This fourth poetry collection by poet and translator Michael Favala Goldman was published on May 27, 2022. You can find out more about the book here.
Below are some selected reviews:
Michael Goldman’s wit is sharp and it’s soft as he nudges the reader to self-reflect. He is vulnerable, and keenly observant of himself, his surroundings and what matters in life. It’s always a pleasure to open and enter one of his books. He invites us in warmly with the title, “If you were here you would feel at home,” an assurance that we will find ourselves within the poems.
– Leigh M.
Michael Goldman’s poems in this collection range in tone from the dryly amused to the sinister lyricism of The Finch. They explore relationship in all its contentious mystery, as well as sensations not often explored in poetry: the creepiness of a damp vacation house, the pleasure of returning to familiar things after travel, the exuberance of swallows feeding at dusk. These are poems of close observation, of an intimate dailiness that, turning, can suddenly reveal dizzy expanses, the deepest emotion.
– Martha J. McCollough, author of Wolf Hat Iron Shoes
“Michael’s poetry reaches deep. It comforts and astonishes. His words call one to wonder, to cry, to giggle, to startle, to stretch. Michael is a fine musician as well as a well-traveled man. His poems read like lyrical jazz jams that encompass universal truths. As the title proclaims, when you open the book, you feel at home.”
– Nancy Janoson
Michael Favala Goldman’s latest, joyful poetry collection is filled with quiet revelations that are a delight to read. I gobbled up the whole book in one sitting, despite the effort I made to slow myself down to enjoy the layers of meaning – and then immediately started to re-read it. The book is rich with cozy sentiments, gentle humor, and powerfully profound thoughts that illuminate the best in human natu
re. Using deceptively simple words, Goldman’s succinct poetry (no poem is longer than one page) examines the natural world and every-day activities like showering, hiking, or making dinner. In such ordinary moments, Goldman finds the meaning of life and shines a golden light on it.
– Lanette Sweeney, author of What I Should Have Said
“This new poetry book is a travel log of poems. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the tours where a speaker would show pictures and then talk about their travels. Of course, these days you can adventure most anywhere via the internet. It takes care and skill to help a reader take off somewhere in a poem… [more]”
– LB Sedlacek