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.

UN-ALONE!!!

I officially finished shadow.self. this morning. I cannot stop crying. The introduction is gonna live rent free in my head for all eternity. I have never come across a book that has spoken to my soul like this book has. This phenomenal book hit me so hard that I had to do a review just for the introduction that’s how powerful this beautiful book is to me. This extraordinary book has irritably change my very marrow. This beautiful book will live rent free in my head for all eternity. This beautiful book is gonna be my go to when I need to center myself on my goals. Thank you so so much Joe for writing this beautiful book that has impact in me and heal something in me that I never knew needed healing. If you need a book a portrait that will shape you into something beautiful, you need to get this book today because you will absolutely not be disappointed.

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.

shadow. self. by poet joe arden

Words alone cannot capture the profound impact this book has had on me. I've always struggled with poetry—reading it, understanding it—it often left me feeling somewhat lost.
And then came Shadow. Self.
This collection of raw, honest, painful, chilling, and thought-provoking poems has evoked a whirlwind of emotions within me. I've spent countless hours listening to books narrated by Joe Arden, but none compare to the beauty of the words he has penned in this masterpiece.
Joe, this book is absolutely stunning. Bravo.

Spectacular Performance

This was an incredible audiobook in my opinion.
The reason I chose to listen to it rather than read it is because I’m not a huge fan of poetry or different kinds of poetry but I appreciate it.
I liked it better listening to it because it felt more powerful and Joe Arden is a narrator who really brings things to life.
I wish it were longer because it ended to quickly. I was definitely immersed into the experience and loved the alliterations and metaphors and the brief pop culture references/easter eggs.

Vibrant Sonnets

Not sure what I was expecting, but truly loved the introduction, it was quite moving, as well as ending remarks. I also appreciated that Joe acknowledged Carl Jung since the title (Shadow.Self), reflects the psychologist's philosophy. I particularly like sonnet #16 "The absence of silent is not quiet" and overall creativity, and humility. Joe Arden truly holds his mom dear, one of the things I admire about him. It's seems his mother is always close to his heart