Take Me To The Edge by Katya Boirand

It is a pleasure to open the blog tour today for Take Me To The Edge by Katya Boirand. My thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me to take part.

When I first read the concept for this collection of poetry, I think I nearly snapped Anne’s virtual arm off. All of the poems in this book are inspired by five random words given to the poet by the subject, and each finished poem is then presented alongside a portrait of that person. I had the feeling that it would be right up my street!

When it arrived I was stunned by how beautiful it is, there is so much to look at. I ‘read’ it once by looking at the images, and then again, this time reading the poems in conjunction with the portraits. The one tiny niggle I have with it, is that the mini biography of the subject and their choice of five words is placed at the back of the book, which meant an awful lot of flipping back and forth. For me (as I’m insatiably nosey!) I felt like I wanted all of that information there in front of me, kind of like pulling jigsaw pieces together in the quest of an understanding of the whole.

However, I think this is probably a personal preference, because as it is the pages are visually gorgeous with the eye drawn and wholly focused on the artistry of the poem and the accompanying image – which together are a powerful combination.

The poems themselves are a really interesting and varied blend, as I read I felt as if so many different emotions were being tugged on as I related the words to personal situations. There really is so much to digest and consider when reading them.

I’d love to know more about the poems individually and the process of how they came about – I’m so incredibly intrigued and inspired, actually, by the whole concept! This is a collection I’ll keep on my coffee table, pick up and dip in and out of. It is a beautiful selection of poetry which I know will continually offer something fresh and new with each reading.

Synopsis

FIVE WORDS IS ALL IT TAKES TO PROVOKE A CHAIN OF CREATION.

That is what Katya Boirand discovered the first time she asked a friend for five words and then turned them into a poem, using the words and the subject as her inspiration. This spark started a movement, and soon Katya was asking friends and strangers alike for their five words of choice. Take Me To The Edge is a selection of these poems, sitting alongside a portrait of each subject, in this stunning and joyous celebration of language, connection and art.

About the Poet

French-born and half-English, it was never clear where home was for Katya Boirand. A childhood on the Isle of Wight, dance and performing arts school in Surrey, university in Kent then Paris, and acting school in New York meant that life was always on the move.

Katya finally put down some roots in London in 2013, to put pen to paper as well as mould an acting career. Her writing includes screenwriting, poetry and exploring the world of a diarist.

Take Me To The Edge is her first collection of poems in print.