I loved this book! The graphic novel format adds such an interesting lens through which to read the poems. Of course, there were some I liked more than others, but that’s the beauty of anthologies: with so many creators’ work represented (both authors and artists!) every reader is sure to find something they like. The format of the anthology was also very well done. After each graphic poem, the poem is repeated in its regular print and spacing and at the end of the anthology there are discussion questions for all of the poems to encourage readers to think deeply about them. I’ve never seen a book of poetry displayed this way and I definitely want more. What a wonderful collection!

This book is unlike anything I have ever read, or likely will read again.

A collection of feminist poetry, authored by a diverse community of LGBTQ, indigenous, black and people of color, which has been rendered in beautiful comic-style graphical format. Each poem and each rendering is unique in both style and content - some are quite challenging and others are immediately just mind-blowingly beautiful.

When they work, as many of them did for me, the sum of the parts (Artwork and Poetry) is elevated to a level that’s hard to describe unless you’re seeing it. (I think its the same kind of transformation that an emotive movie score adds to your appreciation of the plot-line).

Dominant themes include pregnancy, sexism, loss, grief, pregnancy/birth and miscarriage, climate change, beauty and aging, parenting, love, and marginalization.

The first poem confused me, and there were a number that I found I could not grasp. Overall though, the work is simply stunning and I am so glad to have read this.

An awesome study guide is provided at the end - once I stumbled upon it and read it, so many ideas were triggered that I had to thumb back to re-read my favorites.

Poetry and art are both such intimate and subjective joys - there were clearly some entries that resonated more deeply and immediately with me. I had a lot of favorites, but the two that stand out the most are:

Good Bones - An achingly lovely parental reflection on the ( futility or hopefulness ?) it takes to believe one can still raise a child to love and cherish the best in our world. The artwork on this one is heartbreaking.

Units and Increments - Aging sucks, particularly for women in our gendered society, and this poem, and it’s gorgeous rendering, nails it.

A great big thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the authors for an advance review copy of this exquisite book. All thoughts presented are my own.

I wanted to give this book a chance because I'm trying really hard to get into more poetry. However, it just wasn't for me. But there were a few poems and specific lines that really stood out to me and made the reading experience worth it! The art in this book is also absolutely GORGEOUS. Just seeing the art made it worth the read!

I sincerely wish I like this a lot more than I did, but I'm very particular about poetry and most of the poems in this collection weren't my type.
The art is impressive and gives every poem an extra sense of gravitas and depth that I appreciated even when the words weren't exactly to my liking. It bizarrely almost always worked out that the poems that I enjoyed the art on the most were the ones where I liked the poem the least, and vice-versa loved the poem but disliked the art.
Overall, this was probably not the right read for me, but I love the idea of giving visuals to voices in poems like these.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors/A Wave Blue World for the early read.

Embodied is an illustrated poetry anthology created by a diverse collection of poets and artists. Created by LGBTQ, women and BIPOC to tell stories about sexuality, gender and shared life experiences.

I have never read an illustrated poetry anthology before, so this was a learning experience for me. There weren’t any poems that I did not like, but a few that I did not understand fully. However, the art helped push me in the right direction as well as reading the study guide at the back. And having the full poem after each entry was helpful to read each poem without the distraction of the art.

Reading these poems were like getting into the head of many diverse women, and often lines would stand out and surprise me with how much I can relate to the poem. I think there is a poem in here for anyone to experience and relate to.

The illustrations were beautiful and engaging, sometimes even pulling my attention away from the poetry. They covered intense concepts like miscarriage and sexual harassment. They were used perfectly to show the differences in tone and style between each poem while also following a common female-centric theme.

My favourite poems would be Good Bones by Maggie Smith, illustrated by Carola Borelli and Units and Increments by Shira Dentz, illustrated by Jessica Lynn.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

The download did not work for me but I have to review it so it doesn’t affect my feedback percentage. I would have liked to read this but unfortunately it provides an error for download on all 3 apps that are supposed to be NetGalley compatible. I guess I will try to get it from the library when things open back up.

Update: I was fortunately able to get a working copy, so here is my corrected review as promised!

First, I'll start with the things I liked about this. I love the concept of taking poetry and illustrating it. I really love the attention to diversity - not just in terms of gender, sexuality, race, and disability, but also in art style, structure, and the creative use of poetic devices. There is also a section at the back with a reading guide on the poems which was super helpful for further reflection and a section with process art that explains some of the artistic decisions and creative process.

Some of my favorites include "Good Bones" (liked the poem but was not a huge fan of the art style), Rubble Girl (wow wow wow); "Red Woman" (a heartbreaking ode to MMIW, suicide and mental illness disparities, and discrimination against indigenous communities); "Half Girl, Then Elegy"; "Incantation" (especially those last lines which I speak about later); "Bassam," and "Birth." Although these were my favorites, each and every poem in this collection provides an important perspective, whether it is about reckoning with the discovery and exploration of your own identity or with your identity in relation to the rest of the world (and sometimes both at the same time).

Some things I felt could have been improved were that the organization of the text amongst the illustrations. I felt at times that the "comic style" captions cut the poem in an awkward place or disrupted the rhythm. "Birth," however, is a great example of how the structure of the poem could be carried over into the art. I also disliked that a few of the poems were excerpts. "Incantation" was so good, and those last lines "Except me, you still kill everything" were unfortunately cut from the illustrated portion, but I felt like they were a much more powerful ending than "Then summer," so I was disappointed by that.

Overall, I love the message and vision of Embodied, and will definitely keep an eye out for similar work in the future.

This was a great book! I loved the illustration and the content! 10/10 will recommend to students and parents alike.

A wonderful and superb collection of poetry and illustration by a diverse and inclusive author group
I am sure every reader is going to love it for its honesty and raw power. It's sweet, and hard, and real all at once.
I could give it 10 stars if I could!

4 stars

LGBTQ, women, & BIPOC poets & artists unite to tell stories in this powerful collection. I’m impressed by the overall quality of both the art & poems. The themes include grief, love, family, nature, & fighting oppression. The messages are overall empowering.

[What I liked:]

•The concept of this book is really neat: combining graphic art with poem texts, art that “speaks between the lines” to help tell the stories.

•Themes include: parenthood, female bodies, aging, overcoming shame & self-hatred, racism, gender dysphoria, identity, grief, love, sexual harassment, war, & nature. There are sad, joyful, raging, & quiet poems. There is nothing limp or shallow here.

•The art is gorgeous. Several different styles are represented by various artists, but detail & thought was put into each page so that the pictures help tell the story & are an intrinsic part of this book.

•The plain text of each poem is included at the end of each chapter, so you can see the formatting on the page which is meaningful for a lot of poems. This also makes it easy to copy teaching or discussion handouts, & for taking notes.

•My favorite story-poems: “Voyages”, “Gender Studies”, “Love Letter To The Decades I Have Kissed”, “Bassam”, “Les Annees de Guerre”, & “Birth”

•Included at the back are samples of the artists’ works in progress, giving glimpses of their creative processes. That’s really cool!


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•I’d be very interested in some more background notes (preface or introduction?) on the inspiration for this project, how the poets & artists were matched, how the themes for the collection were chosen, etc.

CW: gender dysphoria, self harm, racism, sexual harassment, miscarriage, war/combat, abortion

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

At this point in my life, I recognize that I am someone who really loves poetry, but also really struggles to sit down and read it. In part because I second-guess if I “get” it–as an aside, so what! you don’t have to “get” it to enjoy it. I’m really glad I gave this anthology a try, though. This is my first time reading comics poetry, and I was really blown away by how much it added to/changed my experience of reading.

EMBODIED has a truly fantastic collection of artists and poets– I really loved how the title page for each piece names the poet, artist, and letterer. It seems small, but it gave me a deeper appreciation for just how many hands have touched each piece to present it in this final form. I loved seeing some familiar names, and being able to add new names to my “if you see this name snag that book IMMEDIATELY list.” Another format thing I loved – after each comic-poem, the poem appears in its original format. For some pieces, this really changed how I understood or interpreted lines or entire stanzas, so I loved having the opportunity to reconsider the pieces with and without additional visual information.

Content-wise, I thought there was a good breadth of themes, but was a little surprised by how many pieces focused on pregnancy. As someone with a complicated relationship to ideas of pregnancy and motherhood, I likely would have skipped over those pieces if I weren’t trying to give a more thorough review to this collection. At the back of this collection, there’s a “study guide” – if you’re like me, and sometimes want extra guidance or suggestions to help think about the poetry you read, I think you’d like this! The questions are open enough that they’re appropriate for any level of reader.

My favorite pieces were “Gender Studies” (Caroline Hagood, Stelladia, Cardinal Rae), “To The Cherry Blossoms on 16th and Wharton” (Kayleb Rae Candrilli and Hazel Newlevant), and “Settlement” (Vanessa Angélica Villarreal, Ronnie Garcia, and Cardinal Rae).

I really wish I could have read this but unfortunately, the file from NetGalley was having serious issues with my computer and phone. I could not read it no matter what format I tried.

I think what this represents and what it aims to do is super important and I can't wait to pick it up in the future when it actually is published.

3.5 Stars (I received an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I love reading poetry but I know that it can be tough for people to get into, but I feel this a great way for first time readers to try out poetry with some beautiful illustrations. Such a good mix of diversity in this collection from race and sexuality. Highly recommend.

A unique blend of poetry and comic that explores the relationships between the body, gender, and identity written by a diverse range of authors. As is to be expected in an anthology, the poetry and art is as diverse as the artists, and for the most part the art work compliments the corresponding poem. Some of the poems are difficult to read in comic form, so it is nice that the poems appear in full at the end of each "chapter".

In a stunning collection of varied art and heartfelt words, Embodied provides readers with a sense of being, a sense of belonging, and a sense of beauty. Each selection feels perfectly chosen, and the order in which readers follow is its own form of poetry.

Merging art and poetry was a genius move. I'm someone that can struggle at times with poetry especially when finding the meaning of the piece. But the artwork brought visualization that helped identify the moral or the critic of the poem. My biggest issue with this anthology is that I couldn't relate to a third of the poems. I think the main reason for this is since some of the subjects discussed are situations that I just haven't experience myself. I think this is an anthology that I could have appreciated more if I had read it a few years from now so I could have more life experience to understand this work.

I was really looking forward to this one but I just couldn’t figure out how to view the file. I’m hoping this isn’t a frequent issue. I’m able to download other files and view them on the shelf app.

This poetry comic anthology features a large array of authors and artists. The poetry and art that are brought to life in this collection is magnificent and beautiful.
The poetry and comics weaved together is stunning and work so well together. This collection features both artists and poets that identify as cis women, trans, and non-binary.
This anthology of 21 stories captures a wide variety of emotions and experiences that range from haunting to hopeful. This powerful collection is phenomenal and gorgeous. The way the comics and poetry enhance one another is inspiring.
These stories are incredibly moving an cover so much important subject matter. Thought provoking and powerful don’t even begin to capture the feelings and emotions this collection inspires.
A true masterpiece that will stick with you long after you finish.

I was surprised by this title. Combining poetry and the kind of graphic art found in comic books is a bold and interesting idea, and has a lot of potential. I will admit to being a fan of poetry, and so many of the words in this book came together to form pockets of beautiful art (even before we start talking about the graphic artwork). There were a few that didn't resonate with me, and I would have appreciated more of a content or trigger warning. There were definitely some topics, such as sexual harassment and discussion/description of miscarriage, that could have used at least a cursory mention before diving into them. The artwork is also amazing, and adds a level of visual beauty that might otherwise not be present.

Overall, I think this collection would be great for those who might not "understand" poetry (or they would worry that they didn't). The ability to visualize the wording with help of the artwork. A study guide always helps to make writing more accessible. A great resource for teachers and professors, though I would keep it for an older crowd. The themes covered might not be as understandable to a younger audience.

Wow, wow, wow! This comic poetry anthology has SO much value in so many ways. It is unlike anything I've ever seen. The fact that each poem gets its own comic by a different artist is so cool and unique. I loved seeing all the different styles. The combination of mediums and artists requires a collaboration I don't think I've ever seen, but which I have no doubt was thrilling for the artists and certainly was for me as a reader.

Reading the poems in comic form and then seeing them as they were originally formatted forced an active kind of reading I really appreciated. I had to consume every piece slowly and constantly engage different parts of my brain. Everything in this anthology was designed to enhance my understanding of the art. The pictures pushed me in the right thematic direction and then the study guide questions at the end led me even further. They helped me to think critically and to view the art in so many ways: visually, emotionally, psychologically, artistically. This is the sort of book you can read over and over and always get something new from it.

It is wonderful to see an entirely female, nonbinary, trans, LGBT+ book. So, so many diversities were represented. There were depictions of many races and sexualities, immigration, ancestral origins, motherhood, harassment, self-discovery, grief, etc. I'm hard-pressed to say a single person could pick this up and not find something that touched them. I felt seen and educated and in connection with other humans so many times.

The introduction said, "Poetry and comics have always been at the front of political commentary and social movements." And this anthology certainly was. Embodied pushes boundaries society has inappropriately placed on so many of these topics and people. It forges a path for new artists to put their own work like this out there and to see themselves in these artists. The collection is not afraid to be strong and angry and honest. I truly think everyone should read it.

I love this concept! Poems illustrated like traditional (and non traditional) comic books. I want more, please and thank you.

This intersectional feminist anthology features twenty-one stories by twenty-one fabulous poets. The poets and illustrators identify as cis women, trans, and non-binary and create a beautiful work that is diverse and universal. I loved that it felt both like a poetry anthology and a collection of individual comic stories on a larger theme.

It’s been a goal of mine these last few years to read more poetry, and this is 100% how I follow through on that. I hope to see more storytelling in this manner, and as comics and graphic novels move into the mainstream, I’m looking foward to seeing how that medium will change and grow.