Skin Memory

John Sibley Williams shows a wide range of talent for inventive juxtaposition and surprising images from the very first entry in Skin Memory. Whether written in prose poetry or in free-flowing stanzas, these works display emotion, catharsis, and experience. A collection that starts well and only rises as it travels.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am not usually one for poetry but this book was one that stayed on my mind for quite some time. Through verse and poems we follow a journey from a child to a father and the number of questions along the way, especially that about belief. There are a number of quotes I have come away with that absolutely stick with me, such as "there are many ways to scream so no one hears" and that "everything begins with missing" I felt like I was on a journey reading this, and my 3 star review only reflects the fact that this is only my second poem book I have read, and I really enjoyed it.

I liked this collection. Stories of love, loss, abuse, and growing up were told in bits in pieces of each poem. At some points, I found myself questioning the cohesiveness of the poems. I think the ordering could’ve flowed better. But, maybe disorder is what the author was after. There were also poems about cities or time in cities that didn’t really fit. The metaphors were powerful and I’m sure you could get something new each time reading this. A few lines I read again and again to really reflect and let it sink in. The imagery of the landscape was also beautifully weaved throughout as a character in its own right.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.

« After enough pilgrims have kissed its feet, any statue can be holy. »

This collection by John Sibley Williams tackles themes of love, loss and growing up in a visceral way. The overall result is really quite enjoyable and thoughtprovoking.

However, I wasn’t as charmed by some things that were included. The hunting references, for instant, just didn’t click with me. It is certainly a matter of culture. Maybe if i were American, these poems, their pictured landscapes and atmospheres would have been more relatable to me and made for a better reading experience.
I also think that the book could have been structured a little better.


All in all, I want to thank Netgalley for allowing me to discover this author and his work.

Some lovely poetry here. John Sibley Williams plays with form and language and creates a collection with a lot of inspiration from nature and other surrounding scenery. Love and family are strong themes, as are pain and suicide. It's not a happy collection but it is articulate and often beautiful and definitely worth a read.

"Skin Memory" By John Sibley Williams

I enjoyed reading these collection of poetry that is described as the "impressions and imprints that we leave on this world physically and psychologically".

I read the collection a few times, first for just understanding the overall feel of the collection and then I slowly read and reread again to immerse myself in the vivid imagery I slowly transported myself in. The overall feeling I gathered is of pain and suffering while getting through it all through strength and resilience. I felt that just like our skin, the largest organ of our body, it protects our body from elements, harm, injury, and envelops us. Just like our skin - we react to feeling and emotions; sweating, warmth when upset, cool when nervous, or the goosebumps when scared. Love this from the opening, "because skin has a memory all its own and because memory is a language that's survived its skin. For now I just walk the waist-high replanted pines of unassimilation, carrying my words like anchors through an open field of oars".

The beauty of this collection are the representation of the vivid images of nature - it feels tangible and ever present; clouds, grass, trees, fireflies, stars and the sea. There is definitely a sense of open expanse almost in search for something as the author takes us to different locations, feelings and identities. Thoroughly enjoyed the powerful and tangible writing very much, that resonated with me. I will be reading this over and over as every time I read this, I peel a little bit more of its complex layers. Thank you!

"Skin Memory" is the winner of the Blackwaters Prize in Poetry, judged by Kwame Dawes of Nebraska Press

Thank you NetGally and Blackwaters Press for the ARC ebook copy.

Such incredible and deep poems, I'll definitely be suggesting this to anyone looking for a good poetry read!

Some poems, I connected with instantly. Others? Not so much.
I can't tell if it's hit and miss because there were things I had to research (but then got to learn) or if I just was not "getting it". On a craft level, I could see us studying this for my degree in creative writing, but it felt like study, rather than exploration.
The language was sublime in places though. And I did find one poem I've talked to others about, which, ultimately, is a mark of a successful collection to me.

I realize that I'm odd man out with this review, but despite reading it through twice, I had a hard time engaging with the poems and prose within Skin Memory. I found it dark and melancholy - not a good match for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Backwaters Press for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I requested this book from Netgalley and my request was approved and on condition to give feedback.

The only time I have read poems was in my high school literature class. Outside of the classroom and for my leisure reading, I was never motivated to pick up a book of poems. As a poet, I have never been inspired by other poets and I have no favorite poets. However, when I started using Netgalley next month, I decided to request poetry books. My request was approved for Skin Memory by John Sibley Williams. Now that I have finished the book, I do not regret requesting it. I particularly liked Skin Memory in regards to its imagery, themes and unique poetical conventions. 

When it comes to the imagery in Skin Memory, I liked how the images jarred against each other, reflecting a deep inner turmoil. A poem might have soothing imagery throughout, but as you continue reading it, there are images that jar against the calm atmosphere. This clash of images beautifully conveys the turmoil that William writes of. There is a lot of juxtaposition of images in William's poem "Dewpoint" which gives the impression of someone dying. These juxtapositions represent hopelessness overcoming hopefulness.  In his other poems, there is a similar clash of imagery and it continues to reflect the poet's emotional turmoil.

The themes that I came across in William's poetry were family, maturation and individuality. In his poems, Williams expresses many emotions in regards to a family such as the feeling of loss but contentment as well. On the other hand, for his theme of maturation, he expresses a wide range of emotions and opinions that reflect his appreciation as well as criticism for the social norms that individuals grow with. His images in regards to these themes carry connotations of sadness and realism. Williams' poems also reflect how he wants to freely express his individuality in regards to what he thinks and feels about the world. These themes made me realise that William's poems are an expression of what the poet is as a person. With this book, Williams has constructed a beautiful form of self-expression.

I loved Williams' unique poetical convention because they gave a beautiful flow to his poetry. Even in free verse, he does not stick to one form of writing a poem, there are many forms. Sometimes it is in prose and sometimes in stanzas of two lines. These forms give a beautiful flow to all his poems. They reflect the rising tension in the poem or the calm and reflective atmosphere that Williams creates. These poetical conventions add more beauty to the meaning of the poet's words. 

Skin Memory is a wonderful collection of poems. It made me reflect on various aspects of life and my perspective. The images, the themes and the unique writing conventions did arouse many feelings ranging from utter confusion to being calmly reflective. Nonetheless, it also gave me an insight into a different social and individualistic perspective. Williams' book is an amazing collection of poetry that is a beautfiul form of self-expression.

An exceptional collection of poems--melancholic but deeply moving with more than a casual touch of the kind of natural world lyricism that made John Donne's poetry so compelling

This poetry collection was very compelling to read. The author's writing of landscapes as metaphors for feelings of love, loss and grief really stuck with me. There were poems that resonated in a way that not many poems do, though others felt a little too metaphorical for my taste. Still, I couldn't help but devour this book, trying to connect the dots between nature and the author's story, and even comparing it to my own. I was very significant to read about the author's religion and culture within his poetry.
All in all a beautiful, and at times, sad poetry collection.

Such beautiful poetry, quite dark at times, but always moving. The use of language, style, it’s just mesmerising at points, it just flows so well and I would reread some just because I loved how they flowed and made me feel. Beautiful

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

"And I saw that how we weather it will not save us or deface us. Brokenness in tow or all parts hammered back together and left beside the fire to cool. We are here; this happened: a simple record. If we're lucky, a catalyst. One door framed within another. Even if closure is a construct, I cannot rule out heaven entirely. Whatever finally breaks me, I cannot refuse it."

A wide emotional collection of poetry and prose-poetry, the book explores strong themes of love, family, abuse, loss and death with imagery surrounding the nature, this collection hits off all the necessary points to be one of the beautiful, raw and deeply-moving poetry books of this year.

Even though the writings had the American touch to the imagery, it made me experience some of them with vividness. And for the others, I got the gist of it. The entire collection is put to give the readers a casual flow and it makes the entire journey enthralling. I'm a silent reader and I only get the urge to read out loud in rare works but some of the pieces in this book made me do that. The lyrical touch to those made the experience more beautiful. John's writing style is applaudable and my favourite pieces in the collection include Forge, [this is only a test], Before, and the Birds After, Sanctum, On Being Told: You Must Learn to Love the Violence, Absence Makes the Heart, Nocturne and Spectral.

The collection is definitely thought-provoking, reflective and heart-felt which resonates through the reader for a long time. I am happy to have requested the book! It wasn't what I expected yet, it is beautifully poignant with a long gush of emotional breeze and got a place in my heart.

Recommended: To everyone who loves poetry!

Thank you, NetGalley and University Of Nebraska Press for providing me with a review copy.

Williams' prose and verses show his familiarity and schooling in poetry. The best of the bunch are Sons of No One, which opens with a striking first line about the suicides in his family and Dear Nowhere, which relates with melancholy some experiences broken up by headings of rural U.S. towns. Fog and Death Is a Work in Progress both resonate with me, as well, keeping with the melancholy tone of the collection.

Skin Memory is a deep, dense and oftentimes dark body of poetry. The poems examine everything from childhood through adulthood. Skin Memory metaphorically examines love, identity, culture and loss. A very engaging body of work. Williams' use of language declares him as a master of the art. I loved the imagery and sophisticated use of phrase, whether it was free form or prose. I highly recommend Skin Memory to anyone who enjoys language, enjoys poetry or is compelled to be someone who does. This is not a body of work to read in one sitting. This is a book to be savored, to roll around in your mouth before swallowing.

I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher and netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 / 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

'How does the pain we protect differ from the break we must heal?'

This is a beautiful poetry collection about love, memories and family using the imagery of nature to represent life. The vocabulary of John was amazing and really created the emotion. You could really see the deeper meanings behind the words.

In my opinion this collection is for those who are an 'advanced poetry reader'. I myself have not read that many poetry collections so some of the quotes were hard for me to visualise and went straight over my head. I believe that sharing the experience of the writer creates a stronger bond and provokes more feelings.

'Someday you'll also learn to be satisfied without being full'

This is definitely going to be a reread further down the line with more poetry under my belt.

Would highly recommend.

I loved this poetry collection. I love how unique the concept was, and the actual writing itself was stunning. I adored how the author explored so many different themes in the one collection, as well as produced so much stunning imagery in regards to nature. Would highly, highly recommend this one.

This stunning book took me so much longer than normal to read because every single poem absolutely rocked me. I couldn't read more than a couple at a time because they each gave me so much to think about, so much to learn, so much stark beauty to just sit back and go, "Whoa."

The first poem, bearing the same name as the book, sets up the thesis: "Because skin has a memory all its own and because memory is a language that's survived its skin." The second poem, "Snake. Tree. Rope. Wall." teaches the reader how to read that memory, creating the language together with the reader:
"Let's agree to call what we're touching his hand.
Let's say it's warm.
Let's agree our hands are enough to judge. Let's say the hollows in his skull are eyes and that all eyes can shine if you sweep the flies from them.

Let's say we are certain of this one thing
then let's never touch it again."

Really wonderful collection of poetry. It is a collection of prose and poetry and everything in-between. The words explore familial themes, abuse, death, nature, etc. Nature leads most of the conversations in this book in such a beautiful way.

Skin memory is a stunning collection of poetry infact so far the best among those which I have read. This book is for everyone who loves poetry and will get tears in your eyes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-ARC!

This is a collection of poetry written in free verse. I loved a lot of the content of this book, particularly as it borders on some interesting themes such as family, discovery and nature. I had never heard of this author before, and don't read a lot of poetry, but I think this is a great collection that you can pick up again and again to revisit your favourite works. It is also quite dark at times, and made me feel a range of emotions while reading. The imagery was magical and I highly recommend this to fans of poetry and even those like me who don't read poetry often!