Enjoy this sample of Jennifer's book, Reduction Fired .

View this 1:22 video recommendation  +  Discover more below:

Formats:

Ebook (epub) - ISBN 978-1-7775728-0-8
Paperback - ISBN 978-1-7775728-1-5
Hardcover - ISBN 978-1-7775728-2-2

Where to Buy or "Look Inside" the book:

Available at local and online sellers & libraries in 66+ countries, including:

Amazon / Kindle
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Awards

Interviews

Listen to this 37:00 podcast with Jennifer + Hear her read her poems:

Reviews

           

"...some of the most intense poems I can remember...brought me physically into the natural world and allowed me to experience everything...In fact, I don't believe I've read such beautiful verses since Walt Whitman and Robert Frost...Each poem is a delight, and the glorious, vivid pictures she places at the beginning of each chapter bring a smile to the face...I, for one, am not only happy I read "Reduction Fired" by Jennifer Yeates Camara, but I also feel a bit honored..." - Amy Lignor, Reader Views, Texas, USA (5 Stars) 

"… stunning poetry that you can easily get lost in. I loved the abundance of nature imagery that was a consistent theme throughout...You could definitely tell that every sentence was carefully placed and had a clear sense of purpose... Reduction Fired is an impressive collection that develops such themes as love, strength, loss and so much more. It also felt like a personal, embodied work, reminiscent about life, both the highs and lows. I thought it was a joy to read." - Lois Cudjoe, LoveReadingUK, England

"...I have many poetic collections on my bookshelf, but none of them is similar to this one...Camara has managed to create an enchanting picture in just a few lines or even a single line. This is even more astonishing considering that the lines often consist of three words or less...The delicacy of the images and the brevity of Camara's poetry will remain as vivid impressions in my memory...a standalone book in my collection." - Astrid Lustulin, Readers' Favorite, USA (5 STARS)

"...Each breathtaking season has its own flavor and feel...staggeringly beautiful in its imagery. The allure of nature and its effortless rhythm provide the vibrant outline, but the themes of life, love, and loss are what color the pages...Camara time and again makes the art of creating poetry seem effortless...The words are plain and unadorned, but the feelings they summon are visceral and untamed...Made for those who appreciate the intricacies of life and for any whose heart has an aching need..." - Jennifer Jackson, Indies Today, USA (5 STARS)

"...The poems are written primarily in free verse with a heavy emphasis on poetic dissonance that punches through the stanzas. They also vary in length...Poetry is often difficult to review because, unlike books, the artform is almost completely subjective. As a poetess, Jennifer Yeates Camara is a Jackson Pollock of her craft. Reduction Fired unapologetically pushes forward constructive chaos in a beautiful and deeply emotional written form of the abstract expressionist movement...Highly recommended." - Jamie Michele, Readers' Favorite, USA (5 STARS)

"...the reader is immersed in metaphors of light and sound reflective of music...There are scholarly reflections, too...there is considerable depth in her poems...She is an artist on many levels. Reduction Fired is a stunning, provocatively pensive collection of poems and photographs to enjoy many times over." - Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Readers' Favorite, USA (5 STARS)

"...stands out in its sincerity and its expressive minimalism...and much of the volume's appeal comes from its diversity...poems are mostly pared down to the universal, stirring a satisfying and enlightening effect...True to the economy of language of influences like Rabindranath Tagore, this grounded, spiritually curious collection offers an unpredictable inquiry into nature, relationships, and the styles that have inspired the poet.
Takeaway: Myung Mi Kim, Lucille Clifton.
Great for fans of: Scrupulous in their minimalism, these poems still are alive with meaning and feeling." - Booklife, New York, USA

"...Jennifer Yeates Camara has a lovely way with words. Each of her poems feels personal and truthful. She searches within herself and finds pieces of her mind, heart, and soul. The ability to gracefully write the way Camara does is refreshing. Reduction Fired gives us a glimpse into the deepest parts of Jennifer Yeates Camara, uniting the reader with the author in an honest way." - Rachel M. Patterson, Reedsy, USA

"...The author’s descriptions are vivid. A cormorant is portrayed as “slick and near / soundless.” Pines dance “dramatic / slow ballets” while maples move to “lively jazz.” Yeates Camara’s similes are strong, from “rippling like the elephant’s ear / or ticking tails like bulls” to “A heart peaceful and lively / Like a child running arms full span.”..." - Kirkus Reviews

"...the author shares snippets of experiences from various relationships (not all romantic) as well as other events from her life...The poems...show the growth within the author but also how the events of her life has left a scar that is still healing. The most moving verses are found in the poem title Michelle, who lost her battle with bi-polar depression." - @melisbookreviews, Goa, India

Title

Do you feel like you have been "reduction fired" in your life?    

As Jennifer explains in her book, "Reduction refers to the pottery method of firing a piece in low oxygen conditions – typically by slowly reducing the oxygen that feeds the kiln’s fire. Some colours of glazes result from reduction that aren’t achieved in oxidation.

It may also be that the fuel–starved fire pulls oxygen from the clay itself, and in doing so draws elements from deep in the clay up to the glaze. This can make it harder to determine the precise outcome of the glazed piece.

Reduction can even change the texture of the clay."

Further, Jennifer's poems are also kept minimal, like a culinary "reduction" of verse.

Contents

Reduction Fired is set out in 4 sections, each named for a season that represents a period in time.  Specifically, they are grouped loosely in the reverse order they were written, with those under "Winter" being more recent poems from Jennifer's early 40s, penned when she was ill, and those under "Spring" being a few of her poems from her early 20s.  Also, each poem's illustrations and symbolism are often taken from nature.

There are further subgroups of poems for different subjects; for example, "Chalk Drawings" processes the emotions Jennifer felt when a man who appeared romantically interested in her revealed he had someone else in mind all along. On a similar note, "W.A.M.W." refers to her feelings for an older man who was beyond reach.

Structurally, Jennifer attempts to break lines where they may suggest more than one meaning, or lead the reader down one path only to make an abrupt turn at the end.  Admittedly, striving for this enjambment may muddle the meaning for some readers, yet the author hopes that those readers who wish might enjoy contemplating the multiple possibilities and the chosen outcome.  

Winter [photo] 1 All's Quiet 2 Dynasty 2 Fire Towers 3 Estuaries 4 Rarely Seen 4 Friends, Family, Colleagues 5 Lovely 5 Scarecrow 6 Leaving 7 Alone after Nineveh 8 Flying 9 Place 9 Open sea 10 The Youngest 11 When I Needed It Most 12 Ugliness 12 Make the Best 12 Regrets 14 Late Autumn 14 The Leap 16 The Cliff 16 Pitt River 2016 18

Autumn [photo] 21 Chalk Drawings 22 I. 22 II. 23 III. 24 IV. 26 V. 26 VI. 27 VII. 28 VIII. 29 IX. 29 Confirmation 30 Thoughts After Reading Haiku 31 I. 31 II. 32 III. 32 IV. 32 V. 33 VI. 33 VII. 33 VIII. 34 IX. 34 X. 34 XI. 34 XII. 35 XIII. 35 XIV. 35 XV. 35 XVI. 36 XVII. 36 XVIII. 36 XIX. 36 XX. 36 XXI. 37 XXII. 37 XXIII. 37 XXIV. 37 XXV. 37 XXVI. 37 XXVII. 37 XXVIII. 38 XXIX. 38 XXX. 38 XXXI. 38 XXXII. 38 XXXIII. 38 XXXIV. 38 XXXV. 39 XXXVI. 39 XXXVII. 39 XXXVIII. 39 XXXIX. 39 XXXX. 39 XXXXI. 40 XXXXII. 40 XXXXIII. 40 XXXXIV. 40 XXXXV. 40 XXXXVI. 41 XXXVII. 41 XXXVIII. 41 

Summer [photo] 43 Enough 44 The Hearth 46 Passion 47 Sighting 49 Dancers 50 New Moon 52 Medusa 53 Snowfall 57 Daydream 58 Warmth 58 Weather 60 Like the Wind 63 Exercise 64 "White Pine" - A.J. Casson 66 Homecoming 67 Cactus 69 

Spring [photo] 73 Michelle 74 I. 74 II. 74 W.A.M.W. 75 I. 75 II. 75 III. 76 IV. 76 V. 76 VI. 77 VII. 77 VIII. 77 IX. 78 X. 78 XI. 78 XII. 79 XIII. 79 [photos]