Urban Mythology by Eric Keizer

Here’s a little change of pace – an advanced reader copy of a book!  Of course, this is in exchange for an honest review.

Urban Mythology by Eric Keizer is a collection of free verse poetry centered around an urban theme (as you could probably guess from the title).  Now, please keep in mind that as I review this book, I am not as familiar with reviewing poetry as I am prose.

Likes

I loved that Keizer had multiple levels and innuendos in his poems.  I’m not sure there was a single poem in this book that was straight forward.  The thought he put into each one to develop this is beautiful.

I also love that the poems themselves tell a story when reading the collection as a whole.  I can see now the poet walking around his city, engaging it with all five senses, to tell the story of what he sees in verse.  I think that’s a cool touch with this collection – each poem speaking, and each part coming together into an exponential whole.

Finally, I really appreciated the down-to-earth way in which the collection was presented.  I’ve had occasionally come across poetry collections that end up feeling pretentious in how they are organized and packaged.  This was certainly not the case here.  Keizer provides a more accessible and refreshing entry into the poetic world.

Dislikes

It’s hard to say what I didn’t like about this book, particularly since I am not as good at critiquing poetry.  I think the one thing I would like to have seen is a little bit clearer thread throughout the book.  There were a couple spots where I felt like the thread between each of the poems seemed a bit murky.

Conclusion

Overall, I really enjoyed this little book of poetry.  Keizer paints a beautiful, gritty, and real portrait of life in the city.  He does not shy away from the seamier side of this life either.  I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars.  It is on sale now so grab a copy and tell me what you think!