Ampersand: Poems

by D. S. Martin

Publisher:

Cascade Books

, 2018

Overview

D.S. Martin’s new poetry collection Ampersand brings together portraits & observations where the poet reflects upon artists, saints, reformers, poets, his own elderly parents, & various biblical characters--including twelve poems written for each of the twelve disciples. Ampersand--as the title suggests--brings together many disparate things, giving room for diverse reflections on human experience & the world in which we live.

Praise for Ampersand

“Taking his cue from the ampersand, D.S. Martin demonstrates that there is always more to discover and marvel at. Equipped with an artistic sensibility and honed poetic skills, he reaches beyond, or dips deep into, known details and finds ‘new & unexpected possibilities’ in subjects as diverse as Jesus’ disciples, a Chagall painting, Tintern Abbey and a roadside signpost. These fresh perspectives, undergirded with precise descriptions and carried by an assured voice, will engage the reader and reward every reading.”

—Sarah Klassen, author of Monstrance and The Wittenbergs



“As its title, Ampersand, suggests, this book proceeds by addition. It bountifully celebrates language, the gift God honored when he asked Adam to name the animals. On every page, Ampersand praises the very instrument of telling. I love its wonderfully inventive babble, fizz, flash and dazzle of sound as it retells biblical narratives, as it muses on places and things of this world.”

—Jeanne Murray Walker, author of Helping the Morning



“Don Martin’s new book connects many worlds—Christianity, art (both painting and literature), family, geography. These deeply felt poems trace the very human ‘continual patterns’ of ‘conflict & resolution.’ What underlies Ampersand is Martin’s deeply held belief in waiting and persevering. We must wait and persevere, Martin wisely knows, because we are dim-sighted and ‘slow to wonder.’ . . . In short, Don Martin’s poems illustrate the ‘benefit of . . . persistent belief,’ which helps us find at times the unlikely connection between the suffering soul & the astounded soul.”

—Robert Cording, author of A Word in My Mouth, and Only So Far

Product Details

• Title : Ampersand: Poems
• Author: Martin, D. S.
• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Publication Date: 2018
• ISBN: 9781532647710

About D. S. Martin

D.S. Martin is known internationally for his blog Kingdom Poets. His previous poetry collections include Poiema, which was honored as a winner at the Word Awards, and a chapbook, So The Moon Would Not Be Swallowed. His poems have appeared in such publications as Anglican Theological Review, Christian Century, Convivium, Ruminate, Sehnsucht, and Sojourners. He lives in the Toronto area, where he edits the other collections in the Poiema Poetry Series.