Ok, I said I wouldn't read modern poetry as in tumblr/insta poets anymore, but this was surprisingly something else. Yanyi writes in a calm and sophisticated tone, it read like prose, lovely, but context wise very vague. He touched on personal topics and the way he tells his stories have a memoir kinda feel to them, as he mentions a few names here and there. I felt like a distant bystander and not immersed enough in his work to fully feel what he experienced.

Thank you Yale University Press and Netgalley for this ARC.

I am new to reading this genre and was hoping this would be the book that turned me into a lover of poetry.

I found the book difficult to follow, with a seemingly short poem flowing straight into what felt like a short story. I’m not sure if it was the formatting on kindle or the style of the author but I found it confused and this really took me away from the content.

This collection of prose poetry, selected for the Yale Young Poets series, is all about communication and community. What we understand of ourselves, what we understand of others. We write to tell, we read to listen as others tell. We listen to those who have moved on from life as we listen to those who still live. Yanyi also writes from alternative viewpoints, such as being Queer, being Trans, being Chinese-American. This book also includes a fine in-depth introduction written by Carl Palmer.

The Year of Blue Water by Yanyi is a collection of poems and prose that deal with sexuality, mental health and identity struggles. Although its short I real, real enjoyed this collection. Well written and very compelling this collection truly has its own uniqueness. Thank you Yale Press and Netgalley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The format of the book threw me off. I don't mind the prose poetry; in fact, I prefer it over conventional poetry. But I think sending this to my Kindle messed with the way the book was set up. It felt endless and short at the same time (if that makes any sense). I'll have to pick up a physical copy when it's released. Hopefully, I can give it an honest review after that.

This poetry collection is unlike anything I've read before. It integrates the Chinese-American background of the poet and all the hardships they face. the gender roles and racism really struck a chord and I am so glad I requested this. Highly recommended!

This collection of poetry, prose, and prose poems was not my cup of tea. I'm not a fan of prose poems for the most part, and this was not exception. It was a short collection, but not necessarily a quick read. The author's experience as a trans person make it worthwhile, but it was not what I expected. I felt there was something missing In this collection, a lack of cohesiveness, maybe? Still would recommend for others to give a chance.

From iphelia.com's Editor's Bookshelf review: The Year of Blue Water is a phial of medicine for the soul.

As with any prospective remedy, I approached the book with nervousness, which was kicked into high gear as soon as I learned it was written by a trans author. That alone brought up a lot of energy for me. Even as I’ve acknowledged that, like many of us, I was raised in an implicitly homophobic and transphobic environment, I felt the power of those seeds having been buried deep and wondered if I had a place entering into relationship with Yanyi’s work as a reader.

But rather than an opportunity to confront and wrestle with shame, The Year of Blue Water turned out to be a poignant and soothing chance to relate to self, and a reminder that I can become more myself day by day. Yanyi’s openness and ability to document feeling-states in words is a gift given again and again on each page.

While one of the book’s official descriptions highlights its presentation of the author’s “long journey self‑guided through tarot, therapy, and the arts,” The Year of Blue Water is just as much about childhood memories, food, and friendship.

The Year of Blue Water will most interest those who want to connect more deeply with self. It will inspire those who want to start or maintain a journaling practice or embrace solitude or begin devoting higher-quality attention to life’s details, from the beauty that surrounds us daily to the intricacies of our memories and dreams. Regardless of what internal energies the reader meets in committing to Yanyi’s words, The Year of Blue Water is a potent reminder that we are all perpetually in progress.

This poetry book has a spin on it, different then most poetry books but I still enjoy it. I like the writing style and the messages that’s within these pages. It’s very personal, close to the writers heart. These words filled with heardness that made me feel sad, but also powerful by story writing in these prose and poetry.

It does seem appropriate that some of this book appeared as Diary since that is how this series of memoirish prose poems seemed to me. Yanyi does open the door and allows the reader to enter their inner conversation for a short burst of time, but it felt superficial. There was a lot of namedropping that took away from the writing and left me feeling like I was only allowed to go so far into the shallow water. The writing itself should be the anchor, and I was looking for something more from an award as significant as the Yale.

Its a very genuine attempt. I appreciate the different approach to explaining a dream in a poetic yet prose form. But when one says poetry, I expect haiku, Limerick, ode etc. This was a good prose written with a poetic touch. Hence I am disappointed.

I’m not too sure what to say here, I did enjoy this little collection, however I’m not entirely sure where to place it and I honestly felt a bit discombobulated when I read through it. I loved the rawness of it and the honesty, but I felt like something was missing, and I’m not entirely sure what it was. Maybe I wanted more? Maybe I wanted some more structure of the collection. But nonetheless it was good, and I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this on my flight home!

A deeply evocative, personal and raw collection of poems, of feelings rather, this collection touches on many issues and topics despite its short length. Issues of identity (both racial and gender), belonging, anxiety, musings on the usefulness of art and writing as therapy are infused throughout the poems, which are more like stream of consciousness prose poems than traditional poetry. I enjoyed reading this and some passages, especially those related to anxiety, hit a bit too close to home for me.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't usually read much poetry but one of my goals this year is to diversify my reading, whether that be in terms of genre or the authors themselves, so I was curious to try this collection.

The foreword really hooked me in and then several of the poems were very effective but overall I felt that there was something missing to me. I can't quite put my finger on what it was but I feel that this may have worked better as a collection of vignettes, which many pages felt like anyway, that told one whole story. The way the book is edges towards this style but the book ends abruptly.

The themes discussed were handled well; the idea of being a stranger in your own body due to both mental illness and being transgender, was an interesting one that I think a lot of people could relate to on certain levels.

Overall I was a little disappointed in this but I'm glad I gave it a go. The style reminded me a lot of Maggie Nelson's Bluettes so if you liked that, definitely check this out.

Formatting of this ARC let this down as I struggled to read the poetry as it’s just one long text rather than individual poems. It was emotional and thought provoking but at times I felt out of my depth I think. But unfortunately due to the ARC formatting I did struggle

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Discernible talent, raw writing and a crystalized style - Yanyi's writing is already very well formed, his sense of poetics and the mood these prose poems evoke are recognizable and unique; yet something prevented me from fully 'clicking' with this collection. Might have been just bad timing.

Nevertheless, I would gladly recommend this as a refreshment to anyone disappointed in modern poetry which equals Tumblr entries more often than tolerable, and will be happy to read any next offering by the author.

ARC from NetGalley.

(Three stars on Goodreads, but four here because of the different criteria.)

A bit too far over my head.

The formatting really let this down as it reads a just one long piece of writing so it's disjointed and very hard to follow.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

Yanyi is a young trans*-poet at New York University. This very short mix of poetry and prose is his first book. It deals with sexuality, mental health, identity struggles, family and coming out / living with oneself as a trans*-person.

I personally enjoyed parts of it a lot, other parts were a bit too enigmatic for me. But as I am not a trans*-person, I may lack knowledge. It was very well written, a beautiful use of language. Some poems were very sad, others were more hopeful.

I wish the young author and winner of the 2018 Yale Series of Younger Poets prize all the best.

"For a long time, I was attached to she/her as my pronouns, even when I was nonbinary. They didn't seem as sharp as I wanted it to be. And I like precision. Diana tells me that to be trans or nonbinary is not be a woman but to be of women. That seems a more useful gesture. I never want to disappear unequivocally into masculinity. Womanhood is the country I come from, a home I reach back for to reproduce, recreate, replenish."

Although I could see the potential in this text, I was not able to sustain my attention and finish the narrative.

The Year of Blue Water puts you in the shoes of a Chinese American transgender. It also describes mental illnesses and trauma. It was a passionate book but sometimes I felt some words were out of place. I couldn’t understand many things, maybe with a little context it would be great.