Cry Back My Sea

“Sarah Arvio’s Cry Back My Sea is a performance in the language of heartbreak and longing. . . Using nothing but words, Arvio sends out ripples of sounds and connotations that build up and pare down meaning into waves of sense and sensation. . . The swelling of words crests, and the foam left on the surface sounds like a foreign language that, as it turns out, you understand fluently. . . These poems are a tour through the semantics of someone else’s mind, masterfully crafted by the poet to require just enough translation to conjure not just the satisfaction of surprise, but the intimacy of discovery that goes along with love and heartbreak.” —Vanessa Loh, Shining Rock Poetry


“These poems are an ode to the heart . . . The intimate love described is at times all desire and physical affection, until it becomes disconnection or violence, with an underlying theme of control over a woman . . . Arvio’s voice is witty and wise, candid and calculated. Although the poems can read like streams of consciousness, each is distinct, worthy, and shaped with skill and inventiveness.” —Janet St. John, Booklist

“[A] truly original work of art . . . In her use of language, Arvio is among the most luminous and engaging poets of her generation. Even when dealing with a question as terrible as abandonment—the most terrible of all—the light never abandons the song, with its counterpoints and variations.” —Alejandro Oliveros, Prodavinci