The Accidental Poet by Paul Stewart: An Unintentional Review

The Inadvertent Background

I have now read 3/4 Vocal books I picked out. I define “Vocal books” as their contents either came off this site and/or their author is currently on Vocal. Today, we get to see both as I talk a bit about Paul Stewart and his poetry collection The Accidental Poet.

I remember when this one first came out, mostly because it appeared on the front page that is the communal meeting chamber of the Vocalites.

And with a title like that, you can’t help but wonder “what all that’s about?” as we Yanks like to say.

(Me, I’m the Yank. Not Paul)

Still, it’s an unfortunate consequence that for all those offering kind words, very few commit to taking additional action like, say, purchasing the book.

Exhibit A:

Whoops. Well, at least I’m back half a year later to rectify my own infraction.

Of those that do buy, fewer will take the follow up action of reading it.

And then a fraction of that fraction will review it.

Last time, I talked about the power of reviews as I considered the work of the indomitable L.C. Schäfer, so I won’t retread that ground.

Today, we’re going to talk about Vocal vs. print media.

The Unintended Revelation

In one of Paul and I’s many comment threads, he discussed how he’s considering making his next poetry collection “half Vocal, half new content” so that there’s an incentive for followers who may have already read his poems on Vocal to buy.

And I certainly understand the philosophy. I had a similar approach for my novel. 80% of the chapters are on Vocal, free and available to the public. The other 20%, including the all-important ending, is exclusive to the book.

However, I’m now here to say: I’m not sure that print-exclusive content is all that necessary.

Why?

Because it is such a different experience to read when it’s print. Tactile, sure. But, more importantly, intentional.

Reading on Vocal is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s accessible. I can read Vocal articles on my phone at the gym, and I can sample thousands of stories, poems, and articles all without any upfront cost.

On the other hand, distraction is a click away on Vocal. Spotify, YouTube, Gmail: all sorts of rival content offerings and experiences that can quickly wrest your attention.

It’s no wonder that poetry and microfiction flourishes. Most aren’t willing to even attempt reading a longer piece of fiction. And I don’t blame them.

Computers and phones offer convenience, but they offer distraction in equal measure.

With a book, I do one thing: read. Because I’ve sat down and pulled open the book, it’s like a switch is flipped. I’m here to do this and nothing else.

I’m willing to bet even those who have already read every single poem on Vocal now featured in The Accidental Poet would walk away from the print version feeling like they’ve gleaned new insights simply because they could focus better.

I have a friend who says he will only read in print, and while I’m an audiobook fiend, I would also agree.

It was Walt’s words that reassured me I wasn’t “cheating” my readers when so much of the content was already available online. After all, I’m offering them a whole new experience. A better experience, in my opinion.

Plus, in my case, I also didn’t let these chapters already being published in some form stop me from making edits, so those who buy are getting the most “up-to-date” version.

And I dare say Paul isn’t “cheating” his readers, either. Both for offering his previously published poetry in a new form, and for the sheer convenience of not having to crawl his quite active profile to find all of it.

So how did this revolutionary new reading experience treat me?

The Unforeseen Review

An unintentional adventure

Prepare to be carried in all directions as our intrepid poet tackles subjects from self-healing to self-harm in a brisk poetry collection that isn’t afraid to elucidate on serious subjects with levity and impart gravity to the ordinary and mundane.

I’ve been in the camp of “serious poetry cannot rhyme” because the rhyming adds a limerick-like quality that can undermine the message. This collection did challenge my position, while also reminding me just how much thought goes into how words are placed on a page, how lines are broken, and even how spacing can be used to create effect.

That said, I found the rhyming didn’t always work in the poem’s favor, but you can’t help but respect the ambition to maintain rhyme scheme and message. Yet, when there is a rhyme scheme, I am often more focused on the end rhyme than the message of the line preceding it.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to tip my hat to a couple verses that spoke to me. So much so that I reached for a pen and highlighted them. Can you imagine? Annotating. Like I’m back in college with a used textbook from the bookstore? Words have power:

If your pen is broken

stab it into your veins

fill it up with blood

+

You still had that feeling

You missed out

On developing yourself

Before taking on

Someone else

That first verse is an image so raw that it forces you to consider the deeper meaning. In fact, it refuses to leave your head until you give it its due.

That second verse spoke deeply to me because I’ve had my own internal debate going for quite some time around this very subject. A personal issue that I don’t feel like sharing with the larger reading community, but trust me when I say: I’ve been there.

I get it.

And isn’t that the goal? To speak to your reader? To spur on their own search for meaning, inspired by your revelations?

On that front, Paul Stewart, The Accidental Poet himself, has excelled.

The Unexpected Takeaway

Content online is accessible. Content in print is digestible.

Or something like that. See what I mean about rhyme not always supporting the message?

(I’m kidding, Paul. Don’t murder me in the comments)

Oh, and just because I didn’t elucidate on it this time around doesn’t mean that you still shouldn’t be reviewing your favorite books and authors, especially small-time ones like Paul and I. The review above has been deployed to Amazon and Goodreads (bonus since I have a Goodreads account and most of the global population does not).

And if that review whetted your appetite, you can check out The Accidental Poet by Paul “Inadvertent Poet” Stewart below:

One more time: Enjoy content in print, and review it!