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Face Up: A Collection of Outlaw Poems
WINNER OF THE 2021 OLEB BOOKS POETRY PRIZE
Face Up: A Collection of Outlaw Poems is a volume of unmistakable power. Defying social expectations, Suzanne Nielsen writes “I was born in the mid-fifties with fists for hands because / in utero / I knew life wasn’t fooling around.” As she explores recurrent themes of physical illness, depression, and addiction, she demonstrates self-awareness gleaned from a life lived fully.
Suzanne Nielsen’s poems are peopled with wry survivors attending to their lives with purpose and humor. A newly sober friend will “jingle his medallion in his pocket / and mimic a canine sense of direction.” An adult navigating clinical depression will “climb into bed wearing . . . street clothes that haven’t seen the streets for weeks.” Relationships form in unexpected ways. Bertha from the Midway “swore to sit on them, / and I swore to watch her back, / and we became best friends for those ten days.” In these poems of tenderness and grit, sorrow is always accompanied by wonder.
“Face Up: A Collection of Outlaw Poems is a powerful testimony of survival.
It’s a force to reckon with, deserves to be in any library strong in contemporary poetry and women’s writings, and ideally will assume its place of power in book club discussion circles. There, poetry can take on a new role as a major influence in and focus on living a passionate, rebellious life that eschews the mundane.”
D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
Face Up: A Collection of Outlaw Poems is a volume of unmistakable power. Defying social expectations, Suzanne Nielsen writes “I was born in the mid-fifties with fists for hands because / in utero / I knew life wasn’t fooling around.” As she explores recurrent themes of physical illness, depression, and addiction, she demonstrates self-awareness gleaned from a life lived fully.
Suzanne Nielsen’s poems are peopled with wry survivors attending to their lives with purpose and humor. A newly sober friend will “jingle his medallion in his pocket / and mimic a canine sense of direction.” An adult navigating clinical depression will “climb into bed wearing . . . street clothes that haven’t seen the streets for weeks.” Relationships form in unexpected ways. Bertha from the Midway “swore to sit on them, / and I swore to watch her back, / and we became best friends for those ten days.” In these poems of tenderness and grit, sorrow is always accompanied by wonder.
“Face Up: A Collection of Outlaw Poems is a powerful testimony of survival.
It’s a force to reckon with, deserves to be in any library strong in contemporary poetry and women’s writings, and ideally will assume its place of power in book club discussion circles. There, poetry can take on a new role as a major influence in and focus on living a passionate, rebellious life that eschews the mundane.”
D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
- GenresPoetry
82 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 27, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 8, 2023
I really enjoy Suzanne Nielsen's writing - the storyline flows so easily throughout the book, it is hard to put down. I highly recommend!!
March 8, 2024
Love these poems
I thought Face Up by Suzanne nielsen was wonderful. All the poems are strong. When I'm reading poetry, I want to feel something. Reading these poems did just that.
I thought Face Up by Suzanne nielsen was wonderful. All the poems are strong. When I'm reading poetry, I want to feel something. Reading these poems did just that.
January 20, 2023
This collection of poems was a gift. Frankly, I don't read too many poetry books, but I'm glad that I gave this one a shot. Some of the poems are dark, others are funny. They're all vivid and piercing. I recommend these poems to people who like to read memoirs, and enjoy the brevity of poems.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews