I'm not a poetry expert, I don't know much about the technical things, especially English poetry techniques, but this was a nice collections to read a bit of and go back to another time and make the day a bit more poetic. The prose was WONDERFUL to read.

Yanyi discusses topics about being transgender, Chinese American and having mental illnesses.
This book felt quite personal, which made it so great to read. I think I can recommend this book to non poetry readers as well as seasoned ones.


Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't a fan. I think it just wasn't something that resonated with me, I couldn't get myself into this collection.

This collection felt a little too much like prose for my taste, but I appreciated the author's perspective and voice.

The format of this one was really weird, and it was hard to get into at first. Once I was into it though, I was hooked.

I was given a free electronic copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A very insightful and thought provoking collection of poetry that touches on a lot of common issues in today’s society, including anxiety, trans, self harm, etc.

Written in a form of poetry, that I don't find very interested in: Prose form.
If I knew it earlier, I would have stopped myself from requesting for this one. I also read about this one winning 2018 Yale Series of Younger Poets prize, which is another mystery for me.

This book is mostly written from the author's point of view, and felt like reading a memoire with touching social and hot topics like discussing mental illness, LGBTQ+
I could see that the author had some very sad and some topics touched me, but it wasn't a POETRY which for me is mostly about rhyming and putting across something lyrically which was missing in this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing the ereview copy, in return of an honest review.

Beautiful tight poetry reflecting on a changing identity. When does one know that a change is growing inside? How does that get expressed and what does that lead? These short poems reveal a journey through heartache, discovery, and acceptance of that change. we see the struggle and the victory of the poet in this work.

The poetry in this collection is such a poignant and beneficial collection not just because of how beautiful it is, but because of the subjects it covers and the viewpoints it takes up. I loved that this collection demonstrates how identity is important and fleeting. It meshes together ideas of race and racism along with mental health and how that can be affected. Also worked into this collection is the ideas of gender and how perspectives on both race and gender, as well as cultural identity, are crucial for worldviews and understanding. I loved this and highly recommend it!

Thank you Yale University Press and Netgalley for this ARC.

I love Poetry I really do, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at my ratings for poetry books.

when I saw that it was poetry I was excited, but this was in a prose form, which is not my favorite, and I was really disappointed.
It was a short book, but not a quick read and it did make angry.
It’s a one-star book, the other star for the beautiful cover and title.

I actually went to the book signing of this work as well. Some of the works really resonated with me, but some of them I couldn't really understand that, the works were so abstract that I couldn't find ways to connect them.

Honestly, this was disappointing. Just read like blocks of sentences pulled from essays, with little emotion or creativity to draw the reader in. I expected more from the "Winner of the 2018 Yale Series of Younger Poets prize."

There is a certain kind of flow to prose that makes everything become a rhythm of sorts, words entangled in emotions, thoughts in realities and before you know it, you've lived a life unknown to you yet it's so familiar you cannot shake it.
This is exactly what The Year of Blue Water felt like for me.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This was not poetry in the kind that I am used to. It's prose.
I do value the content and the experience of the author, but it was not my cup of tea.
It is a short book, but it did take me a bit to get into the spirit of it. In the end, I'm not sure I understood what the author wanted me too.

An outstanding, heart-wrenching collection of prose poetry.

This book covers a wide range of issues from Yanyi's life, including his relationship with his gender identity, family issues, his identity as an Asian American, and mental health issues. These issues are presented to the reader sometimes very straightforwardly, and other times, in the context of a particular situation.

The Year of Blue Water feels as if we are inside the author's mind as he deals with his own confusion about himself and his life. It flows like a stream of thoughts from poem to poem, shifting as the author explores himself and his world, not always bringing a sense of understanding, but always bringing a sense of acceptance.

If you are not a fan of prose poetry, perhaps this is not for you. But, if you are looking for something that makes you understand more about the experiences of others and helps you to understand the world through the eyes of someone else, this is an excellent read.

Fantastic read from a talented author. Thank you to the author and publisher for a chance to read and review.

'The Year of Blue Water' is a beautiful, soulful flow of words, feelings and ideas. Yanyi initiates a stream of contemplation, writing largely here about identity - his own sense of Self, as a transgender Chinese American man, a poet, a person, a member of a community, friend, academic, mother's child......and also as a depressed/anxious/suicidal soul struggling to just be comfortable, to just Be.

Ever constant is a tension between Yanyi's own sense of Self, which he wants to hold as solid form (and yet doesn't really want to have to clearly define and defend) and the contrary image(s) others hold in their minds of what they feel he 'Should' present and conform to as a representative of all the things they think he is.

I felt a lot of empathy with the poet throughout this book. I'm sure I've experienced much of the feeling so eloquently described here - and where the writing concerns aspects of Yanyi's identity that I am unable to wholly understand, I can say without reservation that as I was reading I was still Feeling intensely .

Also worth commenting on is the Introductory piece written by Carl Phillips, which in and of itself is interesting and worth reading.

At this point I'm giving 4 stars to this poetic work. However, at some point, when I manage to get hold of a print copy, this might change. The layout of the advanced copy I downloaded to Kindle made it difficult to read with any sense of whether I was correct in my instinctive placing of rhythms, breaks and so on. It's entirely possible that a second reading of a print copy would confirm my suspicion that this is extraordinary work and raise the review rating to a full 5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Yale University Press for letting me read this poetry in exvhange for an honest, unbiased review.

beautiful poetry. I enjoyed this book amd would recommended to my friends. Can't wait to read more from th e author

Thank you Yale University Press and Netgalley for this ARC.

I am new to reading this genre and was hoping this would be the book that turned me into a lover of poetry.

I found the book difficult to follow, with a seemingly short poem flowing straight into what felt like a short story. I’m not sure if it was the formatting on kindle or the style of the author but I found it confused and this really took me away from the content.

This collection of prose poetry, selected for the Yale Young Poets series, is all about communication and community. What we understand of ourselves, what we understand of others. We write to tell, we read to listen as others tell. We listen to those who have moved on from life as we listen to those who still live. Yanyi also writes from alternative viewpoints, such as being Queer, being Trans, being Chinese-American. This book also includes a fine in-depth introduction written by Carl Palmer.

The Year of Blue Water by Yanyi is a collection of poems and prose that deal with sexuality, mental health and identity struggles. Although its short I real, real enjoyed this collection. Well written and very compelling this collection truly has its own uniqueness. Thank you Yale Press and Netgalley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.