A Minstrel's Musings, by Sarah Ashwood
Book review by Randy Streu

Sarah Ashwood's

first collection of poetry is a cornucopia of style, theme and genre.  Alternately mysterious, contemplative, sappy and silly, Ashwood's A Minstrel's Musings is a tour of the writer's poetic works since she started writing poetry only two years ago.  The number of works in the volume suggests she's been rather prolific, and the varied quality of the poems within provides an interesting glimpse into the mind and growth of a budding poet.

Thematically, Musings runs the gamut from friendship to love, to the fantasy themes for which she is perhaps best known.  And, not surprisingly, it is these poems which are the standouts in the book.  Indeed, in the forward for the book, Ms. Ashwood herself says these and historical fiction are her favorite type to write.  This makes sense; Ashwood is an editor for Moon Drenched Fables, a fantasy 'zine, and really seems at home in that neighborhood.

But before a look at some of the standouts in this book, a quick note on formatting.  As with many books that feature an eclectic mix of themes and styles, the author here has succumbed to the temptation to reflect that mix with myriad fonts and illustrations.  While in general the illustrations add to the work, the mixture of fonts and type-setting styles serves more as a distraction from the artistry to be found in the words themselves.  And unfortunately, in some cases (such as the longest poem in the volume, "Escape"), that mixing of fonts actually damaged the reading experience, to the point of impossibility.  This had something to do with the electronic book format, which I am using for this review.  Hopefully, before this book sees a mass release, that issue in particular is repaired.

On to the poetry itself, then.  The first three poems are a pretty good primer into Ms. Ashwood's use of various forms in poetry; the First, "Amity," is a repetitious prose piece, while the second poem, titled "The Spell Breaker" is five-lines of sing-songing rhyme.  Would that she would have gone with stronger pieces to start the book, because they are certainly present, but again it does present a sort of map through Ashwood's exploration of style and theme.

However, it is the fourth poem, "Rediscover Roanoke," which exemplifies some of Ashwood's best work.  Here, she takes her understanding and love of historical poetry with modern romance, and does it to striking effect.  To wit:

They died alone
Their names unknown
No farewell kiss
Like me too
Torn from you
—I sing a song, for love that’s gone—
At night, with tears, my bed I soak
Helpless to find old Roanoke
(Second Stanza, "Rediscover Roanoke")

The book also features Ashwood's first foray into poetry, a longish poem called "Sunslayer."  It is here that she shows off her fantasy chops, along with some very promising stylistic acumen.

Though it is her fantasy poetry with which we are clearly more interested and which is, frankly, her best work, Ashwood's "Musings" features few examples.  But they are worth finding.  And, too, this should not be taken as a suggestion that the fantasy works are the only poems worth reading.  A reader with expectations of pure fantasy will walk away disappointed, but an open-minded reader, with an interest in poetry in general, as well as the twists and turns in the poetic journey, will find much to enjoy here.  And, though Ashwood is a clear newcomer to the form, the works contained in her first chapbook suggest strongly that she’s here to stay. 

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