NOW WITH A NEW LOOK!
This selection of poems tells of the muse of a writer. Inspiration can come from the most simple of places.
The Writer: Part One
An idea moves through the brain faster than the fingers can write it down, but the stories still come all the same. To speak for the broken, the lost and confused, to open your heart and mind to new experiences, to entertain a person for a moment, to make them think, to make them believe in happy endings or gray areas, to make them feel, to make them laugh, to make them cry, to know that for one moment you've captured something that's completely unique to you, to leave your mark on the world and to have a voice in a time when people aren't heard.
The Masterpiece
I want to get lost in a Van Gogh painting,
floating in the spaces of starry, Starry Night.
I want to create a masterpiece with words so great
it puts the Sistine Chapel to shame and to create Mona
Lisas until the world knows why she smiles. I want to make
words sing and images dance across a page with the beauty
of life and the nature of existence. I want to be the great
paint of life, an exquisite work of art all in itself.
Editorial Reviews:
"Reviewed By Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
“An idea moves through the brain faster than/ the fingers can write it down, but the stories still come all the same.” It’s a sentiment shared by writers everywhere. Writing, the written word, is an art form that demands our complete and utter devotion. And, when the idea sparks, there’s nothing else we can do but write. It might be an idea about lightning, the surge of power which strikes in jagged sparks. But perhaps the lightning isn’t the one that comes with nature’s ferocious storms, but the lightning that sparks a surge of emotions when you meet that someone special. Then lightning becomes a metaphor. Or perhaps it is both metaphor and reality, the duality of each word’s intending meaning. “The feeling electrified the air between us/ and for a moment/ I didn’t hear the thunder/ or the rain./ All I saw was you/ and me/ and the lightning.” We writers are good at making similes and metaphors work for our expressive purposes, of using the multiple possible meanings of words to create a powerful impact on the reader.
Katie M. Marshall’s chapbook collection of poems, The Writer, creates a panoramic view of her vision of life and the written word. Using free verse and, as in the case of the poem called “Lightning”, a clever concrete poem where the layout of each stanza creates an abstract vision of a bolt of lightning, the poet explores multiple themes and topics that inspire her creativity. The chapbook is divided into two parts, each part beginning with a poem specifically on writing and the writer, then is followed by poems that are inspired by different themes in life: relationships, love, living, and so much more. A fascinating collection of inspired poetry."
Amazon Reviews:
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2020
Author Katie Marshall has put together a nice poetry selection with her book The Writer. Each poem carries a personal, heartfelt tone, though poetry in general does not always necessarily portray true experiences of the poet. Ergo some poetry is like a fictional tale told through an intricate weaving of elegant words and imagery. Other poems often relay more personal truths.
Katie Marshall's poetry is written primarily from a first person perspective. Many of the poems take about relationships, love, lost love, insecurities, and other experiences.
Some of my favorite poems were 'Time', 'Watercolor', and 'The Stranger in the Mirror', which I found very touching and relatable.
Overall, an enjoyable collection I think poetry readers will find a number poems that resonate with them personally.
I gave four stars for my rating only because I feel the overall presentation i.e., cover design, and internal content arrangement and formatting could be improved. Poetry, is intrinsically organic, springing freely from emotions and experiences, which no one can judge except by personal opinion. This collection will find the hearts of the right readers.
Electrically Powerful Collection of Poems!
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2021
This collection is electric, powerful! The poems speak to any soul wanting to create and desiring to be heard. "The Writer" covers raw emotions and subjects that I feel can be relatable to anyone who has loved and lost, as well as anyone who thinks about the greater meaning of life and realities of ones own mortality. The author utilizes such vivid words that truly create pictures in the reader's mind. The words literally jump off the page. I began listing my favorite poems, but honestly, I adore the whole book. Here are just a few of my favorites: Lie to Me, To Whom It May Concern, The Masterpiece, The Waves in Motion, Trust, Forever Place and Still Here. The writing is exceptional, truly moving the reader. It's a romantic and passionate book that I would 100 percent recommend to all artistic and passionate souls. I found a kindred spirit in this new to me author.
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2021
Katie Marshall's The Writer: A Poetry Collection is beautifully written. Each poem is a like story that grabs you with the first few lines, keeps you reading, and closes with a thought-provoking ending. One of my favorites is "The Letter," where she pours out her feelings with elegant prose and ends with a surprise. I could relate to Marshall's joy, sadness, fear, hope, and doubt. I love the way she uses nature as a metaphor. The Writer is a poetry collection you want to keep on your nightstand and revisit often.