Though I didn’t understand all of what I read, I enjoyed every bit of Mary Jo Bang’s “A Film in Which I Play Everyone.” These were strong second act poems, just trust the process and don’t leave at intermission. Bang is making art here, it’s lovely to witness.

I’ve gotten super into reading poetry lately, and this collection was not only beautifully written by extremely aesthetically pleasing, and the layout and design of this collection was stunning.

I liked the way that this collection played with different perspectives. I enjoy Mary Jo Bang’s poetry and have read quite a few of them recently. While I enjoyed this one, and I will recommend it to others, I don’t think it’s her best work or the most touching of her work. At points, this collection felt a little impersonal and it took me some time to work through. Overall, I think I would rate it a 3.5-4 as I did really enjoy quite a few of the poems in this, even if I felt some other poems fell flat.

adored the use of voices and perspectives in this collection. bang tries on different selves in different poems, from side character to observer to lead, each embodied with empathy. the collection also does a brilliant job exploring power in relationships and turning inwards, and its references are seamlessly interwoven with bang's own poetic voice.
that said, several poems, particularly in the collection's 4th section, lost me. I kept hesitating in my reading, kept getting distracted when I should've been pulled in, partially because of my own situation, but partially because I felt the poems were losing focus as well.

Day 26 of #TheSealeyChallenge 2023. A Film in Which I Play Everyone by Mary Jo Bang published by Graywolf Press.

@SealeyChallenge @GraywolfPress @maryjobang

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Man I love the moments of interiority.

Some of my favorite moments:

A hand (not mine) covers my mouth. Nature is never fair.

Stop me, the mouth says to the mind.

The only thing that broke the silence was a sound that can’t be made audible outside the brain.

I could tell, time was a migraine heading straight for my right eye.

I have only ever wanted the red sky to turn blue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Graywolf Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


A Film in Which I Play Everyone by Mary Jo Bang is a wonderful collection of poems. This collection really fits the name as there is such a cinematic element to each of these poems, touching on many different themes, and the utilization of imagery is so captivating. The title being taken from a quote by David Bowie feels comfortable, as each poem has a sense of magical uniqueness that can very much feel connected to a person like David Bowie. Diving into this book provides such a similar experience as to going to the movies, connecting with each story in one way or another, but also allowing us to enter into new and unknown spaces we may not have traversed before.

Expected publishing date is September 5th, 2023 by Graywolf Press

I was excited to read this book, but I found myself feeling that maybe it wasn't for me. I felt like there was something that I wasn't quite getting. There were lines and sections of the book that I thoroughly enjoyed but I struggled to understand the book as a whole. Like I said, I just felt like there was something missing the entire time.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.