Aphrodite Made Me Do It: Volume 1 (Myth and Magick)

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Unfortunately they do not have this one as a physical copy, so I'll just have to wait until I can get my own— which I will totally be doing because this book is definitely worth rereading again and again. Aphrodite Made Me Do It is a collection of prose-poetry, framed as a conversation between the author and Aphrodite, goddess of love, sex and beauty. Aphrodite Made Me Do It is an atypical sort of collection; it felt like a needed step away from poetry which makes a bouquet of the trauma and pain of its maker. I usually really enjoy longer poems, but here, the supposed longer poems aren't giving me what they are suppose to : they usually consist of a succession of short sentences that seem more like a bullet-pointed draft than an actual poem.

It actually feels more like an account of things Aphrodite taught the narrator in anecdotal style, which was a strange approach. There are multiple images throughout which felt a little juvenile – they genuinely looked like images captured from google with clip art attached, or were images with poignant quotes on which you’d often see scrolling along your chosen social media platform.The passages from Aphrodite’s perspective were particularly compelling and there were many that I have saved and shared with friends.

It talks about self-care and being responsible for your own healing and of finding the real meaning of love. It was a short read with beautiful words, but at the same time, it felt like scrolling through someone's poetry-inspired Instagram feed - pretty but easily forgotten.The feeling and expression of strong emotions acts as the healthy catharsis that can allow poet/goddess/woman to open her heart to the peace, self-love and joy that she deserves. I have not read as much as some book nerds, so I'm not overly concerned with things like whether or not the lines rhyme.

I received a free ARC of this book, with thanks to the author, Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley. You will find grace between these pages and a little sadness, too--the kind that makes flowers grow in all of the places you need them most. Using the framework of a conversation, with sections alternating between the perspective of the poet and the goddess herself, Mateer explore issues like: heartbreak, sexuality, trauma, and the restorative power in taking control of your own lore, speaking your truths, and rewriting your origin story. I read the NetGalley proof on my kindle which for some annoying reason always means that it messes up the lines and images, but I liked the design and style anyway. This dream/encounter set the stage for a beautiful conversation between the two; one which holds value for anyone who would hear it.Each of them feels personal, almost as if reading another's diary, and they often deal with difficult content in beautiful ways which make you leave feeling empowered and strong. I loved the illustrations and pictures included in this book which I really think helped to highlight the lovely prose. Known for her eponymous blog, she is now the author of multiple poetry collections, including When The Stars Wrote Back (2020), Aphrodite Made Me Do It (2019), Honeybee (2018), and The Dogs I Have Kissed (2015) which won a Goodreads Choice Award the year of its release. Each section (obviously) has its own themes and tones, and speaks to the reader on a different level.

The poems here combine to make a feminist manifesto that inspires strength, courage, pride, and a negation of all society deems a woman's body to be and all the multitudes it actually contains.

And thank you: for dog-earing pages, for highlighting your favourite lines, for sharing your stories with me, for sharing your time with me. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.