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A review by richardleis
Dwarf Stars 2017 by Robin Mayhall
4.0
I knew that poems could be really short, but how did I not know that poems could be about science fiction, fantasy, and horror and be effective and exciting, thrilling, or chilling at under ten lines!?
I feel so fortunate to have finally found the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association. They bring together in their various publications genre poetry of any size, but with the Dwarf Stars Awards and annual anthology they focus on these shortest wonders. I was surprised to find that even single line poems can pack a huge wallop! As selected by Robin Mayhall out of the wealth of "very short speculative poetry" that's available out there, the poems this year are an eclectic mix of styles, subjects, themes, and elements of craft.
I was also surprised by how quickly I read this anthology of sixty plus poems in less than thirty pages; I didn't want it to end! Among my favorites were poems that captured something horrifying or elegiac in just a few words and lines, like "abandoned farm ..." by C. William Hinderliter, "Cenotaph Moon" by Robert Borski, and "First to Draw" by Bruce Boston. I also really enjoyed two poems about drones, "alighting" by C. R. Harper and "spring migration" by LeRoy Gorman. I'm much less interested in subjects like werewolves that many contemporary genre poets seem to have gravitated toward, if this anthology is any indication, but their craft is as a rule excellent, and there are many other subjects contained within.
Now I have to choose three of my favorites and vote!
I feel so fortunate to have finally found the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association. They bring together in their various publications genre poetry of any size, but with the Dwarf Stars Awards and annual anthology they focus on these shortest wonders. I was surprised to find that even single line poems can pack a huge wallop! As selected by Robin Mayhall out of the wealth of "very short speculative poetry" that's available out there, the poems this year are an eclectic mix of styles, subjects, themes, and elements of craft.
I was also surprised by how quickly I read this anthology of sixty plus poems in less than thirty pages; I didn't want it to end! Among my favorites were poems that captured something horrifying or elegiac in just a few words and lines, like "abandoned farm ..." by C. William Hinderliter, "Cenotaph Moon" by Robert Borski, and "First to Draw" by Bruce Boston. I also really enjoyed two poems about drones, "alighting" by C. R. Harper and "spring migration" by LeRoy Gorman. I'm much less interested in subjects like werewolves that many contemporary genre poets seem to have gravitated toward, if this anthology is any indication, but their craft is as a rule excellent, and there are many other subjects contained within.
Now I have to choose three of my favorites and vote!