Review: Spectral Realms
/The spectral realms that thou canst see
With eyes veil'd from the world and me.
-"To a Dreamer," H.P. Lovecraft
I was made aware of this publication by a photographer friend of mine from the UK, who's art was featured on the cover of issue 3. As someone who is very adamant about supporting zines and small time artists, I was excited to check out Spectral Realms, which is published by Hippocampus Press.
Specral Realms is a twice yearly journal full of "prose-poetry, reviews and articles about weird poetry, and reprints of classic but obscure weird poems". The specific issue I have the pleasure of reviewing is issue 3, which you can get here.
It's been a long time since I've had interest in poetry compilation publications, for me, those types of journals are filled with poetry that just doesn't resonate. What I really enjoyed about Spectral Realms, is the genre is much more specific and speaks to the types of interests and aesthetics that tickle my brain in just the right ways.
The book contains poetry of varying length, timber, and style, and this is no amateur hour; this is beautifully and masterfully crafted prose, guaranteed to engender the imagination of the reader. I often found myself swept off into fictional lands, caught in introspection, and quiet dreaming. I was not just entertained, but challenged and intellectually stimulated.
There was a pleasant surprise waiting at the end as well, in the form of academic literary analysis of previous works. These were quite satisfying to me from a cognition stand point, in that I learned much about the art of literary construction, layering, and meaning. As well as finding recommendations for future dips into the poetic.
A quick read if you are pressed for time, and a contemplative read, if you are a dreamer, Spectral Realms No. 3 is a curation of stuffs I'm sure most of you reading this blog find aesthetically and intellectually pleasing. You can purchase the volume here.
-The Count runs the Cemetery Confessions podcast and The Requiem Podcast. For more info on The Count, click here.