This poetry collection was deliciously dark, gothic, and lush. I loved all the Shirley Jackson's influences and the haunting prose of the author. The imagery was so expressive and well crafted all throughout the book. I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for the free copy of this book!

Poetry is a unique art. You don’t just read it, you experience it. Poetry is all together different, meant to be savored, not simply devoured. Fawned over, repeating lines multiple times.
Poetry is a multi flavored all day sucker. You lick and if the flavor suits you then you keep licking that spot over and over, until you are satisfied before moving on to the next stanza. You gently test and figure out the flavor, reading and tasting the lines, absorbing the meaning.
ON THE SUBJECT OF BLACKBERRIES has so many of my favorite flavors. Anger, hatred, pain, anxiety, death, fear, grief, violence…each one delicious in its raw sensation. Bitter, yet sweet. Hold the taste in your mouth as Stephanie’s emotions radiate through the rest of your being, spreading the sensation each time you tongue over the words.
The wonderful thing about well written poetry is that it won’t taste the same to everyone and it won’t be the same even to yourself when you read it again.

This ARC On the Subject of Blackberries is dark exploration of a soul going through bout of negative energy to see what lies beyond the forest, beyond the village road into the heart of the rickety gingerbread house. It’s macabre and imagery set up my mind for some Grimm places dipped in Caitlin R Kiernan. I wanna thank this wonderful poet for setting me up for some wonderful inspiration. Though it flows as one whole display, it’s a plot playing its way within many plots. When I say I want haunting poetry, this is where it is. This is where it grows.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review :)

4 stars!

I really loved the vibe of this. The opening alone got me and I thought "oh wow". The reason it's not a 5 star despite how much I loved this is because it didn't hit me all the way through, but it is still a collection of stunning work and words. Very happy to have found another poet and talent to keep my eye out for.

The setup up for this had me really excited. I love We Have Always Lived in a Castle by Shirley Jackson. So when certain passages were to be inspired by it I couldn't wait to read it. On a more serious note I too also struggled with depression during and after my pregnancy. It was debilitating at times but you still had to get up and parent this beautiful being you created.

Let's start with my favorite quote that stood out to me. "The dishonesty of disguise picks at me, my true form a cackle peeling from the walls". Wytovich is so raw in her passages showing the barest parts of her struggle that most of us continue to disguise from prying eyes. It is a social taboo to not be overjoyed with the birth of your child. No matter how traumatic the birth was or your own personal struggles after. They need to be pushed to the wayside forced out by smiles and happiness weather faked or not. No one wants to be burdened with a mom who is not picture perfect when a new baby enters the world. I was moved to experience her feelings and to find solace within them. Her poetry is dark and moving. I feel with poetry it's so personal especially this collection so it's hard for me to rate it. I enjoyed her intro and all the easter eggs inspired by Shirley Jackson but if you have never read it you won't pick up on them at all. I also felt a little lost sometimes with the collection feeling a little all over the place. It's less of a story and more of raw feelings bared all for the reader.

My rating 3.5/5 rounded up

I like the idea of poetry, but I need to be honest in my review, I don't understand this poetry very much. I really like the authors notes, though.

Welcome to the garden. Here we poison our fruits, pierce ourselves with thorns, and transform under the light of the full moon. Mad and unhinged, we fall through rabbit holes, walk willingly into fairy rings, and dance in the song of witchcraft, two snakes around our ankles, the juice of berries on our tongues.

I've never been a huge poetry fan, but this really hit the spot for me. I'm a huge fan of gothic horror and these poems perfectly captured those vibes.

What an engaging and beautifully written poetry collection! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even through the moments of darkness and pain on the page. I was especially moved by the author's preface - knowing what these poems were born out of helped me connect more deeply to the writing. The intro was written with such specific style and emotion that I knew I would be hooked on the actual poems. Definitely my favorite style of poetry - very real and intense while still living in the land of poetic language. The descriptions of the more horror/grotesque images were so well done - everything was visceral. I will be thinking about this collection for a while, what it means to go from "maiden to mother" as she put it. There are just so many heavy feelings that were explored in these poems - putting things usually unexpressed about the experience of birth and motherhood and postpartum into words that were so powerful. Will be recommending this one!

Thank you to NetGallery & RDS Publishing for the advanced copy!

On the Subject Of Blackberries

This book is haunted. In addition to Shirley Jackson, I see traces of Mary Shelley and Stephen King.

It’s so dark. This is a book for those of us who keep the lights dim and keep only candles lit, those of us who feel magic in horror, and embrace the shadows.
I’ve only seen the movie for We Have Always Lived in the Castle, but now I have to read the book.
This concept was very cool. I enjoyed some of the poems. Some of them I didn’t like as much, maybe they just didn’t click with me. But I love the concept and style, and I would recommend this to anyone who likes horror stories. There are a few complimentary illustrations throughout the book on chapter pages and with certain poems, it was a nice detail.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

On the Subject of Blackberries had everything I could have every wanted: gothic, We Have Always Lived In the Castle vibes, poisons, foraging, witches, it just sounds so good.
Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. The prose felt more like ramblings and late night notes app entries than formulated, flowing poems. The writing was, and this may be harsh, just blends into the background. There was no defining shape, unique voice, nothing to set the poet aside from others. It also felt rushed, like this was compiled last minute.

This author manages to write poems that are simultaneously delicate and sharp, and the juxtaposition is enthralling!

I loved this but feel it’s meant for a different audience. The visceral imagery is something horror writers aspire to and combined with the lyrical prose it was stunning. Some poems will stick with me for a long time.

Unfortunately despite adoring the writing I found myself struggling to connect. Whether it be because I’m not a mother or some other reason it felt like I was missing a key element to be enveloped by this collection. Still a really solid collection of writing that I would recommend.

Rating: 4/5
TW: Violence, Gore, Unsafe Food, Postpartum Depression
(Gifted a copy on NetGalley in exchange for a review)

“On the Subject of Blackberries” is a fascinating, if conflicting, poetry collection from Stephanie M. Wytovich. Inspired by Shirley Jackson’s "We Have Always Lived in the Castle", the poems focus on nature, violence, murder, the domestic space and all the festering wounds in it.

Accompanied with some lovely illustrations, the poems are sectioned off into short chapters without titles for individual poems. While it can make deciphering when some of the longer poems end difficult, the effect of them all working together is well done. Wytovich’s imagery is brilliant (“two cups of sleep”) and the emotions pulse, like on page 112.

I say confusing, and this does throw the book a beat off, because the reader has two short writing entries (“The Witchcraft of Writing” and “Author’s Note”) before the poetry begins. Both are by Wytovich and speak on how she relied on poetry and Jackson’s novel while recovering from giving birth. These pieces are well written and intriguing, but set up a collection that I don’t think we get. I kept looking for more birth imagery, more references to Wytovich’s preludes. If presented without such context, I think the poetry would have been stronger and I could have read it with a clearer eye.

It’s a great poetry collection for anyone interested in nature, witches, and violence.

“No matter how bad or dark things got in my head, the shining light behind all of it was my little girl’s laugh, her smile, her tiny hand in mine. “—excerpt from the author’s note*

Anyone who follows Stephanie Wytovich on social media has seen pictures of her darling daughter Evie, an angel with a magnetic smile. Wytovich’s latest poetry collection is dedicated to Evie and inspired by the dark days of postpartum depression and various other mental health and home issues. Wytovich leaned heavily on her favorite novel Shirley Jackson’s WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, studying repeated words and seeking to solve the cypher created by Wytovich’s own demons.

Wytovich states that her writing process for this collection was different than that of her others. The format is different as well. Instead of individual titled poems, ON THE SUBJECT OF BLACKBERRIES contains numbered poems that work together to create a singular unsettling vision. Step inside Wytovich’s Jackson inspired world, but beware as the blackberry tea is laced with terror.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Raw Dog Screaming Press for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

*Please note that my review is based on uncorrected text.

This is purely a personal rating and not indicative of the quality. This is a quality collection. But it’s a style that just sadly isn’t for me. I commend the vulnerability for sharing a collection of poems meant to heal during a turbulent time in Wytovich’s life. These are clearly personal poems. But when personal poems get turned into a public form like a poetry collection readers can be left confused and I was. I enjoyed what I could parse out namely the intensely great creation of a macabre mood and the occasional poem I could understand to what feelings/experiences it was referencing.
I am very glad Wytovich starts off with an intro that establishes a background to the poetry. Too often I struggle to find the background and setup for poetry collections as you need to sweep the internet for interviews and only once recorded readings where the poet talks about the process and creation of the collection. But Wytovich lays it bare with her wonderful intro! As she notes these poems were written while she was struggling with post partum depression, a new OCD diagnosis, and practicing self love. I am amazed at the vulnerability to publish this colleciton of poems made during the little moments alone after reading her comfort book We Have Always Lived In The Castle (which is were the bibliomancy mentioned in the blurb comes from). However this does cause some issues for some readers. This collection draws heavy inspiration from We Have Always Lived In The Castle. These poems are written after having read passages and as such for those unaware of the source material many references or aides for the poems are lost.
Wytovich's form is nice. The poems err on the short side but that can lead to some strong poems in here. Very few are longer than two or three medium-length stanzas. Her poems are also very abstract. She creates wonderful mood and feeling. But sometimes it feels unclear what she is talking about. I know its probably snippets of emotions or feelings during that time of her life with PPD and her new OCD diagnosis but it feels too abstract for me to understand at times. These poems were written in little moments and are seemingly self-reflective. These poems are great to examine how she feels. But they weren't initially meant for an initial audience so it's hard to tell what is going on and whether this is a poem trying ot artfully portray a message about PPD, OCD, or some other experience and what is her just expressing her feelings after a hard day and reading some.
So if you're not into more abstract poetry or poetry with witch-y elements and allusions this might not be for you. That sorta stuff just isn't for me. It's not bad, it's just sadly not for me. I generally enjoy more concrete and narrative poems.
That being said there were some absolute bangers. I loved her poems that touched on hiding inner rage, unhappy marriages or relationships (which I think was more references to that one book), her want to die (omg relatable girl), and struggling as a mother by feeling like a ghost who's barely there.

Thank you NetGalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for the chance to read and review this book.

Stephanie M. Wytovich is a good writer. I absolutely loved the way she introduced this collection. It's also really made me want to read 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' which I haven't wanted to do so in the past.

However, maybe it's the fact that I haven't read any Shirley Jackson or maybe I'm not too into horror poetry (I haven't decided yet) I wasn't really enthralled by her poetry.

I'm not a big fan of modern poetry, but as a massive fan of Shirley Jackson, this description really intrigued me. This collection was hit or miss for me, but I blame that on my aversion to modern poetry and not the poet. It definitely delivers the promised gothic vibes, and the illustrations serve to highlight and add to the overall feel of the collection.

"Tell me: do you know what it's like to swallow fire only to never feel yourself burn?"

I thought this collection of poetry was deeply moving and haunting. The vulnerability the author writes with is truly commendable. She is sharing her story of PPD, grief, mental health struggles, etc. The poetry covers heavy, sometimes grotesque, subject matter but is also delicate. I especially loved all the illustrations throughout this book and thought they added to the poems greatness. I will also definitely be checking out Shirley Jackson after this!

If there is any sort of divine influence then I am certain this book was meant to find me. This author is new to me, but we have some things in common. Birth trauma & having a baby during a pandemic, mental illness, therapy, occult interests, comfort in horror, writing. The comfort I found in horror after giving birth involved Shirley Jackson, though not We Have Always Lived In the Castle. It has been a wide range of horror, with my most read author being Stephen King. I have found it funny that going through these experiences I found comfort reading books by a man who was very much a product of his time (he has improved on this since the 80s - since his sobriety). When I read books written by men (including King) I often feel the need to cleanse my palette. This is the perfect little palette cleanser. Now I'm off to read Jackson & I will be looking for more of this author's work

"I laugh in red, the first
Symptom of violence."
~ On the Subject of Blackberries

"On the Subject of Blackberries" is a captivatingly grotesque collection of speculative poetry. The poems maintain a delicate balance between a gothic undertone and saccharine sentiments, revealing the intricacies of an emotional journey in a visceral manner. This anthology of poems is delivered with an unflinching honesty. The poems skilfully interweave of darkness and warmth , creating a symphony that vividly portrays the nuances of postpartum depression. Undoubtedly, the muse of this polite horror is a wounded beauty named motherhood. The verses strikingly conveys the raw, feral and bittersweet elements of this paradoxically beautiful and violent blessing. The collection manages to encapsulate both the gothic and rhapsodic essence of newfound motherhood, forming a cohesive landscape where these seemingly contrasting elements coexist harmoniously. Ultimately, these verses intricately weave a tapestry of emotions, providing a vivid and impactful exploration of the multifaceted nature of motherhood. This achievement stands as a remarkable, albeit haunting, testament to the power of poetic expression.