Book Review | Chasers of the Light

Title: Chasers of the Light
Author: Tyler Knott Gregson

The Blurb

The epic made simple. The miracle in the mundane.

One day, while browsing an antique store in Helena, Montana, photographer Tyler Knott Gregson stumbled upon a vintage Remington typewriter for sale. Standing up and using a page from a broken book he was buying for $2, he typed a poem without thinking, without planning, and without the ability to revise anything.

He fell in love.

Three years and almost one thousand poems later, Tyler is now known as the creator of the Typewriter Series: a striking collection of poems typed onto found scraps of paper or created via blackout method. Chasers of the Light features some of his most insightful and beautifully worded pieces of work—poems that illuminate grand gestures and small glimpses, poems that celebrate the beauty of a life spent chasing the light.

Bruh, I’m in love. I love backstories. I love typewriters. I love positivity. I love things being simple and light (though the complexity is actually nice for my brain workout). I love the whole aura of this.

The Style

I wouldn’t say that Tyler has the best style, but I can assure you that this is somehow unique—in so many ways. I always wonder why his books cost so much! It must be the photography and everything seemed to be scanned from the original material. I can see him writing all these stuff with his typewriter and aaaaaa I’m so jealous. I must find myself a vintage typewriter too! Though, I probably can’t use it at the middle of the night or I’ll wake up our neighborhood? 😆

I only have eBook of this and I already love its features, what more with the actual book? I love the concept of writing things randomly even if it’s just in graphing paper or at the back of scratch papers, receipts or whatever medium available. I love that kind of spur of the moment poetry.

I took screenshots of some of my favorite poems from this book:

I have read a review on Goodreads, gaaah I don’t know how people can be so mean to someone else’s hard work. I mean, we need to learn how to take criticisms, right? But there’s a fine line between giving it and labeling something as rubbish. If you don’t like it, you can just say so without degrading other people’s “definition” of art.

It was said there that any teenager can write what Gregson put in here. They said it’s not poetry. I think it varies for everyone. I don’t think poems need to be that deep to connect with you. This is plain and simple but it has its impact. I don’t know about you but I like short poetry that stays. It’s easier to remember. I don’t care how long your poems are or how well your vocabulary is, as long as it touches my heart, I appreciate your words. As long as you move people, you’re making a difference.

“What good is a half-lit life? You can burn me to ashes as long as I know we live a life alight.”

This concept is like saying you can write down your thoughts anywhere which is basically true.

“Sometimes the only way
to catch your breath
is to lose it completely.”

Poems are the words behind photographs; that’s how art touches art. It’s a collision of arts and I don’t think I have seen something quite so strong and riveting.

Quote to Ponder

My Rating

This is included in my July favorites. You can check that out as well if you want. 🙂

Have you read this already? Let me know what your thoughts are! I love reading your words. xx

Check my other book reviews here >>

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