Another wonderful poetry collection for us to devour. Tell Me Another Story is worth a second look.


From writer, photographer, and fashion editor Emmy Marucci comes an arrestingly candid volume of poetry and photographs exploring the universality of family nostalgia, grief and loss, fear, and enduring love.  

In Tell Me Another Story, Marucci examines those closest to her—her grandfather, nephew, and husband—as well as those she hardly knows—the women sitting at the next table in the diner; the roofer she meets on the train. Part 1: Me, is comprised of Emmy's own story—raw and personal—while Part 2: You tells the stories of others. With genuine curiosity and tenderness, Marucci asks of herself, her loved ones, and perfect strangers the child's perennial question: "Will you tell me a story?" 


As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

What to say... what to say... this was gorgeous.

Wow, I love poetry. I know, I say this all the time, but it is what it is. To be honest, I keep bouncing around on what to rate this collection. It was beautiful, personal and well written, but it did have its weak points in terms of coherency and format. Although I love the inclusion of pictures in theory, it felt like it might have stunted the flow of poems in a way--it was almost out of place--and wasn't exactly what the prose needed to elevate itself.

That is probably one of the only criticisms I have towards Tell Me Another Story. Some of it felt out of place and most of this can be attributed to the inclusion of pictures. Which is to say that there isn't a lot to criticize throughout these poems. I found myself jotting down notes and lines and taking everything Emmy Marucci had to say in.

Tell Me Another Story feels like a retrospective of one's life. Marucci has an easy-going tone to her that gets straight to the point of what she is feeling, thinking and/or experiencing. Which, I appreciate. It makes reading these poems all the more intimate, and isn't that what prose is about? Reaching out to the audience in so few words? Letting them hold tiny parts of the life you live, and making those tiny parts feel so much bigger? Tell Me Another Story accomplishes this and more; writing up a life that has been lived, in a way that feels like a friend reaching out to you.

One of the most striking things about Marucci's prose is how she eases us into her heart when it comes to grief. As an audience, we feel her loss and that dull ache that comes with it. I found myself tearing up at the honesty in which she portrays the loss of a loved one. It left me feeling an array of feelings both towards what she had experienced and what I've experienced in my life. She explores it with warmth, sincerity and it let me feeling highly emotional at specific points.

Overall, Marucci is her best when she explores the toughened topics of morality and what it means to grow up. It is, without a doubt, the sort of prose that requires a box of tissues and an open heart. I really enjoyed getting to know Marucci and the words she writes. Tell Me Another Story is a moving collection that will surely be amongst the best in poetry this year.