shadow.self.

By: Joe Arden

Narrated by: Joe Arden

Herein lies a raw exploration of duality, darkness, and desire. A collection of sonnets, haikus, and free verse that brings to the surface our fractured pieces and celebrates how the light and the dark blend to make us whole. An invitation to embrace the shadow and give it its rightful place as a part of the self.

Internationally celebrated voice actor and author, Joe Arden, opens his mind and heart in this scintillating outpouring of original poetry. Arden’s work bleeds from the page in the same emotionally-charged fashion as his lyrical performances of the countless love stories he’s told throughout his career.

The power you’ve hidden underneath glows,

Who told you to bury your beautiful?

Every scar tells me what your body knows.

Your presence to me is immutable.

©2024 Joe Arden (P)2024 Blue Nose Publishing

Masterpiece at it's finest

I'm still reeling from the emotional rollercoaster that was Joe's poetry collection. Every piece was a masterpiece, leaving me amazed, inspired, and deeply moved. I never thought I'd connect so strongly with poetry, but his words have truly resonated with me.

Raw, hauntingly beautiful, yet hopeful.

This one took a minute because how do you review someone's emotions? How do you review someone's bared soul?

shadow. self. was raw, hauntingly beautiful, hopeful...

The emotions are tangible from start to finish, not just in the actual poetry but in the dedication, the epigraphs, the introduction, you can feel the sentiment. The weight of the words.

I think Joe described it best in the introduction when he says that art should make you feel unalone. In shadow. self. I felt that hand reaching out so many times, reminding me in grief, in joy, in fear, in ecstasy I'm not alone. None of us are.


If you're a human who has ever felt anything, this is me, recommending you shadow. self.

Listen to and read this book if you’re human...

... and you will get so much heart, inspiration, and thought out of it. This is the book that is the hand you didn’t even know you needed in life. The light in the dark that makes you feel un-alone. I knew Joe Arden was talented, but shadow.self. is a whole next level of wow! Talk about strumming the heartstrings and loving the intellectual thought that went into these words.
There is a rare and true talent in being able to say so much, with such few words, that hit right on target. And it's such a wonderful treat to get to listen to Joe perform his own words with an atmospheric soundscape. I could hear the emotion in every word the way I was feeling it when I read it. There were some poems I just looped back to again and again because, though short they may be, they were SO GOOD!

I love that this book is a mix of life and a nod to classic literary characters and authors. I have enjoyed poetry before, but never at such a gut-wrenching, "Yes. THAT. Finally someone out there understands it!" type of level again and again, page after page. And speaking of pages, this is one of the most uniquely creative books I’ve ever read. I highly suggest getting the actual book to see the accompanying artwork that goes with many of the poems. The layout itself is pretty cool. I don't think I have ever read a book that has felt so visually artistically connected to the words.

If you are lonely, read/listen to this book. If you've been through, are going through, or are headed into tough times, read/listen to this book. If you want a very unique celebration of creativity and the power of words, imagination, and how, though we may all be different, we all feel so much the same, read and listen to this book! It made me think, it made me smile, and it made me cry on a deeply human level that I was not expecting. When I finished shadow.self., I simultaneously wanted to put it in a safe place to keep pristine forever but also buy a slightly bigger purse just so I could carry it around with me to have on hand at all times. I think I'm going to need to buy another copy (something I never do) so I can write in and carry one around with me since it is such a perfect size to do just that!

All in all, five-star writing, five-star narration—definitely recommend! Joe Arden is a talented wordsmith that I wish I could thank for writing such an impactful book. I hope we get to see much more from Author Joe in the future!

Ode to Weeds or an Ode to me…

You are never truly alone but exponentially un-alone.

Fight the good fight, choose to survive, thrive, and live in the midst of those who would rather see you removed from the very thing you were born into.

Joe has done it again! Hitting the deepest parts of the soul and mind. Opening the door of real raw emotion. The finding of lost hope and the freeing of love. May we choose to embrace life!

Emotional

I am in awe of this work. The emotions you hear are so real. I enjoyed hearing some of Joe's characters come out.

Reflection, refraction; our shadow.self reimagined

This collection of work is a portrait of the shadow that exists within us all…whether we go in search of it or not. The idea of feeling seen within the depths of personal reflection by oneself is sometimes too profound to understand. Joe leans into his ability to express, in both the written and spoken form through shadow.self, what any one person can discover tangled in their own minds OR within shades of their own morality at any given time.

I appreciated the haikus and the whimsy of pieces like “Ode to a Raindrop” (one of my personal favorites) and “Do You See That Bug”. Even more so, the sweetness of “Honeysuckle” (this felt like a sensory knockout) and “Feathery Kisses” are love notes to the soul. Perhaps most potent, and visceral is the portrait Joe paints of a shadowed figure in shades streaked with grey. Tracks titled “The Lost Sonnet”, “Key to My Jail Cell” and “If There’s Anything” have a finality that is bone chilling.

And if sonnets could be songs they would be titled “Of Time” and “House Fortified”.

I’m in awe of Joe’s ability to explore the corners of his mind and express his workings into this creation with a precision that blurs the line of fiction and reality. What parts of us do we allow ourselves to see?

That’s between my shadow and me.

Beautiful poetry

I tried to write a more useful review, but an emotional one is the only one I can manage. This is poetry- and this poetry is honest, and raw, and personal. This short read is packed with so much emotions and meaning. It's filled with love, and wonder, passion, hurt, disappointment. Hope and heartbreak and so much courage.
The impact of this book on me has been the strongest I've ever experienced because of art. In different poems I found comfort, understanding and acceptance. The book inspired me and made me feel, so much, and so un-alone.
The audiobook is performed by the author and it only makes it even more powerful.

Excellent for any poetry fan, that just isn't me.

I am not a poetry person at all. My brain does not function the way poetry requires. I bought and listened simply to show support to Joe Arden. It does take a lot to bare one's soul and I feel that is what he did here.

If you are a fan of Joe and poetry this you will most likely enjoy this quite a bit.

Powerful Poetry 🖤🩶🤍

Shadow. self. is emotionally captivating. Soul stirring and heart felt. I have listened to this audio several times, and I always hear something new. It will be one that I revist often. I highly recommend getting a physical copy of this gem! Listening to the audio with the physical book in hand is not to be missed!

Joe Arden as always is 🤌🏻

As always, Joe Arden is 🤌🏻🤌🏻

I enjoyed getting a glimpse of Joe’s writing and then performing his own works.