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Built By Storms
- GenresPoetry
96 pages, Paperback
Published April 5, 2024
13 people want to read
About the author
Miriam Kramer
8Ìýbooks4ÌýfollowersMiriam Kramer is a queer, Jewish poet residing in New Jersey with her partner, daughter, and two cats. She majored in Creative Writing at Pacific University and currently works at an educational nonprofit. Miriam loves stick figure drawings, bright sneakers, and embroidery. She is the author of three chapbooks prior to her debut full length collection with Write Bloody Publishing. Miriam has performed her poetry in front of a wide range of audiences in a variety of venues across the United States. She’d be thrilled to come read for you. Find her on social media: @miriadwords or miriadwords.com.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 4, 2024
HOLY SHIT. These poems are so fucking good.
April 21, 2024
A collection of poems about addiction, survival, trauma, familial bonds, hope, and love.
from To the God of Gas Station Bathrooms: "I think you want me to tell you I'm grateful / to have survived, but that wouldn't be the whole truth. / The truth is, I don't know why I'm still here. // There are days my body is heavy / with shovelfuls of guilt."
from Hardheaded: "We ignore it, pretend I haven't already offered hi / a lifetime of empty apologies, // like this wasn't the third trip to the doctor / in as many days, like he hadn't also hit a wall, / like my silence isn't killing him, / like I didn't survive the overdose / only to ask why."
from Self-Portrait with Mealworm: "I want to be measured / in inches, small and segmented. / I mouth metamorphosis // in my mirror, promise her I will discard / this self for someone who will be enough."
from To the God of Gas Station Bathrooms: "I think you want me to tell you I'm grateful / to have survived, but that wouldn't be the whole truth. / The truth is, I don't know why I'm still here. // There are days my body is heavy / with shovelfuls of guilt."
from Hardheaded: "We ignore it, pretend I haven't already offered hi / a lifetime of empty apologies, // like this wasn't the third trip to the doctor / in as many days, like he hadn't also hit a wall, / like my silence isn't killing him, / like I didn't survive the overdose / only to ask why."
from Self-Portrait with Mealworm: "I want to be measured / in inches, small and segmented. / I mouth metamorphosis // in my mirror, promise her I will discard / this self for someone who will be enough."
April 25, 2024
The work of Miriam Kramer is not new to my bookshelves in the slightest. But this collection has quickly made its way to the forefront of all that I have read.
Every page is a testament to survival and all the grief and guilt and relief that comes with it. I read through this book with tears falling over every word. Every silent and earth-shattering scream echoes in my soul.
Miriam is one of the greatest writers I've had the honor of meeting.
With incredible poems such as Spring of Cicadas, Songs Forgotten, Dirty Laundry, Finding Salvation in a Church Gymnasium, and so many more; there is something for everyone in this collection. And as an ex-addict I have found another reason to keep going because Miriam is still here sharing her story with us.
Every page is a testament to survival and all the grief and guilt and relief that comes with it. I read through this book with tears falling over every word. Every silent and earth-shattering scream echoes in my soul.
Miriam is one of the greatest writers I've had the honor of meeting.
With incredible poems such as Spring of Cicadas, Songs Forgotten, Dirty Laundry, Finding Salvation in a Church Gymnasium, and so many more; there is something for everyone in this collection. And as an ex-addict I have found another reason to keep going because Miriam is still here sharing her story with us.
April 5, 2024
I found this poet in a class I was taking recently. I loved the work she posted in class, I pre ordered this book. I just received it and have read about half the poems. So many of them resonate with my experience. I appreciate the ones that talk about not wanting to be alive as it’s something that isn’t talked about enough. I am excited to read more of her work. Also as someone who is learning how to write poetry, I appreciate that she’s a poet that is easy to understand. Her work is not too overloaded with metaphor or imagery which sometimes gets boring(or confusing . Anyway. Bravo. Was so happy to get this book today and it does not disappoint!
April 16, 2024
This full-length collection is a testament of a person who has lived a lot and is still living. The language and images used in the collection are gorgeous and really dragged me in.
It is hard to choose a favourite poem from this collection but here are a few: To the God of Gas Station Bathrooms (opening poem); A Poem in Which He is Alve Because You Sent Him to Prison; Five Seconds and Counting; Journals of an Engine Driver; Imagine That, Growing Up a Child of the 80s with No Jelly Sandals; and many more.
It would be an injustice to drop random lines so let me end on the opening epitaph: "This book is dedicated to anyone who has existed, for any length of time, in a storm."
It is hard to choose a favourite poem from this collection but here are a few: To the God of Gas Station Bathrooms (opening poem); A Poem in Which He is Alve Because You Sent Him to Prison; Five Seconds and Counting; Journals of an Engine Driver; Imagine That, Growing Up a Child of the 80s with No Jelly Sandals; and many more.
It would be an injustice to drop random lines so let me end on the opening epitaph: "This book is dedicated to anyone who has existed, for any length of time, in a storm."
April 18, 2024
I'm glad Miriam is here. The use of figurative language and imagery in this contemporary collection, which conveys identity, emotion, and so much more, is truly what sets them apart from the rest of us. You can learn, piece by piece, what Miriam's autobiography might look like if you pay enough attention, and it is bittersweetly beautiful. If this book is in your hands, it landed in the right place, just like them.
May 10, 2024
Built by Storms is not just a poetry book; it’s a companion for anyone touched by the affliction of addiction. It offers comfort in its understanding, strength in its words, and hope in its message that recovery, though arduous, is possible. This collection is a poignant reminder that in the depths of despair, there is always a thread of hope to be found.
May 15, 2024
Poems as letters to a past life. The storms that Kramer weathers are riddled with traumas and losses of the highest degree. Really enjoyed how most have encouraging and optimistic messages. Like seeing a lighthouse and the shore ahead. Nice poems.
December 17, 2024
This book is truly a work of art. It’s a good thing a friend read this to me because I was sobbing through 90% of it. I saw myself and my loved ones in so many of the pages. Thank you to Miriam for sharing your art with us all.
June 28, 2024
The poetry in this volume is personal and raw, clearly reflecting a complicated journey and a courageous traveler. Deeply moving.
November 6, 2024
Really enjoyable renditions of familiar topics.
Deeply vulnerable, over-share style poetry.
Reflections on substance abuse, the struggles of living.
Deeply vulnerable, over-share style poetry.
Reflections on substance abuse, the struggles of living.
January 2, 2025
Such powerful poems in an honest voice that enchants a reader in a relatable way.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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