunch of poems that were making me feel so much - like the author was reading my mind - go downhill so fast? I got really angry when I read that line. I felt betrayed. It took away from the strong beauty of the book. A man who is part of a corrupt system will not be saving you. Gaia cries to hear you think that.

Yet, after that, I am still thinking of these poems. Their messages still resonate with me during these difficult days. Thank you for that Mary Anne Anderson. I can only hope you find out one day that some man hungry for power is not on your side. Gaia is all we have. Let nature be your savior if you need one.

Thank you to Mary Anne Anderson, Keyes Canyon Press, and #NetGallery for an ARC of #BeforeTheAfter in return for an honest review. Review will be posted on NetGallery, Goodreads, and Facebook.

Before the After is a collection of poems filled with charged and ruthless social commentaries on the American response to the coronavirus pandemic and police brutality. The poems were composed during the months March-August of this year and are arranged in chronological order, which ended up being an excellent choice for the structure of the book. Anderson’s poems get undeniably better the more politically charged and angry her voice is, with later poems such as ‘They Were Just Following Orders’ and ‘Unholy Mount’ being particularly hard-hitting. She also writes eloquently on the matter of race, George Floyd, and on being a white ally.

Having said that, some of her best poems are playful and almost cheerful in tone, (if not in content.) ‘Escape’ was a definite stand out for me. The tone employed through the forced cheerfulness of rhythm in this poem can best be illustrated with these lines:

This mama’s ’bout ready to explode

With a hippity-hop

Bop-shoo-bop

The voice in this poem feels manic through trying to stay positive in these locked-down, often monotonous times.

I do have to say that some poems fell flat. I concede that this is particularly true for some of the earlier more melancholic poems. This is perhaps because she finds her voice more strongly later on in the year, and develops a poetry that suits the frustration and anger that she feels. At times the use of classical and theological tropes in the poems felt forced and overdone.

This is certainly true of ‘Out of the Mouths of Babes’. In this poem, humans have failed to deal with Covid and so a future child doesn’t recognise lipstick or the concept of recess. The Corinthians quote felt forced and where the intent and meaning behind the poem were compelling, it fell flat.

The Verdict
Nonetheless, the poetry collection is definitely worth a read. to experience the ups and downs of the last year through a unique voice and perspective. There are also fun poems like ‘Watermelon Jubilee’ – this was so playful that it made me giggle. Anderson further plays with the idea of voice through writing poems from the perspectives of inanimate objects, giving her yet another perspective through which to comment on humanity, life and death. I do look forward to seeing more of what she does in the future.

Keyes Canyon Press will publish this book in 2021.

Before The After by Mary Anne Anderson explores life during the pandemic, and the wide range of emotions that are experienced during a confusing and unsettling time. The poems are organized according to the unfolding events and prevailing thoughts of each month, and I would second the suggestion that the collection be read straight through to experience the full impact of the poet's powerful commentary and observations. Ms Anderson has captured and articulated what so many of us are feeling during these unprecedented times, and each and every vignette resonated with me on some level. I am new to Ms Anderson's work, but would be pleased to read more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Keyes Canyon Press for this ARC.