“Once again, Erica Dawson has expanded the possibilities of what we think poetry can do…with a lyric intensity that I dare say can only be achieved by a poet fully aware of her place in time and its potential.” – Jericho Brown, author of The New Testament

“In language both elevated and slangy, saucy and tender, Dawson lovingly weaves the reader around her finger.” – Jennifer Egan, author of Pulitzer Prize-winning A Visit from the Good Squad

“It’s a labyrinth of race, religion, rap, and wonder. As a labyrinth, as a thoroughly modern epic of trauma and resilience, there is an ecstatic end and yet there’s no way out. It’s words and worlds are all encompassing, and have continued to stay with me like a revelation.” – Tommy Pico for O, The Oprah Magazine

“Erica Dawson is a poet of verve and nuance, of high learning and pop culture, of a classical music she seems to have invented herself.” – Mary Jo Salter, author of Nothing by Design

“Her dazzling wit informs poem after poem, making each seem like a stiff drink with a dash of bitters.” – X.J. Kennedy, author of In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus: New and Selected Poems, 1955-2007

“There is no one writing like Erica Dawson.” –The Hopkins Review

“Erica Dawson’s is a name to remember, and these are poems you won’t forget.” – Claire Messud, author of The Woman Upstairs

Photo by Kevin Kelii