Jessie Reyez’s new collection of poetry entrances audiences at the Marran Theatre

Jessie Reyez reads her new book to fans at the Marran Theatre in Cambridge, Mass. on Oct. 24.

Grammy-nominated author and multi-Juno award winner Jessie Reyez led a passionate and playful read along of her second book, “The People’s Purge: Words of a Goat Princess Volume II” at the candlelit Marran Theatre in Cambridge, Mass.

On Oct. 24, enthusiastic attendees filled the room with questions as Reyez shared intimate details of tumultuous thoughts, relationship failures, and self-reflection. The dusky theater was lit with questions and emotional intimacy shared between attentive book tour attendees and the Toronto musician. 

The collection, released Oct. 21, compiles poetry developed from fan-made writing prompts sent over time to the singer songwriter on Instagram. Reyez said the collection was published after requests from fans to make a book out of the prompted writing.   

During the event, Reyez broke up her melodramatic, free verse poetry recital with a silly game that incited riotous laughter. The author randomly picked from the raised hands of her audience members and asked whether they wanted to holler or whisper the page numbers from her collection. Laughter at an absurd pitch was heard from each chosen speaker, and throughout the theater, followed by Reyez reading aloud their requests. 

An audience member harshly whispered page number 44, where Reyez read her piece from the prompt, “write about a piece about love.” 

Reyez writes with a poignant, honest tone that is clear from the very beginning of her book, such as in the first piece responding to the prompt, “write a piece about devotion.” The poem illustrates an internal conflict between her feminist values and the urge to submit to a lover. 

The 100-plus pieces amalgamate into congealed feelings and cartoony sketches developed in collaboration with illustrator and fan Eloïse Diot. The work grew out of Reyez’s “create and release” practice of weekly poetry writing. The hours spent in intimate writing sessions, which Reyez refers to as her brain’s workout, only recently incorporated fan writing suggestions. 

As she shared in an interview with The Associated Press, it “felt like scratching an itch in the middle of my brain that I can’t reach.” 

Reyez’s book follows her 2020 release, “Words of a Goat Princess”  which offered similarly raw observations, but without fan participation. For her sophomore book, she felt compelled to call upon her fans as co-creators and shared her gratitude for their contributions. Reyez’s display of fan appreciation made it to her dedication page that paid tribute “to anyone who calls out into the void hoping for an answer.” 

After the event, attendees exiting the bustling venue could be heard sharing their favorite parts about the read along and praising the book. Reyez’s book is available on its publisher’s website, Simon & Schuster, and can also be found on Barnes & Noble and Amazon, with an audio version that is soon to be available.

Published on The Berkeley Beacon