The Wild Sonnets: Volume VIII (701-800)

A Review of Nicholas Korn's The Wild Sonnets: Volume VIII INDIE LIT LOUNGE – OCT 22, 2025 There are books that arrive at precisely the moment you need them. Nicholas Korn's The Wild Sonnets: Volume VIII (701-800) is one of those rare gifts—a collection that feels both timeless and urgent A Fresh Take on Sonnets Nicholas Korn's sonnets are original and reminiscent of Shakespeare and Petrarch, with two 7-line stanzas capped with rhyming couplets. They are lyrical and wonderful to read aloud. They are intended to feel like a soliloquy. Almost conversational, they serve as a response to something thought or said off the page. These sonnets are lovely meditations on life, creativity, identity, and our place in the natural world. Each sonnet plays off of the previous and the next in an enchanting way, but at the same time, each should be savored as a standalone piece of art. Finding Beauty in Familiar Voices The Wild Sonnets will appeal to lovers of Emily Dickinson and Mary Oliver. Though Korn himself evokes Shakespeare and Petrarch in interviews and descriptions, I was overwhelmingly (pleasantly so) reminded of some of my favorite Emily poems in my reading. Korn's sonnets brought me back to a picturesque and idyllic day in my junior year of college, sitting on a blanket with my class in a lovely field outside of my favorite professor's house, reading Emily Dickinson's poetry aloud. She too played with style and form. She too marveled at the natural world and remarked on darkness versus light, the ways we grow and change, the ways we love. Sonnet 712 in particular has stayed with me as I navigate a transitional period in my life. It is hopeful, resonant, joyful, imploring readers to be a light for themselves and others, and stating that there is bravery in choosing to be that light. I love these lines: Since I know how briefly it is I'll be allowed to burn, let me be kindling And candle both – be wick and wood and wax – Be bravely what directs and not brightly what distracts. Those who enjoy the beauty this world has to offer, or might need to be reminded of it, will find comfort in Korn's poetry. Much the same way that Mary Oliver's poetry kindles warmth and light in the reader, Korn's Wild Sonnets are a respite during dark times and a cozy blanket in the light. So go treat yourself to the warm hug that is Nicholas Korn's Wild Sonnets and remember: be bravely what directs and not brightly what distracts. Who Should Read This If you love poetry that notices the world—really notices it—this book is for you. If you need reminding that beauty still exists, even in dark times, open these pages. If you've ever found comfort in Mary Oliver's gentle observations or Emily Dickinson's fierce tenderness, you'll find kinship here. Review by Marie Hendry for Indie Lit Lounge Rating: ★★★★★