Contemplations of the Faithful by J. Clark
As a reader, and writer, I'm eclectic in what I pick up. At the time, it has to match my mood, so to speak. I've found, lately, that I've been drawn more toward poetry throughout the last year or so. I think it reverts to my own poetry writing but stems, also, from my time reading poetry while writing my first Christian Fiction book, The Battle. Two of my main characters had a love of poetry, and it brought a foundation to their relationship.
When I was looking for new reads, I requested my Twitter Writing Community to share their works with me. Several did, and from these lovely Indie Authors, I picked several books that looked like ones I would be interested in reading and added them to my Goodreads shelf. So far, I've read a few of them and shared my reviews on previous blogs (Julia Ash, J.D. Hart, Claire Buss, Lester Eugene Mayer, Timothy Hammer, Ami J. Sanghvi to name a few). That's when I was introduced to this author: J. Clark.
Author J. Clark added her collection of poetry to my list, and what caught my eye was the fact that it was book one for a Millennial Psalm series. I love the book of Psalms, and it felt like a natural inclination to read this and find the connection. So, I decided to make it my next read.
Numeric Breakdown:
1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing
1. Writing Style: 4/5
J. Clark utilizes New Testament vernacular with a contemporary voice. Her style includes repetition, alliteration, and some poems (like #17) have a rhyme scheme where the ends of the lines within the stanza utilize the same repeating syllables. The format of the poems differ, and the few that I have picked up on range from blank verse to free verse to narrative to elegy and lyric. Although I'm not an expert in all of the formats and seeing them immediately when I read, the context alludes to the emotions on display and shares the sense of loss and reflection throughout many of her poems such as #23.
2. Overall Content: 4/5
Essentially, the poetry that J. Clark represents within her collection seeks to find answers to personal and universal questions. Her poetry often evokes the Lord for understanding in the world and how it relates to her on a personal basis. She explores the meaning of her talents and gifts in a world that's ever shifting, like #1, and takes on the political aspects of immigration in her poem #2. Within her third poem, she's reiterating scripture speech and taking a card from Matthew's (5:1-12) beatitudes.
"Times are hard. The world is harsh. We should realize that each day is precious and should make them count.
A psalm is defined as “a sacred song or hymn, in particular any of those in the biblical Book of Psalms and used in Christian and Jewish worship”. In the Bible there are 150 psalms that are attributed to be written by King David praising, worshiping, and pouring out to God. In such a fashion, Contemplations of the Faithful aims to pour out to God life through the eyes of those in the 18-35 age range.
It is a collection of personal experiences and many different interactions all filtered through the eyes of a single person trying to capture larger than life experiences. Some poems question the human purpose, some address the concept of faith, gender, being overwhelmed by life, suffering, temptation, relations between men and women, and the disturbing state of the human condition. There will be thirty poems in this first collection."
A little more knowledge about J. Clark as found on her Amazon page states:
"J. Clark is a writer living in Georgia. A philosophy alumnus of Georgia College she has given conferences on topics such as feminism, race, and gender. Bringing her unique perspective to the writing world her characters wrestle with issues such tradition, modern values, identity, morality, and more..
Her first poem, "Psalms 2", was published online with The Raven's Perch. Since then she has released Contemplations of the Faithful on Amazon.
When not writing she enjoys gardening, cooking, and other activities with her family and friends."
You can find her on:
1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing
1. Writing Style: 4/5
J. Clark utilizes New Testament vernacular with a contemporary voice. Her style includes repetition, alliteration, and some poems (like #17) have a rhyme scheme where the ends of the lines within the stanza utilize the same repeating syllables. The format of the poems differ, and the few that I have picked up on range from blank verse to free verse to narrative to elegy and lyric. Although I'm not an expert in all of the formats and seeing them immediately when I read, the context alludes to the emotions on display and shares the sense of loss and reflection throughout many of her poems such as #23.
2. Overall Content: 4/5
Essentially, the poetry that J. Clark represents within her collection seeks to find answers to personal and universal questions. Her poetry often evokes the Lord for understanding in the world and how it relates to her on a personal basis. She explores the meaning of her talents and gifts in a world that's ever shifting, like #1, and takes on the political aspects of immigration in her poem #2. Within her third poem, she's reiterating scripture speech and taking a card from Matthew's (5:1-12) beatitudes.
One of my favorite poems is #9, where the author utilizes repetition at the beginning of her lines and delves into the aspect of life being known only to God and how humans search to find the meaning and even escape from life. Some of the poems deviate from a more Psalm-like vibe to those of contemporary hopes and dreams such as prescribed to in #13 - looking for the perfect man by all women on Earth, adultery is touched on in #15, and we see the yearning for relationship in #24.
Another favorite is #28, where the author takes on a personification of the digital world in which we live. I love the imagery invoked and the connection to our loss of real-life experiences. In fact, the line "...as our bodies collect dust on the waste side..." is one of my favorite lines within the poem and book.
Likewise, another favorite is #21 because of its visual of spring, and the connection the reader can make to it in the here and now. I love the line in this poem "...loose afros and juicy braids fill the skyline of beauty." Such a vivid picture of what spring represents for her.
The author takes her readers on a ride through several topics by the end of the book. There's a slight disconnect between the Christian-emphasized poems that she starts out with, mentioned as the foundation of the collection within the synopsis's first paragraph, and the more secular-type poems that arise as the rest of the book progresses. If keeping with the initial conception of Psalms and the praise of God, then it feels as if the overall book doesn't fully match up to the initial description and expectation. So, if you're looking for primarily "praise poetry," you will not get it here within all 30 poems.
However, if you are looking for a mash-up of praise and worship, questions and doubts, feelings and emotions depicted and analyzed, the trauma of humanity, and the disillusionment of relationships in the modern age, then you will find that here. It fits in with the second half of her synopsis quite nicely, and you can see the visual architecture provided for attempting to understand the world as a single person.
Contemplations of the Faithful is a contemporary, fresh, and thoughtful collection of poetry, and I'm excited to see what the author does next in this series.
3. Hooks/Attention-kept: 4/5
I like the attempt at praise poetry this author offers to her readers. In connecting with the book of Psalms, I think the author attempts to take certain Bible verses and bring them into the 21st Century. She does a delightful job of adding praise and inquiry within them.
3. Hooks/Attention-kept: 4/5
I like the attempt at praise poetry this author offers to her readers. In connecting with the book of Psalms, I think the author attempts to take certain Bible verses and bring them into the 21st Century. She does a delightful job of adding praise and inquiry within them.
Her dive into praise poetry still hits the emotional chords through personal connections, stories, and imagery. My attention was kept through her voice's desire to understand and vent. The change over into world concerns was relevant and poignant in its attention to visuals.
4. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the genre: 4/5
As I've stated before when reviewing and rating poetry, it's difficult for me assess such a subjective form of writing and entertainment. I suppose it comes down to did I like it or not? Even then, there's always room for reasoning and specific breakdowns of why I liked something or not.
4. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the genre: 4/5
As I've stated before when reviewing and rating poetry, it's difficult for me assess such a subjective form of writing and entertainment. I suppose it comes down to did I like it or not? Even then, there's always room for reasoning and specific breakdowns of why I liked something or not.
J. Clark does a lovely job of providing an immersive and thought-provoking collection of poetry. My enjoyment for it was met in terms of how I related to the poetry itself. As a part of the genre, it fit with my expectations and hopes of sentimental, controversial, impassioned, and poignant writing.
5. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the content: 4/5
I found myself loving several of the poems found within this first book. It held many emotional pulls, which allowed me to think of how I would feel in such scenarios. It gave me new perspective, and it permitted me the opportunity to sit with another author and human being's expectations, sentiments, and impressions. As a result, I felt it was a very satisfying and connecting read. I love the content's ability to bring in the Lord and connect back to the Bible, especially Psalms.
6. Overall Story Rating: 4/5
Hopefully, you gained a bit of insight into the whys of how much I enjoyed this book of poetry. I will be honest and say I was a little disappointed because I thought there would be more praise poetry as a part of this collection. My misguidance might have come from not fully digesting the synopsis - particularly the second paragraph, when reading through it. Also, the subtitle of "Millennial Psalm Book" might have thrown me and set me up for different expectations than what I got.
5. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the content: 4/5
I found myself loving several of the poems found within this first book. It held many emotional pulls, which allowed me to think of how I would feel in such scenarios. It gave me new perspective, and it permitted me the opportunity to sit with another author and human being's expectations, sentiments, and impressions. As a result, I felt it was a very satisfying and connecting read. I love the content's ability to bring in the Lord and connect back to the Bible, especially Psalms.
6. Overall Story Rating: 4/5
Hopefully, you gained a bit of insight into the whys of how much I enjoyed this book of poetry. I will be honest and say I was a little disappointed because I thought there would be more praise poetry as a part of this collection. My misguidance might have come from not fully digesting the synopsis - particularly the second paragraph, when reading through it. Also, the subtitle of "Millennial Psalm Book" might have thrown me and set me up for different expectations than what I got.
However, I enjoyed the poetry within and found it heartfelt. The different types of poetry forms are always appreciated, and as always, I love to connect to another person through the art of writing. J. Clark has a modern yet old-fashioned way of looking at the world, which I appreciate and respect. Dignity and kindness should never go out of style, and the desire to care for others, show courtesy, think before you act, and remember God in all things are great reminders in this current day and age.
Again, I found this a wonderful collection and recommend it to anyone looking for relevance in today's society. Thanks to J. Clark for providing a timely assertion of attempted praise in today's world.
Thanks for joining me, and as always, Happy Reading!
~Rebecca Reddell
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