"Crumpled Paper Dolls: A New Orleans Poet"
Matthew Nolan's attention to detail in "Crumpled Paper Dolls: A New Orleans Poet" left me wanting more, and also yearning for a love that was lost. A love I know I can have again if I took the risk. The book was very hard to put down, and made me reminisce back to the days when I read Sylvia Plath's "A Bell Jar," "Ariel," and some of her other works. I identified with a lot of the poems because I had similar experiences, and I really didn't pity Matthew Nolan but it left me wanting to know him more as a person. I've also never wanted to visit New Orleans more in my life. To see it through his eyes, now I want a chance to see what he sees. I know I don't have the means to travel now, but I hope to make a trip in the next year or so.
I too am a "Crumpled Paper Doll," and I just hope my own poetry has the same effect on readers as Matthew Nolan has had on me, and my life.
I too am a "Crumpled Paper Doll," and I just hope my own poetry has the same effect on readers as Matthew Nolan has had on me, and my life.
"Exhuming Juliet: A New Orleans Poet"
I had the privilege of reading "Exhuming Juliet: A New Orleans Poet" back to back with "Crumpled Paper Dolls." I think I enjoyed this masterpiece of Matthew Nolan's a bit more than "Crumpled Paper Dolls" because I'm a romantic at heart. Again, the pain felt by Nolan in this post-Hurricane Katrina world left me wanting more, and I closed the book hoping someday Matthew Nolan would find a Juliet to stick by his side forever.
What really opened my eyes was the poems about Hurricane Katrina. Living on the opposite coast of the United States, and away from the wreckage of altered lives, I never took into account the feelings of those left homeless by the natural disaster. I believe Matthew Nolan is a phoenix rising from the ashes, and his uses of words made me long for New Orleans like I've never felt before. I'm so glad he was able to return to the town he loved, and was actually left hoping I could have that kind of feeling for my hometown. I even fantasized about visiting New Orleans, bumping into Matthew on the Street of Dreams, and possibly sharing my own poetry with him. He would make an excellent tour guide!
What really opened my eyes was the poems about Hurricane Katrina. Living on the opposite coast of the United States, and away from the wreckage of altered lives, I never took into account the feelings of those left homeless by the natural disaster. I believe Matthew Nolan is a phoenix rising from the ashes, and his uses of words made me long for New Orleans like I've never felt before. I'm so glad he was able to return to the town he loved, and was actually left hoping I could have that kind of feeling for my hometown. I even fantasized about visiting New Orleans, bumping into Matthew on the Street of Dreams, and possibly sharing my own poetry with him. He would make an excellent tour guide!
Even if you're not a poetry lover, Matthew Nolan can make a believer out of you! Please give him a chance.
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