Mouthful of Forevers

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When I asked Clementine von Radics, a 25-year-old poet from Portland, Oregon, what impact she wants to have with her art in general, there was a small pause.

von Radics: Writing has helped with that a lot. Often, I will feel very ashamed of something — we all do, I think, whatever other-izes us — but in writing about it and naming that thing and seeing that other people experience it as well, that brings recognition that moves a lot of the shame. I’m never going to have a different life. I’m never going to have a different brain. I’m always going to be this person and so the best I can do is to be kind and to be hardworking and to live honestly instead of trying to pretend I’ve had an experience that I don’t. That’s not going to serve me or anyone around me. I’m not in control of how intelligent I was born. I’m not in control of my inspiration. I’m not in control of whether or not I’m a genius or truly gifted. What I am in control of is my work ethic.”

Meaningful Mermaid Rhymes

Mythical and entrancing, mermaids have captured the imagination of humans for a very long time. In fact, the first known appearance of mermaids in human culture seems to have occurred about 1000 BC in Assyria (in the middle east close to Syria and Iraq).

There were some poems that were okay but I could still feel the emotion behind her words. I cannot wait to read some of her other poetry collections!

This is the first poetry collection I read by Clementine von Radics and I liked it. There were some beautiful poems I could relate to and I liked that Clementine was really raw and honest.

eARC provided by the publisher for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own* I love that her poems are so accessible. Anyone can read and enjoy and find something to which they can relate. I think she's an amazing example of how you do not have to use overly complicated, flowery language to say something profound. Something that will haunt the reader for the foreseeable future. I can't say enough good things about this. It's totally refreshing to read a poetry book that has me highlighting at least one line from every single poem. My favorite was probably her poem called "Advice to Teenage Girls/with Wild Ambitions/and Trembling Hearts," which is a one about the world's teenage, female heroes that made me cry instantaneously. Here’s the first stanza: There are so many quotes that I put aside to reference, but there are honestly too many to count. Von Radics’ poems feel like walking through a dream, in the best way possible, and I come out hazy with a deep emotional understanding of what I have read. In the last poem, aptly titled, The Last Poem, I was left with a promise of joy. It is the perfect last poem for a collection that sees dark depths and the beginnings of tenderer love than before. I personally love to read poetry in the hours between midnight and four in the morning while I am most vulnerable. However, I saw that there was a Clementine von Radics collection on NetGalley and had to have it and had to read it right that second because I love and adore her and need her words in my brain all the time.

von Radics: Oh, no. I absolutely struggled to find my own voice and I still struggle with it. I think every writer is [struggling]. I would be very bored of myself if I was already perfect. What keeps it interesting, what keeps you in love with writing, is the part of it that you struggle with. At least, for me. For me, it feels like a puzzle that I’m constantly trying to solve. If I’m working on a project, it tells me to write about something that scares me or challenges me. In a Dream You Saw a Way to Survive is a two-part collection that synthesizes some tough material into a well-curated examination of survival, trauma, heartbreak, grief, and hope. Von Radic runs the gamut of common themes explored in contemporary poetry so when I began reading the collection, I worried that they wouldn’t have anything new to say. Ultimately, Part I did not distinguish itself to me. Part II, on the other hand, PART II. Every time my best friend laughs I want to grab him by the shoulders and shout “Grow old with me and never kiss me on the mouth!” I want us to spend the next 80 years together eating Doritos and riding bikes. I want to be Oscar the Grouch. I want him and his girlfriend to be Bert and Ernie. I want us to live on Sesame Street and I will park my trash can on their front stoop and we will be friends every day. If I ever seem grouchy it’s just because I am a little afraid of all that fun.