Pollen by Tai Carmen

“These are poems cherishing impermanent beauty; delicate, seductive, they braid hope and youthful sex with heartfelt mourning, Thanatos and Eros brilliantly intertwined. Seldom can one rightly speak of greatness in a poet’s first book; rare to know that these shatteringly lovely recognitions will be read and re-read far into the future.” 

–Barry Spacks, First Poet Laureate for Santa Barbara

“I am happy to be celebrating this first collection of poems by Tai Carmen. The poems in “Pollen” are thoughtful, meditative, and exciting. Carmen knows how to employ a lyric moment and how to tell a story, even when the story is a difficult one. She is a poet that reminds us of the human adventure we are on and that we should be ‘filling the night with our voices for as long as we can.” A brave act that this book accomplishes!” 

–Matthew Dickman, Winner of the 2009 Kate Tufts Discovery Award

“The compassion, knowledge, and sensitivity Tai Carmen displays in ‘Pollen‘ is matched only by the tender precision of her language. Though she has been to the dark places, and reports from them unflinchingly, her poetry is a source of light, imbued with a sense of wonder and of hope. These poems will break your heart and then mend it, all in the turn of a single line.” 

–Alexis Nelson, Professor, Portland State University

“Tai Carmen has found a way of entering the personal story at unexpected angles, her language rich and wholly particular. This is a strange and startling work, an astonishing voice. These poems make the reader hungry to read her again, and again.” 

–Samantha Dunn, Author, Faith in Carlos Gomez