"
Connoisseurs of Worms
is a bestiary, a theogony, a field guide, a museum guide, a pantheon, a history of learning . . . Reading these poems will alter your thinking about a good many of the things that share heaven and earth with us.”—Mark Jarman, author of
The Heronry
and
Dailiness
"Warren goes anywhere, inhabits anything: it is fun to see a poet so willing to embrace metamorphosis . . . A great book."―
The Millions
Deborah Warren's witty and energetic poems are full of play and imagination. The title poem of
describes the mole, a ‘geonaut supreme’ with his oddly enviable tunnel vision. Other animals prompt views about humans, and not always happy ones. Alongside Charlemagne’s elephant and an intracoronary mosquito, topics include a queen with an alleged tail, laughter-divination, Neanderthal hygiene, and an exploding baby. These poems delight in new perspectives and an astounding verbal music.