Yavanika Press
Japanese short-forms
where the roots are
“[where the roots are] gives a comprehensive view of what haiku, particularly in its more minimal and playful forms, can do. It also shows how such small poems can be arranged to give a sense of a larger, more resonant body of work, as though it were a collection by a single, anonymous author. As poetry – we are reminded – it’s all connected.”
— Philip Rowland, Editor of NOON: Journal of the Short Poem
The Vanishing Mediator
“For Adam T. Bogar, Slavoj Žižek’s most speculative book, The Indivisible Remainder: On Schelling and Related Matters, is a mirror in which fragments of a mythical narrative coalesce. Finding haiku in a philosophical text demands a well-honed poetic sensibility. After reading and re-reading this collection it is clear that Bogar’s eye for poetry is indeed clearly focused.”
— Réka Nyitrai, Recipient of the 2020 Touchstone Distinguished Books Award
Fingerbone Sky
“To witness the birth of a new poetic form is both a tremendous privilege and an honor. The combination of the inherently surrealist nature of monoku with the lyrical candor of cherita is powerful in Fingerbone Sky. Peter Jastermsky skillfully combines daydream-like imagery with heart-breaking truths about family, loss, and loneliness. While Peter’s human experience is unique, it is easy to feel his heart, words, and story within the rich space he has created between his verses.”
— Tiffany Shaw-Diaz, Poet & Artist
Poetry & Prose
Gulf
“The freshness of Michelle D’costa’s poems owes to their new geographies – the first has to do with her location in the ‘Gulf’ and the experience therein, and, consequently, a new kind of voice in Indian Poetry in English. The sound one hears in them is of hesitation and confusion, of shyness and observation – the sounds of not quite belonging anywhere, of always looking at where one’s shadow is falling.”
— Sumana Roy, Author of Out of Syllabus
The End Is Not Apocalypse
“Tanya Singh is a poet who steps into the past of the collective mind, unearths the traumas of a nation carved into bloodshed by its colonial rulers—an anti-Sikh violence continued by communalist ethno-religious sectarianism. In a prose form that moves the heart through lyrical shifts where the political folds into the personal, the speaker’s body becomes a palimpsest. These poems chronicle a voice narrative that staggers me with its poignant urgency.”
— Rajiv Mohabir, Author of Cutlish and Antiman: A Hybrid Memoir
at my doorstep
“at my doorstep speaks to all of us who have grown frustrated with the tedium, boredom, loneliness, and feelings of futility associated with living during a global pandemic. Through emotive storytelling and evocative poetry, he addresses the fine line between losing one’s self in isolation and staying connected to others. How do we escape this mad reality and yet stay grounded? Ultimately, as this poet suggests, by any means we can.”
— Terri L. French, Poet and Editor
Mirrors Lie, and Sometimes Mothers
“Assured and contemplative, wounded and forgiving, these prismatic soundings herald a voice to be welcomed. The subtle slow-burn of Dion D’ Souza’s poems remains with us long after reading. Mirrors Lie, and Sometimes Mothers is a rewarding addition to the poetry shelf.”
— Priya Sarukkai Chabria, Poet, Editor, & Translator
Mini chapbooks
still lifes
“The soothing presentation of the vertical verses in Ron Scully’s still lifes slows the reader’s pace until they become a part of his quieted world. The altered perception in these meditations encourages re-reading. The result can be magical, as with time that hydroplanes or a semicolon that can fly. The visual texture of Phil Openshaw’s photographs provides a beautiful and grounding complement to the wonder-filled poems.”
— Kat Lehmann, Co-Founder/Co-Editor of Whiptail: Journal of the Single Line Poem
Ribbons and Rainbows
“The surreal disorientation of migraine disease is captured deftly and succinctly in Mark Gilbert’s unique poetry collection, Ribbons and Rainbows. The reader shares an insider’s view from diagnosis, through auras and sensory overload, to life with the condition. As a fellow migraineur, I saw myself reflected here, most notably in ‘a fee!ing of dis!o©ation…’, which depicts – with frightening accuracy – how hard it is to shed the crushing grip of migraines. Sharon Gayen’s colorful, swirling art – overwhelming and beautiful – well captures the intensity of migraine-altered perception. A fascinating collection.”
— Julie Bloss Kelsey, Author of The Call of Wildflowers