Graphic Novel Reviews: EMBODIED

Embodied mixes beautiful poems with stunning art – each poem has a different artist, matching the different style of poem. The poems themselves differ in topics – past lovers, childbirth, harassment, new love.. A lot is packed into less than 200 pages, including a study guide in the back for those that wish to delve deeper into each individual poem. And the poem itself, in it’s original form, appears after each illustrated version, so readers can see just what the poem was intended to look like.

While absolutely beautiful to look at – unfortunately some of the poems lose a little of their magic when translated into graphic novel format. The flow isn’t always there, especially when the reader needs to turn the page to continue a phrase or sentence. Having the poem in it’s original format after each illustrated section does help, but the initial reading can occasionally leave something to be desired. But for what the text boxes may lack, the art makes up for it. Each art style seems to be catered for each poem, and it makes it so much easier to take your time and savor the words. While this anthology may feel a little uneven – as many anthologies are, it is still worth a read – for the art, as well as for the beautiful words.

Amanda T, Technology Center Manager