The Size Of Your Joy by Elise Powers

This poetry collection perfectly captures the feelings of growing up as a girl becoming a woman and learning through life situations, how you grow, adapt and change and how you become aware of dangers to your safety especially unfortunately. Some stand out poems to me were: California, was a deeply hard hitting poem, especially having gone through a near same situation, panic attack and all. The poem, Inventory Of Unnecessary Apologies, was a really simple poem playing into it's title about all the silly things we say sorry for in life, like the old joke of saying sorry for always saying sorry! A Broken Rule, about self judgement by looking in mirrors and how we should all I feel too, be more animal, and love ourselves without seeing our physical selves and putting all our worth into looks alone not character. Generational Healing, was such a beautiful and aware poem, I wish we all treated daughters, nieces etc to embrace not desire to change their natural physique and accept how we're all meant to be as our unique selves. Part 2, another accompanying poem as well, was a lovely reflectional as time has passed further and showing a lovely progression. Savage, was such a deeply impressive and well thought out poem on all angles of becoming a mother from the literal, the physical and to the emotional equivalent of holding your heart in your arms and having to protect it forever more not being inside you safe from harm. Two Sides Of The Same Moon, was a tender and deeply moving poem about both sides of fertility and the truth of how fragile it can truly be. There was also a great poem about simply appreciating clouds, something simple yet magical like all the colours of the sky, shapes and textures we observe not often enough that nature gives us the simple beauty of to appreciate and enjoy observing yet often overlook It was a beautiful collection of simple ways to see joy in every day life and situations.

The Dogs I Have Kissed by Trista Mateer

This collection of poetry details the all consuming feelings of falling deep in love and wanting to stay together before we read how it can unravel and leave you reeling and coping with your feelings. Keys On The Coffee Table, was a powerful poem of freedom and escape from feeling trapped in a relationship too when it can be a toxic situation and was easily the stand out poem of this collection to me for being so simple, leave a bad situation if you don't feel loved or happy there or in that relationship, a very important core message to take away from the collection.

To Be Loved By A Poet by Michael J Schiuma

This poetry collection literally does as it says and tells us of how a poet felt so deeply for his beloved. A couple of stand out poems to me were: Mine To Lose, was a beautiful poem about how we can easily lose sight of the weight of precious love in the heat of an argument and how it can ruin and sever Space, was a poem about longing for love that has left leaving you feeling deeply sad at the end of the time together. It was a beautiful collection capturing how it is to feel so deeply encompassed in love but the turmoil of loss and grief of it as well, the beauty and pain of having the chance to feel the depths of emotions so fully.

The Art Of Loving Yourself by Nana Juste

This poetry collection is set into three parts: Healing, Boundaries and acceptance/integration telling a poetic story of healing through to accepting how life was and now is and all endured along the way to alter your feelings. From shrinking to fit in, having boundaries, to respect yourself first before serving up time to people who would use or waste it unappreciatively and how you flourish through learning, growing into the adult your child self once needed, craving the necessary love to feel able to flourish. A lot of the poems talk about how being present for yourself isn't loneliness but healing and solitude to learn to be comfortable alone, a necessity when you will always have yourself in this life. The book absolutely owned it's title and clearly maps a way to approach your own self reflections on life as you grow, progress and reflect on everything you've experienced and find yourself relating to multiple poems in this collection.

Mama Poems by Melody Li

This poetry collection was as the title says, poems by a mama about her experience becoming a mum and embracing all it entails. A couple of stand out poems to me were: Seeds And Fruit, about the sizing and changing baby growing in fun comparisons to foods. We All Just Need To Sleep, was a tender look into life trying to adapt and sleep with a new one, in a comfortable way for all and no judgement to achive said rest much needed! These poems are so precious capturing the delight and pain in pregnancy and the joy and bliss as well as testing times in raising baby too.

After You Notice by OCTAVIA OCTAVIANO

This poetry collection focuses on all the ways of fulfilling your heart and doing want you need to or want to do versus making someone else happy, even if it is work, you need to fulfil your own desire, doing it despite maybe failing ahead but pleasing yourself first.

Every Constellation by Shannon Sonnenberg-Pietila

This poetry collection focuses on the first experience of love and a relationship that shapes you and your idea of love, lust and most importantly trust. Perfectly capturing the highs and lows of young desire and love that felt endless until doubts in trust make cracks and a split occurs.

On This Beautiful Day by Genevieve Luke

This poetry collection reads as if for a wedding, each one usable as speeches but is also just a beautiful collection of poetic words of how love can make you feel and appreciate. Some stand out poems to me were: Evergreen, was a beautiful poem to celebrate how life and love can be like the seasons renewing. Twenty Questions, was a great poem and engaging for people to get involved with. THE ALPHABET OF LOVE, was an incredibly simple poetic look at making the alphabet for a couple in love a set of rules to live by styled A-Z. The collection is full of stunning poetic imagery from seasons to daily life feelings, finding beauty in the every day mundane feeling more spectacular in love and with your beloved. A brilliant collection to spark inspiration from for poetry or indeed, a wedding speech!

This Book Has No Ending by Shannon Sonnenberg-Pietila

This was a beautiful collection of poetry in which each poem serves up hope and realization on reflection about life and love especially self love and putting first yourself always to be truly happy.

Secrets Make You Sick by Sarah Erin

This poetry collection was a raw and unfiltered look into life coping with mental health, bipolar and the effects in life and all the ups and downs it brings. Some stand out poems to me of this collection, focussed on pregnancy loss especially from an unexpected pregnancy and the pain of the sudden experience. There was also a lot of poems about the effects of bipolar and how being misunderstood by others can leave you feeling so sad and worse as your condition can be viewed so negatively by others unwilling to take time to educate themselves.