Never Found

Never Found: A Poetry Collection
by Jesse A. Murray
Published by Off the Field Publishing
Review by Amanda Zimmerman
$14.99 ISBN 9781775194668

Jesse A. Murray, a Saskatchewan poet and high school teacher, follows up his debut collection, I Will Never Break , with this second assortment of poems exploring different perspectives, thoughts, and ideas. Never Found is stuffed full of verses ranging from the raw to the soulful, the bittersweet to the bitter. The compositions evoke a variety of emotions—both dark and pure—and Murray even hazards to tackle some of the more heart wrenching, touchy subjects. Murray has the gift of knowing when to boldly declare the emotion he is desiring to provoke or gently nudge his readers into discovering it for themselves through his phrasing. Isn’t it always more gratifying, as a reader, when you can dip into your own experiences through someone else’s writing? That is the craft of a talented writer.

Unfortunately, one of Mr. Murray’s greatest regrets is having kept his writing unpublished for so many years. He has done his best to course correct through the amount of works he has sent out into the world over the last few years and, as he finds his writer’s footing, the flow of his collections alter. Never Found amasses material written in the span of a year (2010-2011) and his decision to keep this newer collection of poems in chronological order, and remaining true to their original forms, brings a natural pace to the book. There is no additional editing and this format also follows the tradition of his first poetry collection.

In the one hundred and fifty pages, Murray offers short and lengthy poems that showcase his enthusiasm for the written word. With passionate reflections, relatable emotions, and lyrical rhymes, readers will have the opportunity to experience all the “feels” when they dive in. After completing Never Found, they won’t have to wait long for the author’s next work. Jesse A. Murray already has another poetry collection of his early writings in the works (along with a second novel.)

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