Advance praise for Sonic White Poise

Patrick Cotter is a force of nature. There is simply no other way to describe the comedy, the wisdom, the eloquence and light touch of his work. One thing for sure: this poet is not boring. This poet won't leave you guessing at what exactly he meant to say. This poet is willing to be vulnerable, he is willing to speak of this precise moment in time, yet it is his passion that survives this moment, it is his syntax that woos us in. Yes, you will get here that uncompromising, direct, playful tone--but it will also be the tone that will speak of our ruined economies, our regrets, our lost lives, and also our delight, our surprise. Here you will get portraits of real humans, of a man who abandoned his lover to go wonder in the cemetery, of a man who slept in the cowshed leant on the cattle for warmth. And, don't neglect to meet the returned conscript who danced with his mother. Ah forget about humans! Look at the dogs in this book! You will be astonished by the dog that knows Morse code. You will be surprised by a dog that who barks out the word "smellualize." You will also discover another dog "who read books" and finds there's "nowhere / in his brain for the words to go. / As they streamed in through his eyes, line / by line they re-emerged through each // fibre in his fur with a yelp." Soon you realize, of course, that all these dogs are one dog, one soul, one voice, one self-portrait of a poet Patrick Cotter. Are you convinced yet? There is life in these pages--life that is both real and miraculous, life that teaches us the wisdom. Wisdom of what, you might ask. That "before the revolution it is time to play guitar in a park." Indeed. I love this book.

--Ilya Kaminsky, author of Deaf Republic and Dancing In Odessa


Press

Article in Irish Times on the titling of Sonic White Poise.

Review by Mat Riches in the High Window of Sonic White Poise

A notice by Martina Evans in the Irish Times of Sonic White Poise

Review by Melissa Todd in Confluence of Sonic White Poise

Review by Tim Murphy in the Dublin Review of Books

Behind the Poem - a sort of artist's statement on the Poetry Society's Website

Podcasts

Close Talking: A Poetry Podcast features the poem 'Time Traveller'

The Poetry Programme RTE features an interview concerning the book.

Words Lightly Spoken a reading of the poem 'The Discoveries of Thomas Fynch'  

Poems from the Book Online

At The Butcher's in The London Review of Books

Time Traveller in Poetry

Time Traveller adapted as a choral work by Jake Cozza

Oisin in Poetry Ireland Review

The Discoveries of Thomas Fynch in The Awl

O'Sullivan in Poetry Review

Dog Morse (once called 'Homeland Security') in the Cortland Review