Light Filters In: Poems

by Caroline Kaufman, Yelena Bryksenkova (Illustrator)

Overview

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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062844682
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/22/2018
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	82,789
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Caroline Kaufman—known as @poeticpoison on Instagram—was only a freshman in high school when she began posting her poetry online, and since then she has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers across social media reading her work worldwide. Her debut book, Light Filters In, released in 2018, and she was named one of Her Campus’s 22 Under 22 Most Inspiring College Women in 2018 for her work destigmatizing mental illness through poetry. Caroline grew up in Westchester, New York, and is currently studying English at Harvard University. When she’s not writing, she can be found eating pad thai, harmonizing with the radio, and refusing to believe she’s growing up.

Editorial Reviews

A young poet dips into the ink of her experience and writes her own light into existence.” — Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak

“Caroline’s words are an honest, lyrical kick in the teeth.” — Amanda Lovelace, bestselling author of the princess saves herself in this one

“Kaufman’s willingness to share and artfully articulate her vulnerability has already proved vitally important for the legions of followers she’s garnered as an “Instapoet,” and will now prove similarly validating and empowering for those teens who discover her work through print…. A top addition to YA poetry collections.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“Debut author Kaufman’s voice is authentic, and her experiences, feelings, and journey toward healing are convincing. This book could be a lifeline for survivors and provide insight for others.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Her warmly conversational tone suggests assurance and solidarity with readers that she sees as allies in brave combat against overwhelming darkness.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

A young poet dips into the ink of her experience and writes her own light into existence.

Laurie Halse Anderson

Caroline’s words are an honest, lyrical kick in the teeth.

Amanda Lovelace

Her warmly conversational tone suggests assurance and solidarity with readers that she sees as allies in brave combat against overwhelming darkness.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Her warmly conversational tone suggests assurance and solidarity with readers that she sees as allies in brave combat against overwhelming darkness.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Her warmly conversational tone suggests assurance and solidarity with readers that she sees as allies in brave combat against overwhelming darkness.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Debut author Kaufman’s voice is authentic, and her experiences, feelings, and journey toward healing are convincing. This book could be a lifeline for survivors and provide insight for others.

Stephanie Garber

★ 10/01/2018
Gr 7 Up—Kaufman initially shared her poetry on Instagram as a means of catharsis. The poems here are raw and, as the poet acknowledges, sometimes repetitive as she seeks again and again to make sense of where her sunny childhood cut off and the cloud of mental illness descended. Yet the repetition by no means defines the verse, nor makes it less powerful, but rather underlines the resiliency required for her journey. The poems, paired with spare, yet evocative drawings by Bryksenkova, address self-harm, scarring early sexual encounters, internal conflict over the need to medicate, and many other realities of mental illness for teens. Kaufman's willingness to share and artfully articulate her vulnerability has already proved vitally important for the legions of followers she's garnered as an "Instapoet," and will now prove similarly validating and empowering for those teens who discover her work through print. This collection is an auspicious debut and while the verse will speak truth to stressed teens, even a short dip into Kaufman's online presence shows evidence of an important voice well beyond the realm of this collection. VERDICT Undoubtedly, Kaufman's readers—new and old—will be clamoring for more. A top addition to YA poetry collections.—Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ

School Library Journal

2018-04-03
A teenage girl uses writing to heal from sexual assault and depression in this collection of poems in four parts.Kaufman, who has an active presence on Instagram as @poeticpoison, dedicates her book to "anyone terrified that it won't get better." In Part 1, the narrator is in full crisis mode, searching online for the suicide hotline and answers to questions about depression and anxiety: "I am going stir crazy / inside my skull, / peeling off the wallpaper / with short, bitten nails." In Part 2, the narrator describes writing as a way to find herself and face what happened to her ("I said I guess, I said / I'm scared, I said if you want to, I said I don't / think I can do this"). She ponders what her diagnosis of depression and anxiety means for future relationships. In Part 3, she has more help and support: "the wounds have healed / and the scars are fading." Her emergence from depression ("the sadness isn't as / comforting as it used to be") is perhaps most poignant. In Part 4, she speaks of therapy and medication and ends with self-love and the beauty of survival. Debut author Kaufman's voice is authentic, and her experiences, feelings, and journey toward healing are convincing. Black-and-white illustrations enhance the text.This book could be a lifeline for survivors and provide insight for others. (Poetry. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews