I generally don’t enjoy poetry but occasionally, a collection will come that will blow my mind. I’d thought this one would be such, from the blurb. While it highlights many different social isms with its poetry, I couldn’t really connect with or fully grasp them. Big poetry readers will enjoy it though.

BloodFresh combines personal and political elements as if they are incompatible. These poems evolve and change. Stewart wrestles with racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia, as well as their intersections as an oppressed and an ally.

I wasn't expecting the visual style of the poetry; several pieces resemble prose. Poems experiment with sentence structure, capitalization, and spelling. Conversational poems are very popular. Stewart has recited her poems before, so I imagine them being read aloud. With a lyrical edge.

My favorite poem is Tantrums. Dancing for mental health and writing It whispered facts about my life that rang through my body. The best poetry moves me. Her poems are fantastic.

BloodFresh came first, then Home.

Girl.Hood. Part of me wishes I had read them to see how they grew. Even though I didn't read her other collection, BloodFresh made me want to. Strong poems about mental health, vulnerability, and freedom are included in this collection.

This book of poetry is beautiful, honest, flowing, and lush. It is confident and poignant and intelligent. It did take me some time to read it--I read in sporadic bursts when I felt I could be most receptive to the language and themes in Ebony Stewart's writing. Read this love letter to Black women and to Self, you will not be disappointed.

4.5 stars. I enjoyed the second half of this collection more than the first. I may go back and reread this at some point because it is possible I just wasn't in the mood for poetry. Review to come.

Este poemario es mas crudo y directo, no hay tapujos que escondan lo que Ebony quiere decir. Amo como la autora se dirige a diferentes tipos de personas de nuestra sociedad, a pesar de lo irrespetuoso que puede llegar a ser la otra persona o como imponen ideales a los más jóvenes.
Lo super recomiendo si sos mujer. El punto de vista desde la victima en cuanto la discriminación de género es muy fuerte y muy pocas veces se lee..

BloodFresh is a bold and riveting collection that will have you feeling all spectrum of emotions as you make your way through its pages. Her raw and sharp writing on topics like feminism and mental health are hardhitting and definitely worth picking up,

Unfortunately I don't think this worked for me. I really liked some of the poems and stories in here, however I would say if your like me and not musically or rhythmically talented you may have a tough time. The way a lot of this was written it felt to me like it should be spoken word, however my brain does not have the capability to do that itself. If the author was to release an audiobook in the future I would however 100% give this another go.

There were multiple pieces I really loved and I could feel the intention behind a lot of the work in here even if my brain wasn't completely working with it.

Everything mentioned in the description came across in the work however there were also a lot of religious aspects in here and that I was not expecting from the description and it did put me off a little.

Overall a good book but I feel it would benefit from an audiobook version.

Thanks to @netgalley , the publishers @buttonpoetry and the author @gullyprincess for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Home.Girl.Hood., I was so excited to find out that Ebony Stewart had a new collection of poetry coming out. This collection focuses primarily on women of color, but topics range from mental health, family, suicide, Covid-19/pandemic, etc.

My personal favorites in this collection Mental Health _Barz, Pity Party, and How We Forget: Covid-19 Files.

thank you netgalley and button publishing for an ARC of BloodFresh! I would highly recommend this collection of poetry and short stories. Ebony writes a celebration of identity. She uses her writing to own her voice to speak out against the things she’s experienced in her life. Racism, colorism, sexualization, objectification. These poems feel like a safe space to unite those who have experienced the same or similar things and moments in time.

BloodFresh fully succeeds in outdoing the author's first book of poetry for me, this book of poetry is rich and full of beauty for everyone to find themselves in. I found the poems much easier to understand and explore than with Home.Girl.Hood her first book of poetry, being dyslexic, poetry can be really hard to visually read and it's even harder to understand the bigger themes at work within the analogies and subtleties of the writing. I found BloodFresh to be relatable on so many levels and eye-opening in other ways, the author doesn't shy away from dark topics and explores what it means to be a black woman, especially a dark-skinned black woman and how colourism affects every aspect of how she is seen in the world. My favourite poems in this book explored race and the black identity and as a white woman, it has made it even more apparent how important it is to support POC authors in an industry that seems to fight against them at every turn. I highly recommend this work of art, listening to the author on Youtube and even seeing her in person if possible, she's highly intelligent and this book of poetry further highlights her talents.

BloodFresh is a mix of personal and political, as if the two aren’t interchangeable. There is revolution and evolution in these poems. We see Stewart grapple with concepts like racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and all their intersections, from both the point of view of the oppressed and ally.

I was not expecting the visual style of the poems; many of them resemble a piece of prose. However, the poems are fun, playing with sentence structure, capitalization, and word spelling. Many of the poems are written conversationally. I have seen Stewart perform her poems several times, so I read them in my head as if I were imagining them being spoken aloud. There was that edge to them to make them lyrical.

My favorite poem is Tantrums or How to be a Poet in Six Steps. It is a gentle dance between writing and mental health. For me, it whispered subtle truths for my own life, sending reverberations through me. The best poetry always does that for me. All her poems give me good vibes.

I read BloodFresh before I read Stewart’s other book Home.Girl.Hood. Part of me wishes I read them in order to see the growth from one collection to the other. Even though I didn’t read them in order, BloodFresh got me excited to read her other collection. You should read this book if you are looking to be moved by powerful poems that speak on mental health, vulnerability, and liberation.

Loved this so much , lots of the mentions of mental health really resonated with me
would love to read whatever the author brings out next

Thank you to NetGalley, Ebony Stewart and Button Poetry for letting me read an arc of BloodFresh.

This is my second collection of poetry by Ebony Stewart and like the first I maintain I am not it's intended audience. But Stewart has a way of bringing me into her world of emotion and allowing someone who could not possible have her life experience, gain understanding in some small way.

I am personally in a different place then when I read Home.Girl.Hood so my emotional affinity with the rawness and rage in Stewart's poems is more detached. this time around. But instead I found solace in her ideas about womanhood, strength and mental health.. My favourites were:

"Pity Party",
"How We Forget - Covid 19 Files",
"A Stronger Lie",
"Coming Undone"
and "White Men Say Weird Things to Me".

I believe and hope Stewart has much more success ahead of her with the fighting power she pours onto her pages.

A perfectly timely poetry collection that bares teeth and doesn't take any shit. I will be keeping an eye on the author's subsequent releases!

Thank you to NetGalley for accepting my request to read this book.

There were some poems in here that really struck a chord with me, and some that didn't.

However, this collection was a raw look into the perspective of black women and how they are treated and viewed by society.

Overall, it was an interesting read but would maybe resonate with others more.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved 'Home.Girl.Hood' so when I saw another collection by Ebony Stewart on NetGalley I was really excited.
This collection was good, it has a lot of great themes and beautiful writing in it, but it wasn't as good as 'Home.Girl.Hood' for me.
I'm definitely interested in Stewart's other poetry though, and look forward to seeing what else they have.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to have access to an eARC for this book in return for an honest review.

Apologies for taking so long with the feedback.

This is a collection of poems and short stories some I loved some was ok but overall they all made me stop and think and I think this is the best part of this book as it allows you to take a moment out and think about things in new ways

I adored this collection.

It tackled important topics like Race, Mental Health, Feminism, and Grief while having the main focus be women of color. I think that it s one that people should read. I also believe it should be shared in schools and apple he’s even if if it’s a few poems every semester/year. They are all beautifully written and I think, especially with the current views of today’s younger generations, it’ll be well received with more Recognition it gets.

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of Bloodfresh, and I have already pre-ordered it so I can have a physical copy!

The poetry in this book is honest and moving and holds space for trauma while also compelling the reader to expand their own understanding of topics including race, gender, sexuality.

The depth the poetry in this book holds is quite astounding, while also feeling edgy and revolutionary. A heartfelt thank you to the poet, Ebony, for intimately reminding us what it has always meant to be a black woman in the white capitalistic patriarchy.

This collection wasn't as strong as I was hoping. There were poems I enjoyed and others that fell short, but perhaps that has more to do with the fact I'm not the target audience. Nevertheless, I would still pick up the next collection Ebony Stewart publishes.