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On How Odd This Ritual of Harmony: "There is a quality of controlled energy allied with
a precise ear for rhythmic cadence in Patti Tana's poetry that I find
quite impressive. Add to that a social conscience and a penetrating mind
that deals aptly with contemporary experience, and you have a first class
poet." "The volume reads as much as a story would with episodes
thus far along the road. The book speaks of a woman who has found a balance
between the feminist/teacher/poet side of her life and the traditional
roles of wife/ mother/daughter. How Odd This Ritual of Harmony brings
together seventy-four poems about growing into a person in a space of
one's own." On Wetlands: "How directly and satisfyingly these poems connect
with life! They form a series of pictures that converge in an over-arching
myth. I'll pack this book along with me and cherish it." "In Wetlands, sensitive stories and poems form a
collection that's beautifully united: seamless in style, with themes drawn
from a world in which oceans and streams and amniotic fluid are all one.
An ample display of fresh and exciting talent." "Patti Tana has the power to take us to the edge
of our terrors – and then return us safely, with quiet dignity,
to a strength and vision we did not know we had." On When the Light Falls Short of the Dream: "Sensuous, emotional, and spiritually uplifting,
Patti Tana's poems speak to the poignant realities of life, loss, and
relationship." "Tender poems." – Peter Schlosser On Make Your Way Across This Bridge: New & Selected Writings: "Listen to this mature poet make something of the
nothing always threatening to silence us. The sense of loveliness is always
in conflict with a darker knowledge. Strong poems to my hear. The clear
and moving poems here combine for a fine, welcome, wide-ranging, memorable,
healing book." "Tana writes with a Proustian sense of shared experience.
'Silver Dollars' contains a line I plan to repeat like a mantra: 'The
soul needs sweets.' These poems are rich, delicious, and they make you
glad you are alive." "Patti Tana captures the sweetness and the harshness
of this life we love. She keeps the heart of things visible." "From the first, Tana's voice reveals an individual
enthralled with the visceral and tactile elements of personhood, weaving
a spell into the moment to produce images and situations that are richly
passionate and illuminated with a balance of grace and intensity."
"The reason for the growing popularity of Tana's
works is how the poet speaks to the reader. Her voice soft and sweet,
at times a little playful. Other times strong and loud, probing, questioning,
opening the mind. In the next poem, sensual, revealing – without
embarrassment. She speaks directly to things that pass through our lives
every day – but she removes the clutter. What remains is dignity."
On This Is Why You Flew Ten Thousand Miles: "How well your words facilitate the great projects
of living and dying!" "Love the title of your new book, and the title
poem has a haiku On "Skin Knows Skin" (nominated for the Pushcart Prize): "A testament to physical love expressed as an ever-widening
force of nature." On Songs of Seasoned Women: "'Songs of Seasoned Women'
is the ultimate in visualizing women's experiences and concerns through
the metaphoric lens. This is an extraordinary collection." "In a society that tends to ignore the wisdom and
vibrancy of its elders, instead choosing to fawn over and worship the
young, the anthology 'Songs of Seasoned Women'
is a welcome addition both to the literary world and to the culture as
a whole."
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