Plato Poetica by Daniel Klawitter (2017)
-Review Request-

Fiction | Poetry

Blurb:

“In playful and frequently rhymed verse, Daniel Klawitter’s Plato Poetica addresses, or, rather, chuckles at, the Platonic notion that “there is an old quarrel between philosophy and poetry.” Beginning each poem in the collection with an epigraph from Plato himself, Klawitter proceeds with the waggish good nature of a folkloric trickster to stretch and snap, dismantle and reconstruct, frolic with and delight in Plato’s words and ideas–reminding us that a valuable component of wisdom is perhaps the ability to not take anything, including philosophy itself, too seriously.”
–Goodreads 

pooled ink Review:

Thank you to the author for submitting this book for review!

Thank you Daniel Klawitter for reaching out to me with your poetry collection. I’m not a big poetry reader but I figured, why not give it a go? Well, I’m pleasantly surprised and glad I went for it.

Plato Poetica not only draws from Plato himself and the dusty conflict between philosophy and poetry, but it sings with wit, curiosity, sorrow, and a plethora of other human emotions. As I sat in a comfy chair roving the pages, I couldn’t help but let out a few soft snorts of laughter. This is one of those poetry collections that may take inspiration from the ancient and deep, but it spins into something contemporary, relatable, and often quite amusing.

I’m not particularly familiar with writing reviews on poetry but I will say that this was a surprisingly enjoyable read. Poems of all lengths, depths, and subjects fill the pages. And have no fear, this isn’t one of those highfalutin collections that makes you feel condescended to by some oh-so-magnanimous-and-intellectual poet, nor does it drone on ’til you startle from the roar of your snore.

Calling us to question or simply reflect on the world both around and within us, Klawitter writes these poems challenging us to be aware but to not take life quite so seriously. Focusing on a variety of topics from the mundane to the gently convicting, each poem is written with a comfortably casual voice.

Bridging ancient texts with modern notions, Plato Poetica is an amusingly clever collection of poems ranging from brief to lingering, snarky to thoughtful, blunt to expressive.

 Purchase here: Plato Poetica

Meet Daniel Klawitter!

Among other things, Daniel has been an actor, a singer/lyricist for the indie-rock band Mining for Rain, and a union organizer for mental health care workers and teachers. He has a BA in Religion Studies with a minor in Theater Arts from the College of Santa Fe and a Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in justice and peace studies from the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO. His poems have been published in numerous respectable literary journals and magazines in Australia, England, and the United States. He is a member of both the Colorado Poets Center and the Academy of American Poets.
-Goodreads

Website | Goodreads