Writing Poetry in the Dark brings together some of the most successful contemporary genre poets to discuss topics related to creating dark and fantastical poetry. While there are countless books available for the aspiring poet, there is a lack of resources specifically for and on specula…

Cynthia Pelayo sings a song for the least of us, the victim we want to forget as soon as possible, the one who disappeared before ever really appearing. With a fairy tale gaze and a heart bigger than the world, her siren song insinuates itself past our defenses, past the hardened calluses…

In the county, eerie stillness can be mistaken for stagnation. In the county, rumination on pain and guilt can be confused with omens and curses. In the county, feelings of claustrophobia stem from understanding what the encroaching darkness brings with it. You’ve heard of country girls, …

My Life Had Stood a Loaded Gun by Emily Dickinson My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've been curious about Emily Dickinson's poetry for a while, so when I saw this little book on Amazon, I grabbed a copy. Every single poem featured in this great collection is interesting in its own wa…

Exposed Nerves continues the explorations into dark poetry by Stoker Award winner and Shirley Jackson Award nominee Lucy A. Snyder, pairing the author’s sly wordplay and imagery with grim introspection. By turns challenging, wryly amusing and gut-wrenching, Snyder’s work plumbs bitterswe…

When was the last time you walked through the woods? Checked under your bed? Walked down into your basement alone? Monstrum Poetica by Jezzy Wolfe is an invocation of boogeymen, a graveyard seance, a summons to horrors both large and small. This is a collection of poems that bite, scrat…

A haunting ossuary of tiny poems covering a wide range of topics such as love, romance, relationships, queer sexuality, religion, death, demons, ghosts, bones, gender, and darkness. The Smallest of Bones guides those on an intimate journey of body acceptance, with sparse words dedicated…

A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng is an exploration of the darkness inside us, the shadow-self that screams and begs, forever fighting to claw itself out. It’s a siren song of transformation, an uncovered diary that bleeds fairy tales and dystopias, and it reads like a grimo…

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories by Tim Burton My rating: 5 of 5 stars I like Tim Burton's storytelling style and art. A lot. He's got a certain way of capturing the strange and weird in a sad, yet very entertaining way. I mean, The Nightmare Before Chris…

I Am Not Your Final Girl by Claire C. Holland My rating: 5 of 5 stars I want to start by saying that I love the simplicity of this cover. It's as sharp as the poems inside, and captures the subject matter within perfectly. I've been watching horror movies since I was ver…

Doomsday is here and the earth is suffering with each breath she takes. Whether it’s from the nuclear meltdown, the wrath of the Four Horsemen, a war with technology, or a consequence of our relationship with the planet, humanity is left buried and hiding, our bones exposed, our hearts…

The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One by Amanda Lovelace My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is the third book in the Women Are Some Kind of Magic poetry series. Although I loved the first two because of their raw emotion and sense of empowerment, I found this one to be a disappoint…

The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One by Amanda Lovelace My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is the second book in the Women Are Some Kind of Magic poetry series, and just like the first one, this is actually my daughter's book. She encouraged me to read it because she knows how I fe…

Ariel by Sylvia Plath My rating: 5 of 5 stars I enjoy throwing a bit of poetry into my reading routine, and my daughter (who studied Plath during her HSC) recommended this one. The thing about poetry is how well words are used to paint an honest picture able to capture the heart…

Breathe. Breathe. by Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi My rating: 5 of 5 stars After hearing a lot of great things about this collection on Twitter, I decided to pick up a copy for my Paperwhite. And I'm glad I did, because it truly is wonderfully dark. I love that this collection has s…

The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is actually my daughter's book. She got it ages ago and really enjoyed it. I've had my eye on it for a while. So I thought this might be a nice way to start my reading year. I picked it…