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WILDWEED
WILDWEED is a handmade chapbook,
not published in the traditional manner like C. Steven Blue's other books.
Steven makes this one completely by hand in his home studio as an artistic expression.
They are labor intensive, but a labor of love and include a handmade-paper overleaf
and a custom linen cover.
not published in the traditional manner like C. Steven Blue's other books.
Steven makes this one completely by hand in his home studio as an artistic expression.
They are labor intensive, but a labor of love and include a handmade-paper overleaf
and a custom linen cover.
WILDWEED

Copyright 2012-2017
Chapbook, Saddle Stitched (handmade): Poetry
C. Steven Blue
ISBN# 978-0-9635499-1-4
48 pages. $14.95
(lovingly handmade/with handmade-paper overleaf/creation date listed on back-page)
The book has three themes: The Sea, The City, & Me.
C. Steven Blue grew up in Hollywood, California. He is FROM . . . where so many people go TO . . .
in an effort to find their dreams. Growing up there in the 1960s provided a wealth of inspiration for Steven's poetry. WILDWEED reflects much of the sensibilities of growing up in that time, and in the big city.
***NOTE: Because WILDWEED is handmade, it is only available for purchase here on Steven's website. Click above to add it to your cart.
Accolades for Wildweed:
Whether C. Steven Blue is capturing “the shadows of the past” or living “in this moment,” his new book, Wildweed, creates a road to go beyond the common metaphor. He delves into the themes of nature, love, and self-awareness with equal discern and amplitude. A very accessible poet; a must read book.
—R. K. Johnston, Author of From Fractals, Forward and The Wandering Circle.
Excerpts from a review by Ingrid Wendt:
Throughout Wildweed, I am struck again and again by a skillful use of language, as well as a depth of feeling. You clearly have an ear for musical language, and quite often I find refreshing, playful, delightful word combinations and refreshing ways of seeing familiar things.
Let me transcribe the jottings on the purple paste-it notes which I’ve stuck here and there, through the book – not on all of the poems, just a few.
"Twinkling of an Eye,” thematically, as well as in subject matter, a great way to begin the whole collection. I like the wind’s being “crystal clear” – something visual – nice use of onomatopoeia, combining the sense impressions. I like the “wedding gowns blow through my dreams” – terrific image!
Lots of good images in “Speed Dreamin’,” especially “heater crinkles in this weather," "The “ratings/ of previous lovers” – original and interesting, clever, tender, original, precise, interesting ending.
In the poem “Sounds Awakening,” I enjoy “passion’s pleasing/ and teasing bright display.” “I can almost hear my frosty breath/ breaking with the morning waves.” Wow.
“Shadows of Sunrise” – I love the cream puff image, very original. Love the sounds of the words “peck/ sleek their silky feathers” In fact this whole poem is rich with imagery and musical sounds. (“passengers in flashing windows” – another example of great sounds and imagery, combined). The poem ends nicely. This poem contains some of your best strengths as a poet.
Small examples of language that I encounter here and there, that feel overused and from the universal pool of generic language, thus working against the truly original parts of your poems, are words and phrases like “ever so slightly,” “soothe my soul,” “your mind’s eye,” “sweet harmony,” “hungry for the news,” etc. The opposite extreme of such phrases are wonderful word combinations such as the title “Penetrating Presumptions on a Sunday Saturation.”
Some of the poems feel like songs, especially those with refrains, and I can imagine them being sung to music. “In This Moment” would make a wonderful song. “you/me: the shadows of the past,” is another poem that is more song than poem, with its lively refrain (“the crack of your back”). And I like the 1st part, especially, of “Hubcaps on the Highway.” I can really hear this as a song.
In “Like a Wet Rainbow,” . . . I like the pattern you’ve created: 3 rhyming lines, and then the refrain; three rhyming lines, and then the refrain. You have a good instinct for parallel structure here, and elsewhere in the book.
Then there are poems in which the subject matter is more complex, more interesting, therefore, than others. “Poezija: The Ballerina” is one of those. I’m intrigued by the different topics in the three sections: tree, structured steel, and ballerina. It’s an ambitious poem, reaching for larger kinds of metaphors.
Reading the poem “Wildweed,” I made these notes: “wonderful rhythms, music” – reminds me of Joni Mitchell.
“Depth Perception”: “like it a lot, feels like a song...“Could it be we’re poorer…/ for all the coins that have been tossed?
"Serendipity Sessions" . . . Aha – an insight . . . The delightful alliteration, the playful sounds in the poem, dominate the sense, override meaning – the “jingle” quality of Ogden Nash. Abstract language dominates: I’d love to see examples of “the simplest things/ that a fresh moment brings.”
“The Edge of Things” makes a beautiful song. “Just in Time” – a perfect way to end the book. Feels well crafted, just the right length.
—Ingrid Wendt, Poet/Teacher/Editor. Author of Evensong, Surgeonfish and Starting With Little Things: A Guide To Writing Poetry In The Classroom.
Chapbook, Saddle Stitched (handmade): Poetry
C. Steven Blue
ISBN# 978-0-9635499-1-4
48 pages. $14.95
(lovingly handmade/with handmade-paper overleaf/creation date listed on back-page)
The book has three themes: The Sea, The City, & Me.
C. Steven Blue grew up in Hollywood, California. He is FROM . . . where so many people go TO . . .
in an effort to find their dreams. Growing up there in the 1960s provided a wealth of inspiration for Steven's poetry. WILDWEED reflects much of the sensibilities of growing up in that time, and in the big city.
***NOTE: Because WILDWEED is handmade, it is only available for purchase here on Steven's website. Click above to add it to your cart.
Accolades for Wildweed:
Whether C. Steven Blue is capturing “the shadows of the past” or living “in this moment,” his new book, Wildweed, creates a road to go beyond the common metaphor. He delves into the themes of nature, love, and self-awareness with equal discern and amplitude. A very accessible poet; a must read book.
—R. K. Johnston, Author of From Fractals, Forward and The Wandering Circle.
Excerpts from a review by Ingrid Wendt:
Throughout Wildweed, I am struck again and again by a skillful use of language, as well as a depth of feeling. You clearly have an ear for musical language, and quite often I find refreshing, playful, delightful word combinations and refreshing ways of seeing familiar things.
Let me transcribe the jottings on the purple paste-it notes which I’ve stuck here and there, through the book – not on all of the poems, just a few.
"Twinkling of an Eye,” thematically, as well as in subject matter, a great way to begin the whole collection. I like the wind’s being “crystal clear” – something visual – nice use of onomatopoeia, combining the sense impressions. I like the “wedding gowns blow through my dreams” – terrific image!
Lots of good images in “Speed Dreamin’,” especially “heater crinkles in this weather," "The “ratings/ of previous lovers” – original and interesting, clever, tender, original, precise, interesting ending.
In the poem “Sounds Awakening,” I enjoy “passion’s pleasing/ and teasing bright display.” “I can almost hear my frosty breath/ breaking with the morning waves.” Wow.
“Shadows of Sunrise” – I love the cream puff image, very original. Love the sounds of the words “peck/ sleek their silky feathers” In fact this whole poem is rich with imagery and musical sounds. (“passengers in flashing windows” – another example of great sounds and imagery, combined). The poem ends nicely. This poem contains some of your best strengths as a poet.
Small examples of language that I encounter here and there, that feel overused and from the universal pool of generic language, thus working against the truly original parts of your poems, are words and phrases like “ever so slightly,” “soothe my soul,” “your mind’s eye,” “sweet harmony,” “hungry for the news,” etc. The opposite extreme of such phrases are wonderful word combinations such as the title “Penetrating Presumptions on a Sunday Saturation.”
Some of the poems feel like songs, especially those with refrains, and I can imagine them being sung to music. “In This Moment” would make a wonderful song. “you/me: the shadows of the past,” is another poem that is more song than poem, with its lively refrain (“the crack of your back”). And I like the 1st part, especially, of “Hubcaps on the Highway.” I can really hear this as a song.
In “Like a Wet Rainbow,” . . . I like the pattern you’ve created: 3 rhyming lines, and then the refrain; three rhyming lines, and then the refrain. You have a good instinct for parallel structure here, and elsewhere in the book.
Then there are poems in which the subject matter is more complex, more interesting, therefore, than others. “Poezija: The Ballerina” is one of those. I’m intrigued by the different topics in the three sections: tree, structured steel, and ballerina. It’s an ambitious poem, reaching for larger kinds of metaphors.
Reading the poem “Wildweed,” I made these notes: “wonderful rhythms, music” – reminds me of Joni Mitchell.
“Depth Perception”: “like it a lot, feels like a song...“Could it be we’re poorer…/ for all the coins that have been tossed?
"Serendipity Sessions" . . . Aha – an insight . . . The delightful alliteration, the playful sounds in the poem, dominate the sense, override meaning – the “jingle” quality of Ogden Nash. Abstract language dominates: I’d love to see examples of “the simplest things/ that a fresh moment brings.”
“The Edge of Things” makes a beautiful song. “Just in Time” – a perfect way to end the book. Feels well crafted, just the right length.
—Ingrid Wendt, Poet/Teacher/Editor. Author of Evensong, Surgeonfish and Starting With Little Things: A Guide To Writing Poetry In The Classroom.
*Website Exclusive Extra*
To see a video of C. Steven Blue performing the title poem from this book, go here:
"Wildweed"
To see a video of C. Steven Blue performing the title poem from this book, go here:
"Wildweed"
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