Sentinel Species

Wide ranging thoughtful intelligent at times elegiac surreal and humorous Chase Dimocks Sentinel Species is a collection of poems that as its title suggests watches over the varied life forms on our planet from animals and plants to humans. At the heart of Dimocks project is compassion towards all beings especially those on the fringes of society and culture. In excavating the stories of the under-represented or the forgotten Dimock gives them voice and thus dignity. This is a beautiful at times painful but always inclusive generous and tender book.- Bunkong Tuon poet and associate professor of English Union College Chase Dimocks Sentinel Species is bursting with life. The animals insects and plants that populate these poems--alive or dead thriving or in decline--provide startling gateways into explorations of human existence. Dimocks poems examine memory culture and the fundamental yearning that comes with being alive through a joyously dizzy array of extended metaphors and associations. These are poems that speak to the fundamental dignity of the living and celebrate the emotional and intellectual flora and fauna of the everyday. -James Brubaker author of The Taxidermists Catalog and Black Magic Death Sphere: (science) fictions.Honest clear sighted and masterfully written this is a beautiful and important book which gives voice to the creatures that we love and may lose. Chases remarkable knowledge of endangered species is coupled with a charm wit and inventiveness which makes this a delightful read and one which engenders empathy by showing what we share withthe animal world not least in the shape of Koko the Gorilla who asks god why she was given knuckles that drag the ground and a mind that questions the sky. -Anna Saunders CEO Cheltenham Poetry Festval and author of six collections including Ghosting for Beginners ( Indigo Dreams ).