The Kimberly Column

@thekimberlycolumn

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A poet with opinions, here you can learn about faith, literature, & culture grounded in esteem for the traditional. If you seek adventure, revere fairytales, and create culture where it’s needed most, consider following along! kimberlyacharest.substack.com

3D AGO

Girls Can't Write Love Poems

Why do the most famous love poems in history seem to be written by men? And why do women often write about love so differently? In this video, we explore the surprising literary question raised in Girls Can’t Write Love Poems: Why do men dominate the tradition of romantic love poetry? From the timeless verses of William Shakespeare and Lord Byron to the romantic arguments of Percy Bysshe Shelley, many of the most quoted Valentine’s Day love poems come from male poets. Their poetry often focuses on admiration, beauty, and the act of romantic pursuit. (kimberlyacharest.substack.com) But when women write about love, something different tends to happen. Rather than describing the virtues of a beloved, female poets frequently write from an “I-centric” perspective—processing heartbreak, longing, or emotional experience rather than celebrating the qualities of the lover himself. (kimberlyacharest.substack.com) In this discussion, we look at famous poems and writers including: * Elizabeth Barrett Browning and How Do I Love Thee? * Edna St. Vincent Millay * Sylvia Plath * Modern poets like Rupi Kaur We also examine what makes a true love poem work: specificity, admiration, and the art of wooing. If men traditionally write poetry to pursue love, and women write poetry to process it… what does that reveal about romance, literature, and human nature? 📚 In this video you’ll learn:• Why classic love poetry often comes from male poets• The difference between romantic admiration vs emotional expression in poetry• How gender perspectives shape literary traditions• What makes a love poem actually work If you love discussions about literature, culture, poetry, relationships, and traditional perspectives on art, this conversation is for you. ✨ Read the full essay here:Girls Can’t Write Love Poems Keywords / Tags (for SEO):love poems, romantic poetry, why men write better love poems, poetry analysis, classic love poetry, valentine’s day poems, Shakespeare love poems, Byron She Walks in Beauty, Percy Shelley Love’s Philosophy, Elizabeth Barrett Browning sonnet 43, poetry discussion, literary criticism, gender and poetry, modern poetry analysis, Rupi Kaur poetry critique This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kimberlyacharest.substack.com

26 min
07/19/2025

Novel Finds: Unto A Good Land by Vilhelm Moberg

*Video Correction: Swedish Author This week’s Novel Find centers a Swede community immigrating to the mid 1800’s United States. The narrative unfolds as families, singles, men, women, children, preachers, and prostitutes overcome trials for the promise of a better future. Moberg does not shy away from accurate representation of hardship, struggle, and the reality of immigration. From navigating a language barrier to loosing money from a deceitful personality, to burying a child, Unto A Good Land encapsulates the American promise for opportunity and the sacrifices one must take to achieve it. Christianity is a prominent theme throughout the narrative, discussing elements such as denomination differences, charity, redemption, judgement, and forgiveness through suffering and prosperity. Life is hard, especially if you’re uprooting your entire family to settle in a new world you haven’t seen. Vilhelm Moberg creates a story which accurately tells of physical, emotional, and spiritual tribulation all for a chance to build a new life. Follow @softly.shespeaks on all social media for Novel Finds and more! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kimberlyacharest.substack.com

18 min
06/28/2025

What Being A Princess Really Means

When I first picked this book up in the local thrift store, I laughed. As noted in this review, I’m not the biggest fan of modern princess stories. For little girls, princesses are sacred. I’m not consenting to stealing the integral role a princess provides for little girls through modern de-feminization in YA literature. However, this book surprised me and I actually like it. Will it replace The Light Princess by George MacDonald or classic Disney movies? Nope, not even close. But, I do think it offers insight into a different side of a princess which classic literature rarely illustrates: her authority. Miri, a small girl who isn’t allowed to mine in the canyons with her family and village, is comfortable watching the sheep and trading with merchants who come to the mountain. When ministers from the King announce the next bride of the prince will be found on Mt. Eskel and the famous Princess Academy will be constructed to teach all eligible young ladies the ways of the court, the village dissents. Over the course of a year, Miri, an outcast in her village leads them out of poverty, into proper economical standing with the kingdom, and into a flourishing trading post. Obviously, Miri also uncovers a powerful mystery surrounding the mountain via telepathic communication, but economics fascinates me more. Thank you for listening to Novel Finds! A series where I read a book a week which I found at the local thrift store. Learn more about this series by following me on Insta and TikTok @softly.shespeaks. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kimberlyacharest.substack.com

21 min
06/23/2025

Will This Replace Your Christmas Tradition?

This week’s Novel Find is a short “cutie little coffee table book” featuring an unlikely friendship between a nun, a tree, and a classic New York personality. Based in New York City, The Christmas Tree by Julie Salamon follows a man who is on the hunt for the next great Rockefeller Christmas Tree. While flying over a convent, he spies the prettiest tree in perfect condition for the Christmas celebration. But there’s a problem. A nun in the convent has created an emotional bond with this tree as it served as her very special friend throughout her childhood. What occurs over the course of this cutie-little-coffee-table book is a beautiful transformation of heart and the foraging of an unlikely friendship between a tree, a nun, and a rather efficient man. — Follow @softly.shespeaks on social media and consider a free subscription to her substack for more commentary on literature, art, and culture. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kimberlyacharest.substack.com

16 min
06/14/2025

Novel Finds: The Sword and the Miracle by Melvyn Bragg

The Sword and the Miracle by Melvyn Bragg is an acclaimed epic novel set during the beginning of Christianity in Ireland and England. The narrative is driven through two primary plots: romantic entanglement of Princess Bega and Prince Padric and political forces driving the divisions of Roman Catholicism and the subsequent rise of Anglo-Catholic tradition in Ireland and England. Reviewed by Kimberly, a Protestant and hopeless romantic, she isn’t entirely sure how she feels about this book. She likes it for aesthetic reasons, but is unsure of the ending. Was it meant to end the way it did? If so, what was the point? Is suffering fruitless? Is the cure for a mental breakdown to swallow a piece of the “True Cross” our Lord and Savior died upon? Why is Catholicism represented so weakly? And is the scene in the beginning okay for Christians to read? Discover all this and more in the first episode of the series “Novel Finds” where Kimberly reads a book found at the thrift store of the course of a week and reviews it. Available everywhere you get your podcasts. Follow @softly.shespeaks on TikTok and Instagram and consider a free subscription to her personal writing on Substack for more exposure to classical, Western ideals. *Novel first published in 1996 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kimberlyacharest.substack.com

29 min
05/17/2025

Novel Finds

Sorry guys, there’s no essay in your inbox today. (Cue the tears). Not to despair! This is because in my spare time this week I’ve finally been able to focus on a passion project for my socials and I want share it with you, too! I’m starting a signature series called “Novel Finds” where I read one book a week picked from a thrift store in the interest of finding good stories. This project birthed a few months ago for two main reasons. The first one—described in the above video— is the disgust I felt from walking into beloved bookstores only to find almost all fictional bestsellers feature smut, fairy-merman-werewolf-fantasy based storylines, or far left teenage-ry narratives. The sole reason these don’t appeal is that they are immoral and gross material to use as nourishment for your noggin. The second reason is, as a recovering English major, I’ve discovered every time I attempt to read for fun there’s a little literary theory devil sitting on my left shoulder telling me to analyze the text from a Marxist or postmodern perspective. Of course, I reply, “No! Go away that’s not how fiction is supposed to be read.” And then it snickers and sticks its tiny pitchfork in my ear canal. But seriously, I haven’t been able to sit down to simply enjoy a story in years. Through this journey of reading a fictional book a week—no matter if it’s a genre or narrative I’d usually be interested in—I’ve begun to destroy the prison of literary theory and unshackle my cerebrum from the rot of criticism as I read. And it’s oh so sweet. This series supports the mission of Softly She Speaks to encourage readers and writers to create with the same purpose and intention God used when He created the world, when He created you, by illustrating how this is done well (and badly) across all genres and story structures. As more people become inspired by this mission, we can hopefully return to a culture where good stories are shared without the unnecessary sprinkling of smut or radical political theory. On top of attempting to create my own narratives and poems rooted purely in the Imago Dei and life (as most of you guys are too, actually!) this series seeks to uncover the good, true, and beautiful in stories which remain hidden on a dusty thrift-book shelf. You can follow along on Instagram, TikTok, or download the Substack app so you can watch it, here. (I won’t be sending any emails with these videos in them as this isn’t the usual content you subscribe to. :) It’s @softly.shespeaks everywhere else on the internet. Next week we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming. Thank you! Softly She Speaks is proudly supported by readers just like you. Subscribe for free and share with friends for more posts! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kimberlyacharest.substack.com

1 min

6 Episodes

A poet with opinions, here you can learn about faith, literature, & culture grounded in esteem for the traditional. If you seek adventure, revere fairytales, and create culture where it’s needed most, consider following along! kimberlyacharest.substack.com

Creator

@thekimberlycolumn
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

6
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Kimberly A Charest
Show Website

The Kimberly Column