Review for Erin Wilson

(A Song for Small Souls) I am unfamiliar with this style of poetry, but from what I see here, I find it appropriate that a new young voice can use the words of trusted elders to make their point. I also find it scary and possibly manipulative in the hands of an unethical author, who could pluck words and use them out of context for his own gain.

As for the poem itself, I think it had a very nice flow to it, and the quotes were combined in such a way that they formed a unified piece. My one quibble about the poem is the lines by Poe -- it's not so much that there's anything wrong with them -- but being a fan of Poe, I was distracted by stanzas of The Raven that kept running through my head directly following the Poe lines.

(Abortion) I have a hard time trying to critique this piece while setting aside my feelings on the issue itself. But I will do my best. I like the way you seemed to remain objective and present both sides of the story. I also liked the format you used, it drew the eye down the page. The shortness of the lines seemed to keep leading me down the page as well.

As far as suggestions for the piece go, I would suggest that you punctuate your sentences. I had to pull out of the flow of the poem several times because of things running together without the punctuation. I also think it would work better if you wrote from the perspective of someone faced with this choice. That way, I think you would be able to dive into the emotions and ethical/religious conflicts that have to be dealt with in a situation like this.

It would also allow you to follow the person after her choice has been made, and show what effects such a choice has, such as regret, guilt, the way that interactions between friends of differing viewpoints are affected, etc.