Book Review #10

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 Ordinary Genius by Kim Addonizio

For context: I got given this book during my time in university. I also got to meet this author in person during a poetry reading and a class for university. It was a wonderful time and I appreciate the opportunity to get this book signed by her and to receive some valuable insight from her personally. 

    Seven years after my graduation from university, I have come back to this book. It has been a strange reunion, given that the last time I opened this book to properly read it, I was in a poetry class in university only partially taking the class seriously. I wasn't (and still am not totally) interested in writing or reading poetry. It has been associated in my mind with endless literary dissecting and often boring academic discussions of what the poem does on multiple levels. Through being in university and graduating with a degree in Creative Writing, I have come to understand that as a consumer of media and art, I simply just like things. I may be able to give a reason or two, but generally for me I will simply say "I just like it" and leave it at that.

    With all of that in mind, I came back to this book. For the last month, I re-read this with a distance offered to me by life that I'm glad I got. The distance made me truly appreciate Addonizio's guidance and suggestions for writing poetry and understanding poetry. I now can understand that poetry is worth at least an attempt at writing or reading with a more critical eye. Will I ever dissect it to the level as my English Literature-degree peers? No. Absolutely not. The thought of trying to do that again still leaves a negative connotation in my brain. (Perhaps I should try it again with the next poetry book I read...)

    Long blog post short, Addonizio's book has given me the inspiration to attempt writing poetry again, privately at first. And that is not something I have been able to say about a lot of the books I read or pieces of digital media that I consumed. So, for some reason, if this blog post ever reaches her gaze, thank you very much for rekindling that little spark in me. 

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