Stained Sheets


Poetry - General
80 Pages
Reviewed on 08/02/2018
Buy on Amazon

Author Biography

Ahlia Demas has been writing for several decades. Poetry, songs, fiction, and scripts. She has had her work published in several magazines and literary publications. including in the comic book, 'Tales of the Crypt'. She also does reading ever so often.

Her poetry is a contemporary free verse style. Some have lyrical verses that taps into her love of music and meter. She has 3 poetry collections including the recent "Stained Sheets' which she has included bits from her previous two collections, "Snow Fox" and "20 Sunsets'.

She is already started on her next project, a collection of short stories called "Short Termed Memory". She will then take a break from that in November when she will be participating in the Novel in a Month challenge.

When she is not writing she is enjoying playing with her King Charles puppy, playing her Gretsch Penguin, painting her Beetle or taking pictures.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

Stained Sheets by Ahlia Demas is a compilation of contemporary poetry, the author's third publication, following Snow Fox and 20 Sunsets, which are also featured in excerpts. The subject matter has a heavy emphasis on a woman's outlook (but male and non-binary points of view do present themselves) with a wide variety of topics ranging from relationships to stray dogs. While it's all in free verse - and even one that takes the form of prose - it does frequently dance into both rhythmic and fixed verses, utilizing punctuation and a skilled internal pattern of sounds. Each individual poem has its own structure and the differences in arrangement complement its multiple themes, coming together beautifully.

Ahlia Demas has put forward a wonderful book of poetry with Stained Sheets. My favorite pieces were the ones where Demas hints at satire, such as To Captain Spew, and the compositions that show infinitely profound emotion, such as To Patty (“You died last night? Yes - Was it painful? - Were you alone? - Oh, pinch me… pinch me”). Poetry is often difficult to review because it is usually deeply personal, and Demas' work is no exception. But what makes Stained Sheets exceptional is its relatability. Whether intended or not, there is so much that can be taken to heart by a reader that the work becomes instantly engaging. I can see myself flipping back through the compilation over time, finding new meaning in the poems, and sharing these with others who I know will find the same enjoyment in this collection as I have.