In Pearl Broth: Poems New and Selected

“For those who may think poetry is obtuse and boring, In Pearl Broth: Poems New & Selected will shake that notion free. Rikki Santer’s poems are chock-full of vibrant language that evokes responses in both the busy mind and the quiet heart of the reader: piffling questions multiply like maggots . . . the mall tilts on its axis . . .we like handcuffing matters down . . . secret bag of caramels in a lingerie drawer . . . little swords of wheat . . . fuzzy-hearted commas . . . a marimba of alchemy . . . canapés of flummery . . . my museum of desperate clues. These poems stopped me in my tracks more than a few times. So moved by “A Swift and Fatal Plunge”, I spent an evening reading about the tragic event that inspired Santer’s stunning narrative. The notes I kept while reading In Pearl Broth will surely serve to inspire my own poem-making.”

-Susan F. Glassmeyer, Invisible Fish; 2018 Ohio Poet of the Year