Sunbathing on the Bottom of the Atlantic

In this debut collection of stirring poems, Anthony Taylor Dunn adeptly blends dark humor with sober realism. Dunn is an emerging American poet with an idiosyncratic voice; indeed, a former Boston banker who can write a poem concerning "that war between the Numbers and the Words." These poignant meditations skillfully interweave the universal bookends of human life from the coming of age through death. Every poem is emotionally charged and ends in surprise that propels us into thought; at the same time, Dunn's nostalgic references remind us of the impermanence of all things, and his theological allusion awakens our humanity. Written in lucid verse dedicated to the reader who is "working out which foot should succeed the other," Dunn's imaginative intelligence effortlessly transcends the banality of daily existence and extends into the greater mystery.