Book Review of "Handmade Love" by Julie R. Enszer

TITLE: Handmade Love

AUTHOR: Julie R. Enszer

ISBN: 978-0-9794208-5-6

PUBLISHER: A Midsummer Night's Press

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RATING: 4½ out of 5 stars

BOOK BLURB:

In her first collection, Julie R. Enszer offers poems that are as unabashedly erotic as they are unabashedly feminist.

Whether responding to queer cultural icons, fantasizing about sex, or mourning illness and loss, these poems are sweet and sultry, fierce and tender.

From demonstrations on the streets to bedroom romps, these smart and sexy poems interweave narrative and lyrical moments with the political and the sensuous.

Handmade Love renders a world that delights in the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and tells queer life stories sublimely and generously.

BOOK REVIEW:

Handmade Love is a collection of 26 poems centered around lesbian life. Though they deal with very specific moments in Ms. Enszer's life, the universality of the themes will resound with readers regardless of their sexual orientation. Some of the poems are very political, some romantic, some erotic, but they all resonated with me as a writer, as a woman, and as queer.

By far the poem I enjoyed the most was the first one in the book, entitled "When We Were Feminists." It reminded me of my own feminist journey, recalling how fresh and new everything seemed to me when I was in college and learning about women's history for the first time in my life. The poem speaks to the inevitable indoctrination of any belief system or ideal ~ when you first discover it, your passion flares bright, but time dims the flame until it becomes commonplace:

"When we were feminists, feminism was like cooking the first meal

After grocery shopping. You know:

When all of the vegetables have the patina of freshness,

When the fruit feels firm, even weighty, in your hand,

. . .

Now feminism is like the meal you make five days after shopping,

When you are exhausted from working all day,

. . .

When you cook simply because you have to eat."

Not every poem is so directly politic, but after this first poem, the collection is divided into two sections. The first contains romantic or erotic poems directed toward a female lover. "First Kiss" is tender, focusing on the hesitant love a young teen feels for her best friend. "Morning Pant" is another unrequited poem, this one aimed at a roommate who doesn't know how the poet feels for her even as she takes male lovers to her bed. I particularly liked the title poem, "Handmade Love," which begins with a mother's love and ends with a powerful line about the sexual love between women. The poem literally made me stop reading just so I could savor the play on words in the final lines:

"I believe that there are two kinds of love in this world:

inherited and handmade. Yes, we inherit love

but my people, my people make love by hand."

The poems in the second section are more generally queer in theme. Several are addressed to gay men, such as "Stroke," where the poet talks of her hope of a lifelong friendship with her best friend Michael, or "Couplets for Jeff," in which she comes to terms with a close friend's death. A few poems also mention post-operative transgendered men, something I found very refreshing simply because I haven't come across many poems dealing with the subject.

Overall, I enjoyed Handmade Love immensely. It's a wonderful collection of poems that are not only sexy but also thought-provoking. Ms. Enszer's strong poetic voice makes you blush as you read her poems, as if you've snuck a peek inside her diary and are reliving her most sensuous, intimate moments. Even if you don't think you like poetry, give this collection a try. With a deft hand, Ms. Enszer weaves sex and eroticism throughout her poems, leaving you flushed and breathless when you reach the end.