A Review of We All Should Be Amazed – A Poetry and Spoken Word Collection
WE ALL SHOULD BE AMAZED opens with a call to attention, a poem that feels like a summons, and from its first breath, the collection establishes itself as more than a book of poems. It is an encounter. It is an experience. It is a lived archive of passion, laughter, desire, memory, and rebellion, crafted with such force and precision that it immediately takes its place as a work that will not fade but will endure, revisited and referenced across generations.
The opening, “Amazing at the Gate,” does more than introduce, it instructs. The repetitions and rolling cadences form a kind of ritual, guiding the reader into the book’s central proposition: that we are tested, we struggle, we endure, and in the act of survival, there is amazement. It is a chorus of resilience, a banner under which the rest of the collection marches. Already, we understand that this book is not quiet, it does not intend to be ornamental, it intends to live inside us, to echo long after the page is turned.
As the poems unfold, they reveal a voice that is fluent in multiplicity. Phoenix James shifts effortlessly between intimacy and grandeur, between whispered confession and commanding proclamation. A piece like “At End of Play” moves with the rhythm of tide and touch, sensual and aquatic, while “Dates & Advertising Space” wryly navigates the absurdities of modern life with a sharp observational wit. This juxtaposition is not clash but craft, a demonstration of how life itself is both ecstatic and ordinary, and how poetry can hold both without dilution.
Water, tide, and surrender recur throughout the collection, not only as imagery but as philosophy. The directive “Like Water” does not appear once, it flows through the work, shaping it with liquidity and adaptability. In “Buying Signs,” personality itself is tethered to the moon, the ocean in us pulled and shifted by celestial bodies, while in “In the Surrender,” release becomes a form of strength. These threads accumulate until the collection itself feels tidal, pulling the reader forward with inevitability and grace.
And then there is the raw manifesto energy of pieces like “Verbal Violence,” a thunderclap of conviction that places language at the very centre of human survival. Here, words are not decoration, they are arsenal and shield, voltage and liberation. It is a declaration that poetry is not optional but necessary, not a pastime but a way of being armed in a world that too often demands silence. This unapologetic embrace of eloquence as power electrifies the collection and explains why the voice thrums with such urgency across every page.
Phoenix James never hesitates to expand the terrain. In “Fear of Artificial Intelligence,” he does not join the chorus of panic but instead embraces the technology as a tool, a preserver of memory, a companion to creativity. The calm pragmatism of this poem contrasts beautifully with the mythic pulse of “Brazen Mermaids” or the cultural testimony of “Royal Black Egyptians.” Together, these works demonstrate a range that is remarkable, from cosmic speculation to intimate storytelling, from playful to prophetic.
The titles themselves sketch out the book’s ambition: a mailbox that bites, shaved legs and high heels, salted caramel, women’s volleyball, and Toni Morrison all find space under one roof. This is a poetics that refuses hierarchy. Nothing is too trivial, nothing is too exalted. All of it belongs. All of it is alive.
The shorter pieces, like “No Problem” or “Of the Truest Form,” prove that compression and scale are equally at the poet’s command. A single stanza can carry the same resonance as a page-long narrative, a single line can open up a philosophy of living. These micro-poems are not interludes, they are sparks, strategically placed to keep the rhythm taut and the reader alert.
What becomes clear as the collection progresses is that WE ALL SHOULD BE AMAZED is not simply a series of poems placed side by side. It is symphonic. Each piece contributes to a larger architecture, a cumulative force that builds with the momentum of performance and the permanence of print. The voice is unmistakably of the stage, rhythmic, incantatory, designed to be heard aloud, and yet the poems are equally potent on the page, where their craft and precision are revealed in full.
Identity, art, love, rebellion, memory, humour, and surrender, these are not separate themes here but woven strands of the same tapestry. A memory at Ronnie Scott’s sits beside a meditation on Toni Morrison, and both belong, equally weighted, equally luminous. This is what makes the collection timeless, its refusal to segregate the sacred from the mundane, its insistence that everything we live is worth being astonished by.
In the end, WE ALL SHOULD BE AMAZED does what only the greatest poetry does, it shifts perception. It makes the reader look at the world differently, not once, but again and again, with each reread, with each return to its pages. It is a flawless body of work, audacious and tender, messy and precise, fierce and forgiving. It is a collection that will not only be read, but remembered, cited, carried, and spoken of.
This is not a book that fades when you close it. It lingers. It reverberates. It resonates. It is not bound by time, because its truths are not bound by fashion or moment. WE ALL SHOULD BE AMAZED is poetry as necessity, as fire, as oxygen. It is a testament that will stand, will endure, and will be read and reread for years to come, each time delivering its promise anew: amazement.
WE ALL SHOULD BE AMAZED is available now in paperback and ebook. https://lnk.to/We-All-Should-Be-Amazed
Published by
THE POET PHOENIX JAMES
THE POET PHOENIX JAMES is a British-born, award-winning poet, author, spoken word recording artist, and multidisciplinary creator whose dynamic career spans literature, performance, film, fashion, music, and independent media. Widely recognised for fearless expression and genre-defying artistry, Phoenix James has built a powerful creative legacy that bridges page, stage, studio, screen, and digital platforms. He is a pioneer of live spoken word performance in the UK before the era of camera phones, and is known as a foundational figure in the UK and global spoken word movements. He is often mentioned alongside pioneering spoken word artists like Linton Kwesi Johnson, Benjamin Zephaniah, Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze, Patience Agbabi, Lemn Sissay and Salena Godden for his foundational contributions to the UK’s live poetry and spoken word scene. MONIKER AND EARLY CAREER
Early in his career in 1998, Phoenix James performed and released work under the moniker Phenzwaan, a name associated with several of his earliest spoken word albums and recordings. This period marked the foundation of his evolving artistic voice and experimentation within the spoken word and poetry scene. WRITER & POET
Phoenix James is the author of 20 published books, exploring love, identity, vulnerability, power, masculinity, and spiritual and philosophical inquiry. His first limited edition printed poetry collection, To Whom It May Concern, was published in 2003. His work spans poetry, prose, philosophy, essays, and creative storytelling. His available book titles include, in order of publication: Love, Sex, Romance & Other Bad Things
Route to Destruction
Delirium of the Wise
Don’t Let the Daffodils Fool You
Call Me When You’re Free
Far from the Outside
The Ones We Didn't Kill
Lessons from Everywhere
Another One for Burning
A Long Bright Cold Dark Summer
Shame Point Zero
The Sandbag Theory
Soft, Sexy & Wet
Below Base Level
To Catch A Passing UFO
Now We're Truly Beautiful
We All Should Be Amazed
Before When It's Time
Amidst Time That Waits
Time As Always Was SPOKEN WORD RECORDING ARTIST
Phoenix James has released 18 spoken word albums, crafting sonic experiences that blend poetry, music, ambient textures, and emotion-driven performance. His current albums include, in order of release: Phenzwaan Now & Forever: The Definitive Collection
A Patchwork Remedy for A Broken Melody
FREE
Haven for the Tormented
With All That Said
Remixes Vol: 1
Remixes Vol: 2
Light Beams from the Void
The Love So Far Early CD Album Releases:
Phoenix James released a number of CD albums between 2000 and 2006 under his early moniker Phenzwaan. These include, in order of their release: The A.R.T.I.S.T. (debut album)
Meditations of A Cosmic Wordsmith
We Will Survive
Phenzwaan Live @ The Spitz
Inevitable Mystique
Like A Phoenix
Alchemy Fluid Vol: 1
Alchemy Fluid Vol: 2
Solidified These early works represent his foundational spoken word and musical expressions prior to the digital era, showcasing his pioneering contributions and artistic evolution. With over 1,000 videos on his YouTube channel and more than 70 spoken word singles available on streaming platforms including YouTube Music, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, Phoenix James' work continues to influence global audiences through digital distribution. FILM & TELEVISION
Phoenix James made his first BBC television appearance performing poetry in 2004, marking an important step in bringing spoken word poetry to broader audiences through mainstream media. Since then, he has appeared in and worked on several high-profile international film and television productions, including: Skyfall (James Bond)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Guardians of the Galaxy
Mission: Impossible
Cleanskin
Multiple BBC dramas and documentaries He has also written, directed, and produced independent films, such as the acclaimed mock-documentary Love Freely but Pay for Sex, which further solidifies his legacy in independent media. FASHION & MODELLING
Awarded Best Male Model by Fashion TV in 2007, Phoenix James has worked in editorial, runway, and brand campaigns that blend storytelling with style and presence. COMMUNITY, COMMENTARY & LEGACY
Phoenix James has produced live events, hosted spoken word showcases, and delivered workshops empowering creative voices. Beyond creation, Phoenix James nurtures emerging voices and preserves his artistic legacy for future generations. As a cultural commentator and philosopher, his work interrogates themes of intimacy, race, masculinity, freedom, and creative autonomy. ACADEMIC & EDUCATIONAL INFLUENCE
Phoenix James’ work is used in academic institutions and educational establishments around the world for teaching, research, and cultural study. His writng, philosophy, poetry, recordings and performances are referenced in courses on modern literature, race and identity, spoken word history, and performance art. His contributions continue to be studied for their originality, social commentary, and cultural significance. LASTING IMPACT
Phoenix James continues to champion self-publishing, ensuring full creative ownership and artistic freedom. His ongoing project, The Complete Works, is dedicated to archiving and preserving his vast creative output for future generations. His legacy is built not only on the impact of his words and work but on the pioneering spirit that made space for others to follow. Phoenix James is an unstoppable ecosystem of fearless creative expression, a living, breathing force, documenting the beauty, relentless struggle, and uncompromising raw humanity of a life unfiltered. Phoenix James lives in London, England and enjoys movies, music, plays, good food, long walks, and travelling. Sign up to his website Newsletter Mailing List to stay up to date with Phoenix James news and new releases. View all posts by THE POET PHOENIX JAMES
