Title: Wild Chai
Author: Cheriese Francoise Anderson
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: 2020
Genre: Poetry Collection
Pages: 152 (Digital via Kindle)
Read Time: 4 Days (Casual Reading)
.::Author's Summary::.
Put on something soft, light a decadent candle, pour yourself a cup of your favourite warm brew, settle down in a quiet space and let Wild Chai flow…
Calm for your mind, while fire for your soul - Wild Chai is filled with sweetest letters of self love and discovery with just a hint of spice meant to spark wildfire flames in the heart of every soul who knows, these words are yours for the taking….
.::Personal Summary::.
This is a book that you read wrapped in your blanket in those 'in between' moments when you need something to ground you but also to know you. This poetry collection reads like a best friend sharing their personal growth story with you that spanned years, somehow condensed into something you can read in a few short hours instead.
OVERALL RATING
~4.9 out of 5~
Poetry is my first love when it comes to writing. I enjoy it profusely and am moved by it in ways that novels and short stories simply cannot manage. My first official step into the mindset and shoes of a writer was with poetry when I was in middle school, entering a contest that allowed me a publication when I was only twelve years old. Fat lot of good it did me, of course, because we didn't purchase a copy and I wouldn't even know where to begin looking for it.
Knowing that poetry is my first love, there's two things that I needed to keep in mind when reading "Wild Chai." Firstly, I could not, for any reason, just love it because it was poetry. It was not going to be a productive nor helpful to myself nor the author, whom I know somewhat personally through a writer's collective I've recently joined. I needed to read this with a positive mindset but also with the intention of critical assessment. Which means... Secondly, I couldn't go into this specifically looking for the good and bad of the technical writing. I needed to absolutely go into it prepared to note anything that might've been wrong with it, but not so excessively so that it would be discouraging.
Thankfully, the writing and editing of this publication were so well done that I didn't have to work too hard at either of those things. Reading this book was like listening to a best friend, some I could have known for a decade or more, growing up and learning who they are at my side. When I wasn't swooning over the growth of our narrator, I was choking back familiar feelings that threatened choke me because the words I was reading were so much like myself that I couldn't believe Cheriese had put it to words before I could. As I was reading, a friend of mine who is hoping to read this collection later this year, I sent her a list of my favorite poems by page number so that we could discuss them later. For reference, the ones that got me the most were: 6, 16, 83, 124.
More than the storytelling, though, Cheriese was able to find common descriptors that she wove throughout the entire collection that made this feel cohesive. It didn't read like poetry because there were certain phrases and experiences that kept returning in the growth of this woman. Whether its her fiery passion or stardust soul, our narrator is baring for us her most personal stories that always return to self-love and self-care. You can, and will, lose yourself in the friendship that comes with reading this book. You will feel like you have known her for your entire life.
And you know what - maybe you have.
.::Technical Writing::.
4.9/5
With poetry, everything is intentional, and even when there's a true mistake, it usually just plays into the tone of the piece. For that reason, it can be very difficult to rate something that is written in free verse, as "Wild Chai" is, since there's no rule to abide by in the text. That said, I did feel like I couldn't give a perfect score here. Now, I want it clear that I'm not saying there are any technical errors that I can point out to you by page and line number right now. I'm not even saying there are technical errors at all.
What I'm saying, and why I am giving it a 4.9 instead of a perfect 5 is this: there were times where I had to reread lines and poems because there appeared to be a typo or an incorrect word being used. Like I said, it's hard to rate technical writing in free verse poetry. If this were a haiku or a sonnet, there's a strict set of rules to abide by and they can absolutely be measures. That's not true for this style of writing. The technical writing dock comes from simply having a few places where it was a little unclear if there was a typo or an intentional word use. Sometimes, poetry translates better with these types of purposeful changes when read aloud, but I cannot speak wholly to whether or not this is even the case for this collection.
Otherwise, there was a lot of thought put into the format, order, and presentation of this text. Cheriese definitely shows that self-publication can have the same quality and effect of a traditionally published and eBook formatted piece. You can purchase the book through her website directly, which is awesome if you're looking to support smaller creators like Cheriese because they can keep more of the profits from their creative works, but the eBook is compatible with Kindle. I purchased the digital copy from my phone and imported the file to my Kindle app in less than five minutes.
.::Creative Content::.
5/5
I've found in my personal experiences over the years of my writing that poetry calls upon a specific type of content. Poetry is expressive in a volatile way that lends itself to more extreme and intense topics. That's why we more often see songs about pain and suffering, about romance and falling in love, about social injustice and calls to action. I cannot count the number of poems I've read about boyfriends who have cheated, girlfriends who moved on, failing at your passions, and being discounted for being a certain way. And those poems are amazing! They need to be written for the people out there who don't know how to vocalize their strife and experiences.
But, because that is such a prevalent sector of the poetry arena, it makes poetry like that of "Wild Chai" so much more outstanding. It stands out because it has all of those things but it's not just focused on the outsiders. These poems are journey from within the self, the thoughts of someone who is doing more than just reflecting. These poems are talking to you and read more like a conversation. In my truly honest opinion, the compilation of these poems in the order that they're in written the way that they are - I can't imagine it being any more perfect than it is right now.
.::Recommendation Rating::.
5/5
I recommended this to a friend before I even read it, if I'm honest, but I really advocated it to my friend after I started reading it. I had make some timeline mistakes for one of my jobs and it just sort of set me up to be behind schedule, so I decided I may as well read it now since I love poetry. It fit in with my reading challenge that I'm hosting, and there seemed to be no reason to put it off. All signs pointed to reading it right now.
Since then, I've recommended it to a mother raising and homeschooling three girls. Honestly, anyone that is looking for something to read and is interested in poetry, this is going to be my first recommendation. It's modern, it's honest, and is comfortable.
Like a sip of wild chai.
.::Personal Opinion::.
5/5
Sometimes giving your personal opinion on someone else's work feels like a Catch 22, right? Especially if you know them are are acquaintances. What if they get mad at me? What if they don't like what I have to say? What if this changes things between us? I worry about all of those things, but after I got a dozen or so pages into this collection, that worry washed away. I knew I would finish this book, and I knew I would enjoy it, because this is an author I could understand. I can't imagine there are many readers who won't be able to relate to Cheriese's words in this book. She just expresses life in a poetic and clear manner.
You'll feel more whole, somehow, when you're done. I promise.