Cover Image: Fat Girl Finishing School

Fat Girl Finishing School

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Fat Girl Finishing School" by Rachel Wiley is a fearless and empowering collection of poetry that challenges societal norms and celebrates body positivity. Wiley's words are a raw and unapologetic exploration of identity, self-love, and the unyielding strength found in embracing one's own body. This collection is a compelling testament to the beauty and power that exists beyond conventional standards of beauty, offering a refreshing and affirming perspective on self-acceptance.

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Fat Girl Finishing School explores themes such as self-love, gender stereotypes, and fatphobia as well as making commentary on societal norms in blunt and lyrical verses that express Rachel Wiley's thoughts with no apology.

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This was a powerful book of poetry that really spoke to me. It did take me awhile to read it but I spent time really reading each poem. So many were about loving yourself and your body, which I know we hear about all the time but really hit home here.

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Fat Girl Finishing School by Rachel Wiley (2014 and reprinted in 2020) is the Columbus, Ohio area poetry slam artist’s first published book of poetry. It includes more than forty poems, including the widely-shared (and linked above) “10 Honest Thoughts on Being Loved by a Skinny Boy.”

Wiley is biracial and unapologetically fat and queer. Her poems speak to the beauty she has fought the world to find in herself. By doing so, Wiley shines a light so that other fat folks can see our own beauty, too.

Included are five separate love letters to her body (#3, #7, #8. #10, and #14), an Ode to Tracy Turnblad (from the musical Hairspray, her first fat role model), and a Poem for Amy Wineglass.

The Circus Fat Lady Eulogizes Mary the Elephant brought me to tears. I had never heard the story, but Mary was a circus elephant in Tennessee who killed a trainer in 1916 and was hanged from a crane shortly thereafter. Later, while taking her ivory tusks, it was found that she had an infected tooth on the same side where the trainer had struck her with a hook.

In Naked Atonement, Wiley promises “to stop letting selfish mouths/who do not kiss your belly into our bed.” I so wish those words had been written for me to read when I was young. In Love Letter to My Body #14, Wiley proclaims that “Shame does not live here anymore.”

Daylight, written for the 16 year old girl who no longer wants to leave her house, should be given to every young person who struggles with self-doubt. It’s such a lovely and encouraging pep talk that I plan on making it part of care packages for the two soon-to-be college freshmen in my life.

In full disclosure, I received an electronic review copy of this book from NetGalley in 2020 but didn’t read it in time before access to the copy expired. So I bought it, and am so glad that I did.

Fat Girl Finishing School is essential for any fat positive library.

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Originally released in 2014, Fat Girl Finishing School is Rachel Wiley's first full-length collection of poems. You may recognise her name from Button Poetry’s YouTube channel where Wiley’s performance of “10 Honest Thoughts on Being Loved by a Skinny Boy” went viral. It has recently been re-released, now with a beautiful new cover and a new introduction from the author, Fat Girl Finishing School is a powerful exploration of size, race, sexuality, and altogether living in a body outside the allowance of normal.

Wiley’s background as an actress, as she mentions in the new introduction, really lends itself to her poetry in the way it can build a connection with the reader. The pauses in things unsaid, the feelings just below the surface most of us experience, allows Wiley to weave a broad scope of topics together. Being fat, being bi-racial, being a member of the LGBT+ community, it’s all presented in such a way I think anyone could identify a part of themselves in, and, by extension, empathise with the rest.

While her most famous poem may be about size, for me a standout poem in this collection was 'Americana'. It describes an experience at a high school party where a boy is happy to throw around the N-word but will kiss a bi-racial girl when no one’s looking. Clearly a poem about bi-racial identity in America, but for me - and I imagine a lot of fat women - it spoke to how we are made to feel about intimacy. While I won’t ever know the indignation that comes with the N-word being slurred in my face, but the self-hating ache of accepting attention from someone because “you’re fat and God knows when you’ll get another chance”? I felt that so hard I had to step away and make a mug of tea.

Likewise, while the lines “I am fat / no, you are beautiful / and I wonder why I cannot be both” hit differently when you are fat, I defy any ‘skinny’ person, particularly girls and women, not feel that too.

As a first collection, there is room to argue that there is a mix in terms of quality, but while I’m admitting this so you don’t think I’m completely biased, I don’t really think it matters. It’s a first collection, of course there is going to be a poem or phrasing that doesn’t quite sit right, and that’s before we get into the mess of personal taste. What I do think is interesting is how you can see Wiley’s development as a poet. If in one collection you can go from ‘reasonably good’ to ‘heart-thumping resonance’ just by flipping a page, I don’t know how you could not be excited to see what Wiley does next.

With an honesty that borders on raw, but never without humour or joy that is still radical to publicly hold when you’re fat, I cannot see how you would not enjoy this collection if you like modern or slam poetry at all. It’s bold and upfront, genuine with no hiding behind flowery or contrived imagery. In a fatphobic world that would rather bury the fat than embrace them, Fat Girl Finishing School is Rachel Wiley's bold Lady Godiva ride of a love letter - middle fingers raised high - to her body and those like it, and I loved it.

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Rachel Wiley's poetry strikes a sharp balance between heart-stopping honesty and evocative imagery. Through this collection, she confronts and explores ideas of sexuality, relationships, race, fatness and more, all while showing an intimate knowledge of glittering pop culture. While each poem can stand on its own, the narrative created through the assemblage of the poems, and the addition of the various, numbered "Letters to My Body" (3, 7, 8, 10, & 14) serve to further move the reader through the poems.

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I really enjoyed reading this book. The character development was subtle in a myriad of ways, and the plot moves along quickly enough to keep interest. I could have used a little more expansion around the ending of the book, but on the whole found the experience very enjoyable.

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I received an audiobook arc to review and I didn't have away to read it because the app I needed wouldn't work on my phone. I'm only writing a "review" so that my feedback ratio isn't effected.

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I received a copy of this poetry collection via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you NetGalley, the publishers and the author.

This collection spoke to me, and not to sound cheesy but I felt seen. For one of the first times in my life. A lot of the poems I feel like I was writing them right along with Rachel Wiley as I felt the exact same things, and thought the exact same things. Wiley wasn't afraid to explore the many topics related to Fatphobia and discrimination, and I thank her for that. It's something that needs to be spoken out loud and not kept bottled up in our round bodies. As much as us plus size people think it may be obvious, to people who have more socially acceptable bodies don't realize what we may or may not experience because of how we look. Just the other day I was telling my friend that if I go to the doctor for something the first response is always, 'well loose weight, that's the problem' even if it's not and she was shocked. She had no idea. Hopefully people like her can read this collection and get to spend a few hours in our shoes

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What an absolutely marvelous book - Rachel Wiley writes accessible and charming poems. I took my time reading them to savor; she makes great points and makes you laugh as you read about what it means to live in a fat body.

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Rachel Wiley, an author who holds many intersecting identities has written Fat Girl Finishing School as a love letter to her living body.

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It was hard to get into this book.

I really liked the themes. The poems were emotionally strong, however I always felt like something was missing.
It is not a poetry book one can get lost in its pages. for hours. After a few poems, it becomes tiring to continue reading.

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I would normally not read a book filled with poetry but for some reason this one called to me and I am happy I got the chance to read it. It was emotional at times, funny at others. Some were great, some not so great, but overall a gem of book that will tug your heartstrings and for every reader there is a poem in there that hits home. Hard. Great read so even if this is not your thing; give it a chance!

*** An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review ***

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The author is:
Biracial.
Fellow member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Fat.
Unapologetic.

The poems are in-your-face and you do not need to have heard the author perform to understand their cadence. These are poems that ask to be read aloud and shared with the world. As of today, i have done both.

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DNF

Started this book, and did not feel captivated enough to finish. Did not feel like there was anything special about it.

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SYNOPSIS FOR FAT GIRL FINISHING SCHOOL
The first full-length collection of poems from Rachel Wiley, whose work spans from body image, to love and loss, and feminism. Fat Girl Finishing School is a love letter to Wiley’s living body. When confronted with fatphobia, racism, misogyny, and shame each poem chooses self love, despite society’s expectations of conformity.

Fat girl finishing school was a gorgeous book full of poetry for the soul. It confronted touchy topics in a light felt way and made me feel gooey, sad, happy, and hopeful at the same time. A must-read for those who have ever felt they were less of a person because of body image slander from others, power to the author for this touching piece of art.

The only reason I rated this four stars was due to accessibility, it took me long to read due to not being available on kindle and had to download a PDF instead which was a hassle personally, but based on the book alone, 5 stars..

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ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
I love slam poetry. So when I found out that a poem collection by a slam poet was available for request, I had to read it.
This collection was raw. It had some pieces that gave me chills. Some of the lines I've written down in my quotes notebook because I wanted to keep them forever.
As an overweight queer woman this book made me feel seen.

My favourite poems were:
Love Letter To My Body #3: My Excuse
Love Letter To My Body #7
10 Honest Thoughs On Being Loved By A Skinny Boy
The Circus Fat Lady Eulogizes Mary The Elephant
Naked Atonement
Love Letter To My Body#14: Borrow

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Book Review: FAT GIRL FINISHING SCHOOL
FEMINIST POETRY FOR EVERYONE

First and foremost I have to say that I am not a super fan of poetry. More or less I read more classical poems rather than modern poetry, so I was not very sure how to give you this review as I think that reviewing poetry is totally bollocks.

Poetry comes from the heart, it speaks about the poet’s life experiences and through their words they make you feel the same emotion or at least feel something about the topic. For that reason I think that when talking about poetry one has to be careful and keep in mind that the only thing that what you are reading is worth it is when you get chills, literary and not, from the words.

FAT GIRL FINISHING SCHOOL

"Rachel Wiley, an author who holds many intersecting identities has written Fat Girl Finishing School as a love letter to her living body. When confronted with fatphobia, racism, misogyny, and shame each poem chooses self love, despite society’s expectations of conformity. More than just a book about one single identity Fat Girl Finishing School makes intersectionality dimensional. This is a book steeped in experience, every story is striking, powerful, and unmistakably palpable."

When I first read the title I was a bit intrigued, most of all because I am super pro of body positive, not every reading material that I have come to read has approached this topic particularly. So, I may have been a bit biased when picking this reading material, but fortunately, I was right and I enjoyed reading this book.

Rachel Wiley has an interesting voice. I had never read modern poetry that has this rich fluency of emotions and personal experiences that make you feel and imagine the situations behind Wiley’s words. The fact that her experiences are relatable may influence a lot about this, but I really think that her poetry moves you.

One of the best poems that I found was ‘Blood Tongue’. I cannot tell you the amount of feelings and thoughts that run through my mind while I was reading it and afterwards. In this particular poem Wiley exposes one of the most controversial and horrific aspects of the United States: racism and white privilege. In a world where ‘Black lives matter’ resonates shouting for justice for those people that have been found dead just for having dark skin color, for those injustices and prejudices that a white privileged system inflicts on every ethnicity. It was a really raw and moving poem, one of the best parts of it was:

«I watch like a child in the closet during a murder,
Another murder,
Another unnamed black man murdered,
Another black woman
Too black
Too late, murdered.»

There were poems that were funnier to read, it was like reading a friend’s thoughts on how sometimes it is hard for us women to accept our bodies, to believe that we are worthy of love and that we need to love our bodies. I loved Wiley’s sarcastic tones in ‘Venom’ that poem was both hilarious and real, it talks about the innocence of dreaming on becoming a hero via spider bite, and how we realize that life is not like comics or movies or books where magic and science fiction are real but we accept the fact that we are normal and we may have other skills that would help us to become those superheroes sans their superpowers. There are a lot more that I can go on and on, they are really good and relatable. Wiley has the superpower to make the opening an account at OKCupid poetry, it’s amazing!

Sometimes I think that what held me back about reading poetry was the use of the classical rhyme, the metrics and the rhythm that rule poetry. It took a bit while for me to understand how poetry actually works and now I am more open to read and spend some time bathing in their words. I will really love to read more from Wiley, I know that she has already gained some reputation as a poet and especially as a performer. She has an extensive repertoire of poetry on being a woman, being a black woman, a fat black woman, a fat black woman part of the LGBTQ+ community, she really has moving words.

‘Fat Girl Finishing School’ is a very enjoyable reading, it is a quick reading material (I finished it in just one day) and I think that everyone should give it a try.

Without further ado… Mischief Managed!

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Today I am #reading: Fat Girl Finishing School by Rachel Wiley (@dangerouslyinchub). Hands down one of favorites that I've read so far during the challenge. I feel seen as a young woman, a fat woman, as a person. I could honestly share half the book if I was picking favorite poems.

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Though poetry isn't my cup of tea, I was very intrigued by the idea of this book and hence picked it up. Though this sounds like a book specifically directed at fat girls, I'd say that everyone who picks this book might find something relatable. I really enjoyed reading this!

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