What a gift to have such a collection of commitment! Mervyn Taylor is a citizen poet. A poet of the particular and the global. Joyous and Furious. And in this new and selected, one can witness--and relish--how he has always chronicled these facts and emotions. From "Fanfare": "Let’s look in the water at our reflection, / and still as herons see ourselves / turn silver as the sky behind us." Yes, let's!
Kimiko Hahn author of Foreign Bodies
How wonderful to have this treasure trove of Mervyn Taylor's New and Selected Poems all in one place, between the covers of this book. Capturing the beauty and nuances of ordinary and extraordinary lives, this captivating collection offers readers a profound and rich tapestry of Caribbean life and Taylor's own journey as a poet for our age and the future. Addressing love, death, migration, aging, and grief, among other timeless themes, this book provides an in-depth journey through the vivid imagery and detailed and lyrical language that has always been among Taylor's unique and treasured gifts and the highlight of his work. Mervyn Taylor's New and Selected Poems is a publication worth relishing, celebrating, and revisiting over and over again.
Edwidge Danticat, author of Create Dangerously, The Immigrant Artist at Work