Hey bookworm friends, I hope your books are treating you well. I’m not a reader of poetry but I recently picked up my first poetry collection because it was written by a Scottish poet I follow on Instagram. While I don’t feel well-equipped to review poetry, I’m happy to shine a light on her book Poyums, and I’ll talk a bit about how I felt reading it.
One of my reading goals for 2024 was to read books from creators I follow on social media and Poyums fits the bill.
About Poyums
Author:
Len Pennie
Genre: Poetry
Year Published: 2024
Publisher:
Canongate Books
Format Read: Physical
Source: Library Borrow
Cover Artist:
Valeri Rangelov
Book Blurb:
And I have done more than just simply get by
So much more than escape or survive
Through the galvanisation of love, time and patience
I’ll take hold of my story and thrive.
After life that was seldom what life ought to be
Through laughter and love I’ll be whole
This story is mine from the cover to spine
And the narrative I will control
Whether she’s writing letters to her younger self, advocating for women’s rights or adapting fairy tales to process an abusive relationship, Len’s voice is bold, unashamedly frank and unmistakably hers.
The poems in this collection, both funny and fiercely feminist, announce a formidable new talent. Moving deftly between English and Scots, poyums is as approachable as it is affecting.
CW: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationships, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Rape, Suicide.
Mini Review
This collection bounced back between poems in Scots and poems in English. I don’t speak Scots so it was fun to try to figure out the meaning of words based on context and I also looked up a lot of words! I’ve been watching Len’s “Scots word of the day” videos for years and have even seen her recite a few of her poems from this book! That’s what convinced me to read the collection because I found her poems accessible and affecting at the same time.
She writes about topics such as feminism, language, and mental health and has a talent for getting to the heart of an issue so eloquently. In the poem ‘Vanity’ the line “they will sculpt you a mirror, then label you vain” is one of my favourite lines of the whole collection. It perfectly describes the double standards and hypocrisy of men’s obsession with beautiful women; what a short, snappy, and dead-on assertion. You’ll find lots more like it.
The first poem in the book was written soon after she left an abusive relationship. She mentions in the interview at the back of the book that writing this collection feels like the beginning of her healing journey. The collection is raw and vulnerable. Some poems are filled to the brim with rage, and some are hopeful and feel like a hug for your younger self. Still others incite a bitter laugh. Her poem ‘In Their Own Words’ is difficult to read because it’s made entirely up of hateful messages she’s received from trolls & misogynists. The fact that she could make a whole poem out of them should sicken everyone. Pennie’s ability to find joy and pursue her passion with grace and authenticity is nothing short of inspiring.
About the Author
Len Pennie is a poet who writes predominantly in the Scots language. She writes passionately about the promotion of minoritised languages, survivors of domestic abuse and the destigmatisation of mental illness.
Purchase Links
⟡ Blackwell’s │Barnes & Noble │Bookshop.org ⟡
These purchase links are not affiliate links.
Author Socials
⟡ Instagram ⟡
I found this introductory video of Pennie and Poyums and it made me tear up so I’ll just leave it here.
Let’s chat in the comments!
Do you read poetry and if so what’s your favourite? Or, what are you currently reading?
I’m with you on finding it difficult to review poetry. The poetry tag on my blog is almost entirely poems I’ve liked and shared, like excerpts from Gibran or classical poetry. The only collection I see is Asimov’s “Familiar Poems, Annotated”. I have a couple of Wendell Berry’s poetry collections at home, which I’ve rescued from garage sales and the like.
As for favorite poems…”Invictus” and “The Tyger” were early favorites. The Tyger is the first poem I ever memorized, I think. I make a habit of trying to memorize poems or at least passages of poems — largely because I enjoy reciting them, but also to be a stubborn reactionary fighting against the obliteration of cultural memory by tech. There’s a passage in “Essay on Man” I love, as well as “Breathes there the man”. That last one was partially quoted in Groundhog Day, which is how I found it. “Psalm of Life” is another favorite. Presently I’m trying to memorize “Barefoot Boy with Cheek of Tan”. It’s a celebration of boyhood — and specifically, of the unconscious joy of being young and exploring the world.
“With the sunshine on thy face,
Through thy torn brim’s jaunty grace;
From my heart I give thee joy,—
I was once a barefoot boy!
Prince thou art,—the grown-up man
Only is republican.
Let the million-dollared ride!
Barefoot, trudging at his side,
Thou hast more than he can buy
In the reach of ear and eye,—
Outward sunshine, inward joy:
Blessings on thee, barefoot boy!”
I have not read Gibran but I’ve heard about him enough times that I probably should try at some point. I still don’t see myself becoming a poem reader but I am happy to try new things every once in a while!
It’s nice that you try to memorize poems, haven’t done that since I was in school and I like your reasoning for it! The way we store so much knowledge in the internet is a perfect way to lose it, so that makes sense to me 🙂
Aw, thanks for sharing that little excerpt with me, the barefoot boy is definitely much happier than the million-dollared republican man!
I don’t really read poetry although there was a popular collection a couple of years back that caught my eye. It’s on my TBR somewhere but I can’t remember what it’s called 🙈 this sounds like an interesting and heartwrenching collection though that deals with a lot of deep themes. I love the line that you’ve shared and the poems you’ve described sound fascinating. I’ll have to check it out one day. Although I don’t really know how I’ll get on with the Scots language as I know none…
The only polular poetry collection I can think of is milk & honey by Rupi Kaur, is it that one by chance? Otherwise I don’t have any more guesses lol. It’s heartwarming in places but mostly it’s a lot heavier than that. I really enjoyed a lot of the poems though and I’m glad to have read them. I know no Scots either but some are easier to follow than others. & I mostly focused on the ones in English. I did like the last poem that was called “I
m no having children” because it’s all about how she’s having weans instead because she’s going to raise them to speak Scots. You can read it here if you want: https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/im-no-havin-children/
I haven’t heard of that one. That’s what first came up when I just tried to find the one on my TBR though 😂 I think it was The Princess Saves Herself In This One but I’m not 100% sure 🙈 yes I can imagine it’s quite a heavy read given some of topics you mentioned it covering. Its good to know you’re not familiar with it either but still enjoyed the collection. I’ll check that out in a minute, thanks for the link.
Ah okay lol, my bad that was just my first guess coz I don’t know many poetry collections but The Princess Saves Herself In This One sounds fun! Okay no problem, I hope you enjoy it as it’s a small taste of her style, & yeah it took me a while to get through it because I can’t exactly sit down and read a ton of poems in one go or they’ll all start to blend together in my brain haha
Don’t worry I couldn’t remember what it was called and it was on my TBR 🙈 and it was a good poem thanks. It made me think maybe I should look for an audio book version yo hear how the Scots words are pronounced. And I get what you mean, a poetry collection doesn’t really seem like a one session read.
Yess oh that’s a good idea, I don’t know if there is an audiobook version although in her instagram sometimes she read some of her poems on there. That’s where I heard her read the ‘Boys Will be Boys” poem that made me think “wow that was an awesome poem and it makes a great point.”
Ooh I’ll have to see if I can find that one then. I’m glad you managed to find this collection through Instagram. I’ve spotted a few bloggers publishing lately.
Yeah, me too! One of my goals for this year was to read books from people I follow on social media to support them but I haven’t been doing well on that :S lol
Aww well hopefully you’ll manage to check out more over the rest of the year 🤞