PAPER STORMS PAPER Whispers

Very contemporary Graham Rowlands Poet and EditorThe poetry of Sara Abend-Sims in PAPER STORMS PAPER Whispers is both a sonic and affective delight. Her words capture snatches of memory vignettes which focus on people and places from long ago the personal and political intertwined; here the reader will discover many moments of insight and vision centred on contentment and clarity as in Cradled At The Exhibition and Goldn All; and moments of great sadness and loss as in The Auschwitz poems Memorial in Budapest and Not On Our Shore. Through the poets reflections we are encouraged to share her observations and insights as she encounters the homeless the migrant a city or a building or as she recalls a childhood delight or longing through a half-forgotten scent or image. Her carefully-crafted flow of images and sounds both through her poetry and prose poems (Haibun) remain long after the reading is done. As the poet herself notes while her observations focus on ocean waves her pebble makes tiny ripples (Moments)--echoes that continue to resonate for the reader challenging and evoking their own personal memories. Gerraldine Bloustien adjunct Associate Professor School of Creative Industries Division of Education Arts and Social Sciences Magill campus.An exquisite exemplification of how a non-native English speakers writing succeeds in evoking alternate perspicacious poeticities. Professor Ghilad Zuckermann Chair of Linguistics The University of Adelaide