Workshopping the heart: New and selected poems by Jerri Kroll
Wakefield Press, 2014. ISBN 9781743051283.
(Age: Upper secondary students) Well recommended. This caressing,
probing, melodic and challenging volume of stream of consciousness
poetry invites the reader to participate in the wealth of variety
encompassed here. The subjects are wide and varied, from 'Death as
Mr Right' to 'Indian Movies', 'Monster Love', 'House Arrest', 'The
Mother Workshops' and 'New Poems' Each poem invokes a particular
personal memory and emotion in the reader. It's a sensitive and
challenging way to look at human relationships. 'House Arrest' is
such a surprise but so honest. It really is a volume of
'workshopping the heart' in all the emotions invoked by the clarity
and depth of the work The reader is invited to share the emotions of
the poems but also to enjoy their own reactions to each piece. It's
a very thought provoking volume, well worth re-reading.
Sue Nosworthy