My Checklist for writing a poetry review

Here’s a concise, practical checklist you can keep beside you (or in your head) every time you sit down to read a poem with the intention of writing a useful review. It works whether the poem is fragile grief, polished craft, or raw flint.

1. First pass - pure reception
□ Read it aloud (or whisper) at least once
without stopping.
□ Note the very first physical/emotional reaction before your brain starts “analyzing.”
(gut punch? tears? boredom? warmth?)

2. Emotional truth & stakes
□ What is the poem actually about underneath
the imagery? (not the topic " the wound or wonder)
□ Does it feel lived-in or borrowed?
□ Where do I feel the temperature
change in my body while reading?

3. Voice & authenticity
□ Is the diction theirs or “poetry voice”?
□ Do the line breaks and rhythms feel
inevitable or forced?

4. Imagery & sensory weight
□ Which images stay behind my
eyes after I close the page?
□ Are there any clichés or near-clichés
that dilute the impact?

5. Sound & musicality
□ Read aloud again: where does
the music sing, stumble, or go dead?
□ Are rhymes (if present) earned or
greeting-card?

6. Structure & movement
□ Does the poem know where it’s going,
or does it wander?
□ Is the ending a revelation, a deflation,
or a cop-out?

7. Technical mercy check
(especially with raw/grief work)
□ If something feels clumsy, ask:
“Would fixing this betray the emotion or serve it?”
□ Never confuse polish with power.

8. One-sentence core
□ Can I say, in plain words,
what this poem is trying to
do to the reader’s heart?

9. Generosity test
□ What is working beautifully
that deserves to be celebrated?
(Name at least one specific)
□ What is the single kindest,
most useful criticism I can offer
that still leaves the poet’s dignity intact?

10. Final gut check
□ After all the craft talk:
would I be grateful to have written this,
exactly as it is?

Use the list like a doctor’s chart,
not a report card.
Lead with what’s alive and bleeding;
only then gently touch
what still needs stitching.

Reviews

[Gee]

Being shite at reviewing I should really keep this:)