Tag: poetry

Drowned In Milk Tea – Discussion Questions

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Happy new year fellow ace book lovers! We are gonna start the new year off right with a delightful poetry collection by an equally delightful person, Anne Chivon. Drowned In Milk Tea is a little different, as there are prompts before each poem and the pages are not numbered. Our suggested reading schedule is below:

Week One: The first 7 poems
Week Two: The next 5 poems
Week Three: The next 5 poems
Week Four: The last 6 poems

Let’s get started!

Week One:

Prompt: Write your own love story

-What love story would you write?

-What images does the poem give you?

-Does the poem remind you of anyone?

-How does the poem make you feel?

Prompt: Write about a “heated” moment

-Have you ever felt like the poem describes? Are you willing to talk about it?

-How can heat in love or passion be both a good and a bad thing? How is heat in general both good and bad?

-How do the metaphors in the poem relate to a passionate relationship? Or an unhealthy one?

Prompt: Write a chase scene

-What kinds of highs have you chased in your life?

-Has a person ever made you feel a rush like the poem describes?

-Are you ever reminded of a person or event during a certain season? What kinds of things have given you flashbacks before?

Prompt: Write a meaningful touch

-Are there any physical touches that live in your memory rent free?

-How can good things sour?

-How does the metaphor of being drunk and vulnerable relate to falling in love? To a healthy relationship? An unhealthy one?

Prompt: Write about tragedy

-How does the poem make you feel? Have you ever been made to feel that way before?

-Do you think the poem reflects an unhealthy relationship? In what ways?

-In what ways does the poem show the how cyclical abuse and abusers can be?

Prompt: Write about decay

-Have you ever experienced a love that decayed? How did it make you feel?

-What metaphors can you identify in the poem? How do they paint an image of decay? How does love decay?

Prompt: Write about something that’s burnt

-Have you ever met someone you felt was heartless? What made you feel that way?

-What emotions does a burnt heart make you feel? Does it remind you of anything or anyone?

-Have you ever been in a relationship (including friendships) that felt like the author is describing? What was the outcome?

Week Two:

Prompt: Write about dressing up

-Have you ever dressed up for someone else? Have you dressed up for yourself? How does it make you feel?

-How can makeup be used as a metaphor for something false or just pretty on the outside?

-What do butterfly kisses evoke for you? 

Prompt: Write about something red

-What does the color red mean to you? What kinds of emotions does it evoke?

-How does the poem make you feel? Have you ever felt like that before? Has a person ever made you feel that way?

-Once again, makeup is being used as a metaphor. What does it represent in this poem? What is being covered or hidden? 

Prompt: Write a “crystallizing” moment

-How does a relationship ending or an unhealthy relationship feel like rock bottom? How could it be crushed between your teeth?

-Why would someone want to travel to get away? How can it be an escape?

-Have you ever wanted to escape a situation or relationship? What moment led to that?

Prompt: Write about the future

-Have you ever had a relationship that left you feeling like nothing? That left you feeling empty? Have you wanted to bite back against those feelings?

-How can you feel stronger after surviving a difficult situation? Do you think that can cause you to grow as a person and learn?

Prompt: Write about dishes piling up

-How can ending a relationship feel like wasted time? 

-Do you ever look back on a relationship and remember the good, even if it ended badly?

-How do new relationships feel full of hope, and how can that hope and excitement change as time goes by?

-How are certain chores never ending? How can that be comparable to a relationship? 

Week Three:

Prompt: Write something that disappears

-Have you ever wanted to disappear rather than facing something unpleasant?

-How are disappearing and escaping different? How can disappearing be a form of escape?

-What situations are appropriate or even good to disappear from?

Prompt: Write a timeline

-Do you know anyone that has stuck around in your subconscious longer than they did in person? Are you willing to tell us about them?

-How can an unhealthy relationship feel like holding your breath? Why might you still feel like you’re exhaling even after it’s over?

Prompt: Write something that repeats

-What does the word “again” mean to you? What does it mean in the sense of a relationship? Of getting over someone?

-How can unhealthy or abusive relationships fall into a repeating pattern?

-How does the line spacing in this poem contribute to the theme of the poem?

Prompt: Write about a first

-How does this poem also utilize the theme of “again” to make its point?

-Do you think a relationship can stay as good as it was in the beginning? Have you experienced that?

-How does this poem also use the theme of the cyclical nature of abuse and unhealthy relationships?

-Is there anything you think is just as good as the first time you experienced it?

Prompt: Write about something forgotten

-Do you have things you can never quite remember? Whether it’s tastes or smells or memories?

-Have you ever been in a relationship that was incompatible? 

-How can strong happy emotions turn into strong bitter emotions?

Week Four

Prompt: Write about glass breaking

-What is something that has made you feel trapped? How can that help you relate to this poem?

-Explore the dynamic between being trapped by someone and then being let free. Can the person who did the trapping really let the other go? 

-Can you really be “released” from a relationship? 

Prompt: Write about something that is hidden

-How does a long term relationship change you? Your partner?

-What might the buried treasure look like? What would your buried treasure be?

Prompt: Write something you hear

-Can you find happiness without someone else?

-How can music help a person get over a relationship? How does music heal?

-In what ways are music and medication helpful for people?

Prompt: Write about an old joy

-Have you ever found it hard to let someone go but easy to take them back? How does that relate to the poem?

-How would you describe hearing from someone you care about after a long period of time?

-How is this poem another example of the cyclical nature of unhealthy relationships?

Prompt: Write about a breakdown

-How is poetry a good catharsis?

-Have you ever felt like there are a thousand words waiting to spill out? Do you write poetry? If not, what else do you do?

-Has anyone ever made you feel like the poem describes? What did you do to handle the emotions?

Prompt: Write about an aftertaste

-In what ways do relationships leave an aftertaste? How would you describe it?

-Do you ever find yourself nostalgic for things from your past? What causes it? Do you try to remember the good over the bad?

-How does the imagery of the poem make you feel? Does it adequately show what an unhealthy relationship is like?

Share your favorite poems and quotes from this collection! What themes did you most vibe with?

The Princess Saves Herself In This One (Book Club Discussion Questions)

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I hope everyone is ready to get started! Please keep in mind the trigger warnings; if a poem triggers you, you are welcome to skip it! If it gives you a moment to think and reflect, share your thoughts with us on social media with #GreatAceClub. Like last month, these discussion questions are just to get the ball rolling. You are welcome to answer all, some, or none and encouraged to share your own thoughts and questions, or pretty book art! This post collected all of the topics into one post so don’t worry if you read at whatever pace is natural for you.

Here are some questions to chew on for section I.

the princess

Section one deals with the princess, which sets up the start of the arch of the collection. Based on the title and the section names, can you see a theme becoming apparent with this collection?

-Amanda Lovelace discusses a lot of her trauma growing up in this first section. Are you able to relate to her at all? If not, do the poems in this section speak to you differently?

-Most people agree that you experience and understand your life differently at different stages. I, personally, am past my teens and twenties so come at these poems and themes at a different stage of life than someone who is still in high school or starting out on their own. How do your personal life experiences influence your perceptions of the poems? How might your perceptions have been different if you read this when you were younger?

-How do the poems in this section go along with traditional fairy tale beginnings?

-Did any of the poems stand out to you? If you’re willing to talk about it, why?

-This section dealt heavily with childhood and teenage years. Do you think that teenagers and young adults feel things more strongly? Did/do you?

the damsel

-What, to you, is the difference between a princess and a damsel? Are princesses always damsels or vice versa?

-Your first love can leave a lasting impact on you. How do we see this in Amanda’s poems? Do any of them resonate with you specifically? If you’re willing, share some experiences from your own past and how they shaped you.

-Poetry frequently deals with love and heartbreak; how do Amanda’s poems continue that tradition? Do you think that poetry is a good medium to express those feelings?

-How do the poems in this section go along with being a damsel? Is love and heartbreak intrinsically linked to being a damsel?

-Does experiencing loss, whether through death or heartbreak, go along with the idea of being a damsel? Is there a way to escape either?

-What does destiny mean to you?

-There is a consistent saying that you need to experience pain to be an artist, that trauma and heartache fuel creativity. Do you believe this? Has your own background made you more or less likely to create?

-How has the theme of the poetry moved from being a princess to being a damsel? How do you think the queen will play a part?

the queen

– Amanda explores some less than positive emotions in this section. How do you feel about poetry as a means to express feelings of revenge, pettiness, and other “negative” emotions?

– How can we take so called negative emotions and use them to grow? How can we take trauma and bad life experiences and do the same? Does one need pain to be an artist or does one just need the ability to grow?

– Do you think there is a difference between first relationships and relationships later in life? Do you believe that first relationships can last and if so, what makes them do so? How do Amanda’s poems about her later relationships differ from her first ones?

– In what ways can a new relationship feel like poetry? How can a healthy relationship feel the same?

– Everyone comes into a relationship with baggage; what advice do you think is important for people to know to make relationships work? Whether it’s love or friendship, how can you tame your personal dragons? What advice can you get from Amanda’s poetry?

– How do you see Amanda’s growth into this section?

– In what ways has the theme of saving yourself progressed to the section of the queen? How are the poems queen-like?

  • – Do you think your own life has had a princess-damsel-queen progression? Or would you say it’s something different? What would you title the sections of your life so far?
  • – Do any of the poems specifically resonate?

you

We’re at the last part of the princess saves herself in this one! This section is advice for us, the readers. We can definitely see the progression of the themes Amanda has presented and see it come to a close. Let’s talk about it!

– Do you write? How does Amanda’s advice on writing as a poet resonate with you?

– There are people who do not like the style of poetry Amanda uses, which is a more modern type of poetry. What do you think poetry is?

– How is poetry used as a form of protest? As a way for unheard voices to be heard?

– Amanda references some famous women poets of the past; in what ways has poetry been a voice for women when we were often silenced before? Do you think that poetry can be a universal experience? Or is it a way for the unheard to be heard?

– Poetry exists for many different purposes. Do you think Amanda is solely speaking to us, the audience, in this section or do you think any of her advice is for her past self? What did you take from this section?

– Did any poems really stand out to you?

March is almost behind us! We finished the princess saves herself in this one; did you enjoy it? What were some of your favorite or least favorite parts? The below questions, as always, are open for you to answer as many or as few as you want and I would love to hear some of your other reflections on this book!

– What does poetry look like to you? What does poetry mean to you?

– What makes something a good poem?

– How can poetry be used to figure out your emotions? How is it a voice for the unheard or for emotions you cannot necessarily process?

– What kind of poetry format is your favorite? Are you a fan of modern poetry, or do you prefer something different? What do you think draws you to that type of poetry?

– What would you say are the central themes of the princess saves herself in this one and how does Amanda use the section headings to move that theme or those themes along?

– Were there any poems or themes that really stood out to you?

– Be honest, did you cry?

– How do you think Amanda could build on her themes in her later books?

If you haven’t already you can pick up The Princess Saves Herself In This One in ebook, paperback, or audio read by Amanda Lovelace. Or check out her other poetry books in the Women Are Some Kind of Magic series.

Shelby Eileen’s Goddess of The Hunt

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I was given a review copy of this book, because I wanted to be able to review in time for aro week. As you might know, I love aro ace Artemis. It’s something that shines the truest to me so if you also want more a-spec Artemis this is a great option. Just out of the gate, you might like this for that.

I’ve posted Sappho’s poem was about Artemis before, that felt divine in a way. This is from a far more personal standpoint and will connect to those struggling with their identity. It’s not a book of greeting card affirmations, it’s honest and full of things that need to be said just as much.

From a pure poetry style point of view, it’s not my favorite style, but let’s be honest, poetry so wide ranging it’s a matter of personal taste. So if you’re unsure, give it a try because you wouldn’t want to miss something wonderful. I think everyone can find a gem in here that they’ll want to carry with them after reading.

Overall, it’s a worthy addition to any a-spec or Hellenistic pagan’s bookshelf.
Be sure to check it out for yourself!

May is Aces!

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This month I decided to add some of my favorite writers to the collection!
Cottontail Games: Monsters and Lovers
A short collection of poems that touch on finding yourself while in the spaces between toxic people and emotionally abusive lovers.

 

A Word And A Bullet
Colt, Janie, and Damien were planning a weekend at Zed Games when the real apocalypse canceled their trip. Now the planet is trying to kill them. Evacuation by plane is less than successful. The Piper goes down. They survive, stranded somewhere up the East Coast with all the gear they could ask for but no idea where to go, and natural disasters erupting in every direction.

 

The Big Book of Post-Collapse Fun
When Mab learns of a geologically stable place in Canada, she leaves Portland behind. Vet, the world’s dumbest remaining dog, goes with her, and while they try to navigate the wilderness, mountains become volcanoes. Strangers become bandits. Mab wasn’t prepared for this, but she writes the book on how to improvise in case of apocalypse.

 

Also featured this month is an aro ace moon phase inspired cross stitch from Sarah M. Carter! You can see more awesome works at Carter Threads!

 

Thank you to everyone who’s helped make The Little Free Library possible, and I updated the patreon’s goals with things I’d love to do in the future here.