Annelyse Gelman is a woman I’d love to get to know over a glass or, let’s be honest,  a bottle, of red wine.  Humor weaves itself through this collection of poetry and intertwines with a raw sense of self in a way that can only be described as fascinating, and leaves me wondering how one poet can present such range of styles in a single body of work. And more importantly, be so damn good at it.

My introduction to Annelyse began with the poem, “Ars, Poetica”, in which she writes,

                            Hello,

my name is Annelyse. I have

chrysalized myself in the liberal arts

and now emerge, grotesque

insect, able to do nothing

but talk about everything.

 

True to her word, Annelyse does talk about everything. Her use of language, from the simplistic to the obscure, challenged my own knowledge and introduced me to words I hadn’t even imagined I was missing.  Ranging from the  hilariously honest lines of  “My Legacy”, in which she compares pregnancy to an unemployed friend who’s overstayed their welcome,  to the starkly beautiful “Melpomene”, each poem shares a feeling of truth.  That language hasn’t been used to simply create pretty images or phrases, but to expose the underbelly of the human experience in a delightfully unique way.

 

Delve into Annelyse’s world with your own copy of EVERYONE I LOVE IS A STRANGER TO SOMEONE from Write Bloody Publishing.

Learn more about Annelyse and her many projects at Annelysegelman.com.