Caroline Kaufman

In the vein of poetry collections like Milk and Honey and Adultolescence, this compilation of short, powerful poems from teen Instagram sensation @poeticpoison perfectly captures the human experience. In Light Filters In, Caroline Kaufman—known as @poeticpoison—does what she does best: reflects our own experiences back at us and makes us feel less alone, one exquisite and insightful piece at a time. She writes about giving up too much of yourself to someone else, not fitting in, endlessly Googling “how to be happy,” and ultimately figuring out who you are. This hardcover collection features completely new material plus some fan favorites from Caroline's account. Filled with haunting, spare pieces of original art, Light Filters In will thrill existing fans and newcomers alike. it’s okay if some things are always out of reach. if you could carry all the stars in the palm of your hand, they wouldn’t be half as breathtaking

Light Filters In: Poems

As someone well-versed in contemporary poetry, I went into this collection with high hopes, but unfortunately it fell short for me. While authenticity and a diaristic confessional style can work brilliantly in skilled hands, here it came across as emotionally overwrought and lacking in artful metaphor or intriguing layering of language. Too often, the poems read like unprocessed diary entries rather than works that transcended the personal to offer profound insights through careful craft.

I appreciate rawness and accessibility in poetry, but the writing felt underbaked - more akin to the work of a talented teen grappling with angst rather than a developed poet's ruminations. There were glimmers of potential in spots, but overall the collection lacked the type of linguistic nuance, inventive imagery, and hard-earned wisdom I've come to expect from established poets working in this confessional mode.

For readers seeking evocative, skill-fully rendered emotional landscapes, they would be better served looking elsewhere in the modern poetry canon. But for this work, I can't recommend it based on the high bar I hold for truly impactful, resonant writing in this genre.

Liana

As someone well-versed in contemporary poetry, I went into this collection with high hopes, but unfortunately it fell short for me. While authenticity and a diaristic confessional style can work brilliantly in skilled hands, here it came across as emotionally overwrought and lacking in artful metaphor or intriguing layering of language. Too often, the poems read like unprocessed diary entries rather than works that transcended the personal to offer profound insights through careful craft.

I appreciate rawness and accessibility in poetry, but the writing felt underbaked - more akin to the work of a talented teen grappling with angst rather than a developed poet's ruminations. There were glimmers of potential in spots, but overall the collection lacked the type of linguistic nuance, inventive imagery, and hard-earned wisdom I've come to expect from established poets working in this confessional mode.

For readers seeking evocative, skill-fully rendered emotional landscapes, they would be better served looking elsewhere in the modern poetry canon. But for this work, I can't recommend it based on the high bar I hold for truly impactful, resonant writing in this genre.

Sherry Clark 

Honestly not sure why but this poetry book took me so long to finish. When normally I can finish one within a day or week. This one took months!

Avifa khrns

This book is just amazing, you could relate the feeling in her every poems you want to make one for yourself. 
every concept in this poems is simply amazing. This book is a diary, and a real journey towards self love.

This is what I needed today after dealing with a breakup all week that feels like it’s been going on for years even though it just happened Sunday. I’m really glad I grabbed this, feeling more like myself today definitely would recommend but check TW.

Ciara Janae ۵

This was a nice short poetry collection. It’s good if you want to sit in your feelings for a little bit. I’m not the biggest fan of word choice and overall style, but it’s overall decently well done.

Caroline Lewicki

I've read a lot of bad, shallow poetry lately, but this was beautiful. Full of emotion and angst and healing. It was genuinely deep poetry that doesn't try to use fancy font or weird stanza structures to stand out. I really enjoyed this. If you're a fan of Rupi Kaur, I'd highly recommend this.

Gabriel Noel 

Incredibly well written, at sixteen years old she can write better than the best of them. Poignant, emotional, and relatable. Well done, Caroline. Keep writing.

Jessica 

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | (4.5) Review also found here. 


“It's okay if some things
are always out of reach.
If you could carry all the stars
in the palm of your hand,
they wouldn't be
half as breathtaking” 

This is one of the most promising debuts in modern poetry. Light Filters In showcases a wise, and still vulnerable and young, prose. Kaufman's honesty is a breath held in the dark, those few moments before you step out into the light. You read Light Filters In and it feels universally true and complex. Part of you feels the heaviness that is behind it at moments, the other part of you feels intertwined with each and every line. Although Kaufman is young in comparison to her counterparts, she fits in perfectly.

Not only will fans of Rupi Kaur, Amanda Lovelace and Alicia Cook love this debut, Caroline Kaufman will likely carve out a place all her own in modern poetry. Whether readers know her from her wildly popular words scattered upon social media or are only discovering her for the first time in print, she will be the voice of her generation and connect them to prose.

Light Filters In is one of those once-and-a-while releases that will introduced countless readers to self-expression in poetry; they will become enamored with her and the genre, and perhaps begin the path of creating something of their own.

While I've said this about poets in the past, I have to admit: I wish someone like Caroline Kaufman was more prominent in my teenage years. It was so startlingly easy to see my younger self in her work. Ultimately, this is what makes poetry so everlasting: connection. Kaufman's pen will draw a line from her words to your soul and it's a wonderful thing to witness.

Light Filters In is can't-miss-poetry and, I'm willing to bet, only a fraction of what Kaufman's voice will bring us in the years to come.

Abdurrahman Ardo

In the vein of poetry collections like Milk and Honey and Adultolescence, this compilation of short, powerful poems from teen Instagram sensation @poeticpoison perfectly captures the human experience. In Light Filters In, Caroline Kaufman—known as @poeticpoison—does what she does best: reflects our own experiences back at us and makes us feel less alone, one exquisite and insightful piece at a time. She writes about giving up too much of yourself to someone else, not fitting in, endlessly Googling “how to be happy,” and ultimately figuring out who you are. This collection features completely new material plus some fan favorites from Caroline's account. Filled with haunting, spare pieces of original art, Light Filters In will thrill existing fans and newcomers alike. it’s okay if some things are always out of reach. if you could carry all the stars in the palm of your hand, they wouldn’t be half as breathtaking

Light Filters In: Poems

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