Soul Trash, Space Garbage

"In 'Soul Trash, Space Garbage,' Michelle writes beautifully about love, finding yourself, & the real (& imagined) spectacular events of the universe. This book was a warm embrace that made me want to kiss every person I’ve ever loved. Plus, the book design is utterly gorgeous."

- Caitlin Conlon, author of The Surrender Theory

"You know when you pick up a book, you start reading the first few pages, and you think to yourself “man this is going to be good”?

That was the FIRST poem of this book for me. I have been reading Michelle’s work often on social media and she continues to blow me away every single time, but this? This is a whole other creature in itself.

Grief, regret, love, wanting, and so many other emotions are wrapped up into this beautifully written book, and I encourage anyone and everyone to read. Also, the art?! Absolutely loved the symmetry between the words and the artwork. So well done!"

- Kayjah Taylor, author of Never-Ending Nightmares

"Every single word is absolutely stunning. This book takes your breath away and then gives it back beautifully wrapped and served on a silver tray. A must have for any reader!"

- Dana H.

"From someone who has never felt any passion for poetry, I don't know that I will ever encounter a more beautiful collection of poems in my life. This book took me over a year to get through because I forced myself to slow down and only read one poem or less per day so that I had to sit and truly digest them instead of just zipping through. And I'm so glad I did. These poems capture so much that I've never been able to put into words: the things that haunt me, the things that irritate me, the things that make me truly happy deep in my core, and even navigating the first real love of a lifetime. I would recommend this book to anyone at all, poetry fans or not. I found it to be a truly moving masterpiece."

- Aspen S.

"Oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh. 💞 Words have never been more delicious. I’m obsessed. I’m in shock, I’m shook. I am stunned, this is stunning. I don’t even know what to say other than WHAT?!?! This is BEAUTIFULLLL!!! 7/5 stars. Easily. Michelle Awad can I come live in your brain?"

- Elliana Jenness, author of Sun Drunk & Moonburned

"This beautiful collection of poetry made me want to believe in love again."

- Raquel Franco, author of When the Bee Stings

"Michelle put together a masterpiece with this book. This book makes me want to love, to be loved, to devour another person with passion. This book feels like a call to action, like a holy text. It makes me want to be a better lover and a more zealous woman. The art work peppered throughout is simple yet unique and adds to the aesthetic without distracting from the message of the text. The imagery Michelle thinks up is so distinctive and special to her style and I am enamored by the way she plays with vocabulary. All in all, Soul Trash Space Garbage is a magnificent read that hooked me immediately. I would absolutely recommend this book for yourself or anyone you know, particularly a smart, sensitive woman."

- April Renee

"Soul Trash, Space Garbage is Michelle Awad's long awaited debut collection and encapsulates her style, wit and ability to traverse love and hurt with ease, perfectly. Inspired by the universe and scientific articles, Awad's collection delves into who we are and how we are continuously defined and redefined by our experiences of love, lust, and loss. The collection showcases a style the poetry community has come to adore - the listing pieces which begin surveying the wide expanse of humanity and steadily narrowing into the personal. Each time, Awad finds the images to convey and reflect this human experience, of finding yourself in everything and nothing. In being reminded constantly of who you are and what you were with the pressure of what you will become."

- Kristiana Reed

"This book is for those with big feelings. Awad’s writing is so deeply personal but still makes the reader feel at home and connected. I had a few good little cries with this collection. I found it reads like a really pretty strain of consciousness. Also, there are some pretty dope images to pair up and enhance some of the poems. Highly recommend y’all."

- Christopher Tapp, author of May I Wear Your Crown

"Michelle Awad's debut poetry book (and I say "debut" because there just has to be more of this young and brutally honest writer). is maybe the first poetry book that you will devour; you can't put it down!!!! 

You will cry with her, not only because the poems are heart-rendering, but because you see yourself or someone you love in her words. You will laugh with her to the point that you are cackling. 

However, the most important message she teaches readers is that it’s okay; it is REALLY okay to not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, because eventually you will see it. It might just be that you see the light through the inspiring words that Michelle has obviously lived and put her whole soul into writing her experiences. From my first crush, my first love, my forever love, and even going through to my parent's deaths, 

I found myself wondering just how it was that this writer knew me; knew how to express the words that I never could express, and never knew I needed to hear them; to see them on paper; until I read this book. This is not the last we will hear from this author. Buy this book. Read it. Pass it on. Buy it for a friend. Seriously, you will love it."

- Kathy L.

"First off, two things I want to say about this book and its author.

1) As a writer and poet myself, this is a book I wish I had written. It is that good.

2) I think Michelle is me in another life or a spirit animal or maybe a long-lost relative, I'm not entirely sure.

I adore the work Michelle posts on her Instagram feed anyway, but "Soul Trash, Space Garbage" spoke on a lot of emotions, ideas, and interests we have in common in a fashion I could only hope to word them. Back to my second point above, there are several poems in here that eerily echo my life, such as "To the Tune of 'Shimmer' by Fuel" (I grew up listening to Fuel and similar bands kids these days now deem 'butt rock', and still do listen to them); two separate poetic homages to Tom Robbins' "Still Life with Woodpecker" (a book I read on recommendation from a friend last year and absolutely adore for its poetic approach to storytelling); "Mass Effect" (the video game trilogy and its amazingly adorable and aggravatingly un-romanceable pilot that has been the inspirational basis for pretty much everything I've written since I began obsessing about it last summer); and the general overarching theme of space and all of its fascinating glory (an interest of mine which may or may not, but most certainly was, reignited by the aforementioned obsession with Mass Effect).

I feel like Michelle has a camera in my mind and it freaks me out a bit, but I also absolutely adore this book because of it, and I also feel like she and I would have a lot of interests in common and would make great friends because of it.

This may be the weirdest review I've ever written. Just buy this book - it demands to be read." 

- T.C. Anderson