I first discovered flinch and air by Laura Jane Lee from @lesenwanderer bookstagram account. So what happened was, I contacted lesenwanderer to see if she would be interested to read and review my poetry collection: A Season of Poetry. I was very glad when she accepted. A couple weeks later, she paired the review of my poetry collection with flinch and air, another poetry collection – what an honor for me! Here is the post.
As such I have lesenwanderer to double thank – not only for reviewing my poems but also for introducing me to Laura Jane Lee’s poetry.
Asian Experiences
flinch and air is a collection of poems on various experiences of Asian women, from the author’s grandmother to other women she met who inspired and left an impact on her (for example the taxidermist of the museum). The poet included her own experience in Sweet Like a Bao, which actually is my favorite poem in the collection. Perhaps because I have been to Hong Kong (the poet is based in Hong Kong) and can imagine all the lines she is evoking.
There was a particular poem about the father and daughter that I think is a real masterpiece, but my heart hurts too much reading it because well, let’s just say I wish I had what that daughter had.
Poetry Style
Poetry is something so personal, and every poet has a unique voice, especially if they’re reaching deep into themselves, bearing the insides of their soul through their poetry. That’s what I love and hunger for when I read poetry, and Laura Jane’s poems satisfied that craving of mine. Some poems were easily understandable and made me smile, while others relied on evoking moods through rhymes and rhythms, which I enjoyed also.
Format
I read this book on my Kindle, and I bought the ebook from Outspoken store. However, I must say some of the digital formatting didn’t translate too well to my device. I know it’s fiendishly difficult to format poetry into digital books, so that’s why whenever possible I prefer buying a physical copy of poetry collections rather than a digital copy. Alas, flinch and air is not readily available in Indonesia and shipping would cost an arm and a leg so that’s that. The price of convenience, eh.
Well. at the moment, I’m still quite satisfied with the amount of money I spent and the content I got. I hope Laura keeps writing and creating!
