In A Strange Land

Introducing Ten Kingdom Poets

Winner of 2018 Catholic Press Association Book Award, 2nd Place in Poetry

You don’t have to be a skilled poet to see yourself living In a Strange Land. The poets found in this collection, however, not only recognize it, but express their varying experiences in ways that bring us along with them. We see their experiences—whether similar to our own or completely different—and find their poems ringing true in beautiful, painful, amusing, and fascinating ways. None of these ten poets has previously had a full-length poetry collection of their own—yet—but they are certainly all worthy of that honor. Keep an eye out for these poets in literary journals, chapbooks, and new books over the next while.

Praise & Reviews

“Today’s poets of faith find themselves dwelling ‘in a strange land’ indeed, bridging the gaps between faith and doubt, church and art, and other false dichotomies that attempt to keep these bold voices at bay. Poiema’s newest anthology is a testament to the incarnational work of the word–and words–speaking through our freshest poetic talents. Some uplifting, some heartbreaking, some challenging, and some darkly hilarious, these poems bespeak a surge of Christian poetry on the brink of a twenty-first-century explosion.”
—Tania Runyan, author of What Will Soon Take Place 

“In this anthology . . . the poets venture to find God in the worlds they inhabit, whether textual or natural, biblical or experiential. The work is radiant and expressive.”
—Sally Ito, author of Alert to Glory

“Distinguished editor and poet Don Martin has done a noble deed in showcasing selected poems of ten talented and diverse poets. . . . [E]ach of these poets carries the ‘weather within, ‘ be that calm or treacherous, a sign of their faith and future successes as poets. In ‘drawing attention’ to these poets, Martin has done them and readers a great service and contributed to their future in consecrating and celebrating their poems in the service of the Spirit.”
—Philip C. Kolin, Professor Emeritus of English, University of Southern Mississippi and author of Reaching Forever: Poems 

“This satisfying miscellany of ten emerging poets of faith is, in their own words, both ‘musky with moondark’ and a ‘deep taproot of fluent light.’ You will find illuminating voices here that are well worth your time and pleasure. And, in just a few years, you will be able to say that you read them here first!”
—Paul J. Willis, former Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara, California, and author of Deer at Twilight: Poems from the North Cascades