I'll Fly Away by Rudy Francisco is a wonderful book of poems and I am only sorry that it took me so long to read it! It is a poetic memoir on the author and their own life and experiences, that the author has used as a tool for reflection and understanding through writing.

*I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Poetry is, perhaps, my favorite genre, and the one thing I read daily, never mind whichever reading-block has shadowed my life. Poetry is what I come back to, in search of wonderment and shelter. All this to say that I already knew of Rudy Francisco’s work when I requested I’ll Fly Away; am a fan of his since reading Helium and following his spoken performances. A handful of his lines have become quotes I wield like neon-signs, branded to announce my personality, my flaws: “I take my compliments / the same way I take / my coffee. / I don't drink coffee…”

I knew what I was expecting. I’ll Fly Away satisfied my expectations and surpassed them.

There’s a simplicity to Francisco’s word, an ease of speech, that is soothing and charming. It disarmed me, quick, despite usually preferring more elaborate verses. Don’t misunderstand me; this is a compliment: it is its own kind of hard-earned talent to write simply, and reach deeply.

Depth is what Francisco manages in this short collection, covering a wide range of topics that go from fatherhood and racism, to living with depression, anxiety, grief. I couldn’t connect to all of them, of course; but that’s what poetry —literature!— is for: windows and doorways and thresholds into lives and joys and pains we can’t experience. A chance to sympathize, empathize; Francisco provides plenty.

I fully recommend this book to all fans of Francisco’s previous work, or Button Poetry as a whole. It is also perfect for fans of contemporary spoken poetry. If you’re not sure this works for you, you can check some of Francisco’s poems online. Regardless, I would recommend being open-minded. Give this book, and this type of poetry, a chance. It’s sure to surprise you!

A handful of favorite lines:

“Have you noticed
how much water
hates to argue?
How it molds itself into
the shape o the pour,
makes a home where it lands…”

-

“…I know that a person is still alive,
if you remember to say their name”

-

“When people ask me how I’m doing…
I wanna say,
‘Crickets have been known to eat their own wings,
and I too have a tendency to destroy what
helps me off the ground’…”

One of the best poetry books I’ve read. His poetry is simple yet powerful and full of imagery. I can’t wait to collect all of his future books!

Once again a beautiful collection of poetry by Rudy Francisco. With everything from mental health to fatherhood this collection has something everyone will relate to.

I knew what I was getting in to when I requested this book as I love Francisco's performance pieces. Somehow every page managed to grab hold of a piece of my soul and stir emotions or memories I hadn't thought about in a long time.

''Sometimes I’m the mess, sometimes I’m the broom — on my hardest days, I have to be both''

A great poetry collection by Rudy Francisco worth reading. I didn't connect with every poem, but I could feel the powerful messages he was transmitting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of the book.

I like Rudy's work. Some sections were hard for me to relate to, due to differences in our demographics and history. But still really liked a lot of pieces in this.

I highly recommend this book! Francisco's neologisms are comforting and eye-opening by turns. His experimentation with found poetry based on popular works rings so true. The personal and universal come together powerfully in this work of art. I would love to experience an audiobook version!

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.
Always been a fan of poetry. And this book delivers without disappointing. Dive into this amazing book for an exciting story.

I loved Rudy’s first book of poetry, but this one blew it out of the water.
It is poignant, delves into current social issues such as race, gender, celebrity etc. and does it in a sensitive and powerful way.
I feel like I could read this collection time and time again, taking something new away each time.
I’d wholeheartedly recommend this book!

Heartfelt, soft, and absolutely beautiful! Every single poem makes you feel something, it makes you feel less alien, less alone, provides you with a safe haven, and a sense of comfort. His poems make you think and remember, they make you smile and move something inside. Reading this book is a wholesome experience.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I’m a huge fan of Button Poetry. And I am especially a huge fan of Rudy Francisco. His writing is gorgeous, flowing seemingly effortlessly from one clever metaphor to the next, but never sacrificing emotional intimacy at the cost of linguistic virtuoso. This is raw, powerful, beautiful poetry that you can practically hear the performance of in your head.

What is particularly interesting about this collection is that it is entirely premised on the idea that language is so often inadequate to convey what we mean. There are so many phenomena that we don’t have words for in English, but should. Rudy comes up with new names for dozens of these terms and uses them to provide a structural and thematic framework for the book, filling in the gaps when there simply is not an elegant way to express a thought. And given the wide range of topics covered in this book–including mental illness, family, love, racial injustice, and more–there are a lot of useful words.

Fans of Rudy’s previous work–specifically his well-known “Honest Poem”–will appreciate the self-reference here in his new poem, the equally-wonderful “The poem where I lie about everything.” Other standout titles in this collection include “Climate Change” (spoiler: it’s not actually about pollution), “Drowning Fish,” and the many “erasure-poems” he crafts out of everything from song lyrics to NRA statements.

I seriously cannot recommend this book enough. If you’re anything like me, you’ll get to the last page and immediately want to go back to the start and read it all over again.

ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.

Rudy Francisco is kind of poet who writes simple words yet can touch his reader's lives. That's proven when I've read Helium last year and became one of my favorite poetry collections. I'll Fly Away gives a similar tone as it explores mental health and more topics. I noticed this is more cryptic which makes the poems confusing and less enjoyable. You're the one who'll decipher his message. It's not bad but definitely not the best collection.

Hard topics written in a way that really moves readers. Rudy delivers such perspective and voice to some of the hardest issues of our country

4.75 stars

If you have yet to pick this book i suggest that you do so. Don't think but just read this.

This is a mind blowing set of poems which touched on some of the most important topics such as mass shootings, social justice issues, politics, law and order, violence against women. The collection of poems may relate with you or either be very moving to you cause there were so much of creativity in his pieces!\
I will never forget this story!

highly recommend to check this out!

Depression, fatherhood, being black in white supremacist society, black supporters of Donald Trump, R. Kelly, mass shootings. Rudy Francisco isn’t afraid to use his voice and his incredible words to tackle societal problems, past and present, alongside the personal struggles of mental health and parenthood. He is easily one of my favorite modern poets and this collection does not disappoint. While I enjoyed his first collection a little bit more, this one is packed full of pain, needed reminders and life lessons. A therapeutic read.

If you’re unfamiliar with his work, check out his videos online. Reading his work is great, hearing his delivery puts them on a whole new level.

——
Thanks to Netgalley and Button Poetry for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This collection is definitely at its strongest when Francisco tackles the topic of systemic racism and police brutality against Black people. In these pieces, there are some excellent, gut-punch lines that cut right to the quick.

By contrast, the more insular, personal pieces are often hampered by overly-simplistic, clumsy imagery. It's possible, however, that these lines would have more impact in a live setting, since I believe the poet comes from a performance background.

Accessible, topical, and contemporary in tone; I can certainly understand Francisco's popularity.

I was ecstatic when I received an advanced reading copy of Rudy Francisco's I'll Fly Away from Netgalley. I have only ever seen his performance poetry on YouTube and, perhaps criminally, I did not even know he had a first collection of poems, let alone a second volume coming out. I didn't know much about him other than that he has an unusually enormous heart. His performance poetry is always ignited by some deep affinity for love, pain, language, life. The same can definitely be said for his written poetry.

As an English Literature student, I was particularly warmed by his continuous reference to words that don't exist in English, but should. His first poem of the collection has a beautiful stanza:

English is the shiniest hammer
I own, but it's also
the only thing in my toolbox.

His poetry certainly reflects this concern that the English language can only communicate so much of what one feels and experiences. Despite this, his most powerful poems are the ones about his family - his parents, his brother, his daughter Zoey - that work because of the simplicity of the imagery and metaphors used. Rudy avoids over-saturating his poetry, giving it its poignancy.

The collection is split in to four parts and, although these parts are untitled, they accompany images of a hot air balloon flying higher and higher, culminating in the period after his daughter is born. This is more than a novelty, and does fit some of the arguments that Rudy makes about life throughout the collection. Ultimately, this volume vouches for love, forgiveness, personal growth, and life over resentment, hatred, stillness, and death.

Not to understate its value, but it is a really lovely collection that will take away your breath and remember to give it back.

3.5 stars.

You should know that I absolutely love Rudy Francisco's poetry. I discovered him on YouTube back in 2016 and have been a fan ever since. His book 'Helium' was like a power-punch explosion to my heart. 'I'll Fly Away' was more like Rudy taking me by the hand and slowly leading me along. Do I love the slowness any less? Absolutely not. I revel in the quietness. However, I wanted the punch when I started reading this, hence the lower star rating. I still love Franciso and still will always read anything he writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for making this available..

I had previously read Rudy Francisco's Helium and wasn't a big fan of it, so I was hesitant to read this one. Getting a good few poems in I didn't like it all the much as I didnt feel like I connected with the poems, but once I got half way through I started feeling like I could relate to some of these poems and I really connected with some of them. I honestly loved how Rudy incorporated the nouns and adjectives into the book, I feel even though I couldn't connect with some poems that adding those give me a better understanding of what he was feeling and saying.

This poetry collection is my favorite type: it's personal and reflective and also powerful. It doesn't take itself too seriously (I think the worst poetry does). The language is precise and casual and familiar. There were no poems that felt overdone or overlong or unnecessary. I also liked the thread throughout of words that aren't in the English language but that describe something very specific. I loved it. 5 stars well-earned.

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