AWARDS

Still, the Sky receives a 2023 Indie Reader Discovery Award in fiction.

Still, the Sky receives 2022-2023 Reader Views Literary Awards in three categories including the SPONSORED AWARD BY INSIDE SCOOP LIVE! for the Most Innovative Book of Poetry. Listen to Interview with Tom Pearson on the Inside Scoop Live! Podcast, and read more about the awards at Reader Views.

Still, the Sky is a Readers’ Favorite Book Award Winner (Fiction-Mythology) and Five Star Review. Readers’ Favorite. Details at Readers’ Favorite.

MEDIA

“Story Stealers” reading on YouTube, from the Book Launch at The Red Room, NYC on June 9, 2022

“The Night Fishermen” reading on YouTube, from the Book Launch at The Red Room, NYC on June 9, 2022

REVIEWS/FEATURES

“a harmonious interplay of music, spoken word, and theater” – LA Weekly (on Still, the Sky audio book)

“Mesmeric and enveloping… fluid poetry and stunning visual multimedia” — Kirkus Reviews

“Still, the Sky is a labyrinthine poetic epic that fleshes out a resilient and multifaceted mythological brotherhood.” — Dontaná McPherson-Joseph, Foreword Clarion Reviews

“This striking collection of dramatic verse interrogates, complicates, and humanizes… A work of originality and power, Still, the Sky… has the expressive clarity of dramatic monologues. Sharply vivid verse, powered by yearning and precision of language” — BookLife by Publishers Weekly (Editor’s Pick)

“A feast for the eye, the heart, the spirit… reminiscent of the best of Robert Graves and Ezra Pound… Clearly a poet — a poet of words, and a visual poet — is at work here. — Pacific Book Review

“The narrators, Andrew Broaddus, Justin Lynch, and Mary Madsen, deliver a solid performance blending their performances smoothly and flawlessly. At times their joint voices provide a surreal experience that heightens the words being spoken creating a vivid picture. The use of music also increases the experience….This is a well-done performance and audiobook that invokes vivid imagery and emotions.” – Charla White, AudioBookReviewer

“A wellspring of carefully-wrought imagery… Pearson’s poetry accomplishes a unique etherealness, precariously tethered to the present with a gossamer string, leaving the reader to feel the distance of millennia.” — Joshua Ryan Bligh, Independent Book Review

“The Greek mythology references provide a special draw to scholarly readers; but the travel through history fueled by Tom Pearson's employment of various poetic devices creates its own unique blend of observation and philosophy. Now, the Greek myths retold here do not necessarily require a background in Greek literature—but those who do hold such interests and background will find the poetry especially evocative, filled with references that offer thought-provoking connections between past and present.” – D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“Pearson’s meticulous choice of words and his innate sense of narrative rhythm—coupled with his sublime use of multimedia art… make for an unarguably unique experience.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A stunning collection of thought-provoking [poetry] and arresting artwork… cleverly combining a coming-of-age motif with tales from Greek Mythology, Tom Pearson’s STILL, THE SKY is as much a deliberate statement as it is a placeholder for further examination” — James Weiskittel for IndieReader

“This exuberant creation delights the eyes and inner ear and lends itself to repeat readings and in-depth thinking…. Poems about Icarus flying too close to the sun explore the responsibility of the father and suggest that a father's neglect is a far more tragic reason for a son's fall than the dangers of the son's ambition.” — R.J. Johnson, The US Review of Books

“Still, the Sky is an impeccably researched and elegantly designed collection combining poetry exploring and reimagining the dual Bildungsromane of Icarus and Asterion with intriguing installation artwork that enhances the text... a well-paced journey that oscillates between action and dreamy lyric contemplation.” – Blue Ink Reviews (Starred Review)

“Still, the Sky is a poetry collection that blends mythology and art in a metaphysical consideration designed to appeal to poets and literature students alike..… a work of literature that ideally should be assigned reading for any class strong in Greek mythology and contemporary poetic reflections of history and lore.” – D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

MUST READ: “Pearson reminds us of the sheer romantic power of mythology but also sculpts and shapes it… There was something forbidden and foreboding lurking in each stanza - encapsulating the bittersweet of coming-of-age and relationship between two young men, lost in what connects them and severs them in the end… a must-have collection masterfully marrying the past with the present.” — Kristiana Reed, Reedsy Discovery

PODCASTS

Listen to Interview with Tom Pearson on the Inside Scoop Live! Podcast.

INTERVIEWS & GUEST POSTS

From Q&A with Tom Pearson for BookLife by Publisher’s Weekly: Do you think your theater work has influenced your writing? Definitely. My work in theater and my writing have always been intertwined, but only in the past few years have I put the writing forward on its own. My first book, The Sandpiper’s Spell, follows a sort of ritual/ceremonial structure much like my immersive performances. Still, the Sky continues this, but with a theatricality also enhanced by the design elements of the artwork in the book. Contemporary poetry is frequently considered autobiographical, but I often employ character-driven narratives while considering the reader experience and structural as well. That’s the choreographer/ director in me meeting the poet. Read the full interview.

From Interview with Tom Pearson for Pacific Book Review: What do you hope your readers take away from this book? I am always hesitant to say because I hope that the work will offer reflection for them, that readers will take away something very personal that the words and images conjure. Mythology and poetry are both interesting because they can be super specific but also open channels into larger associations. I’ve created a lot of provocations about coming of age and relationships, especially between men, that get rather complex, and so I hope there is enough detail in these that they might create sensory or memory pathways that register on some deep level with readers whether identifying through first romantic or sexual relationships, or relationships with mentors or father-figures, or connecting with the sacred feminine forces that are also very present in these stories. Read the full interview.

From Interview with Tom Pearson for Review Tales: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? A caster of spells. A sorcerer. Or an architect. I really wanted to build a pyramid. Read the full interview.

From Interview with Tom Pearson for Indie Reader Discovery Awards: Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?) I am motivated by the ideas themselves and how they develop, what they say that they want from me. Sometimes, that means the idea becomes a book of poetry, sometimes a piece of visual art, and sometimes a performance-based work. I am motivated to be authentic and to be medial, to move things from one space to another—to really listen and invite inspiration and then work it into something that is shareable that could help someone else. Read the full interview.

From Paw Prints, Guest Essay at Author Anthony Avina’s Blog: “I have begun to meditate on what these little threads mean over time, how a body of work forms from the scraps of previous work, how material moves forward and themes reiterate, or ideas sift and fold back together again to create specificity. It becomes a pattern for world building, one iteration at a time. It makes the work larger through the micro-expressions along the way—allowing for volunteer images that might invisibly imprint upon the eventual narrative.” Read the Full Essay.

SELECTED READER REVIEWS

“These poems continually whisper with the vividness of harried existentialism… in beckoning calamity and breathless quietude, astir with temptation and desire… Tom Pearson invites us into a space where he is vulnerable and intimate.” — Khushi Gadhiya

“A mirage of experiences, emotions, memoirs and so much more… a complex collection of poetry, one that requires multiple readings to fully digest and appreciate” — Emily-Jane Hills Orford

“A thought-provoking and artfully written collection of poems” — Miche Arendse

“The poetry collection creates a shared view of coming-of-age… in vivid verse, driven by yearning… a maze of fragmented memories, confessions, and tributes” — Manik Chaturmutha

“Compelling figurative representations, an explosion of social, artistic, emotional, and intellectual expressions that carve their meaning in a fusion of written and visual art…. a poet with a strong, intelligent, and lyrical voice.” — Vincent Dublado

“Still, the Sky presents a multiplicity of modern retellings of Greek stories that are frequently dazzling in their uniqueness… Tom Pearson’s use of language is surprising, direct, and reaches an astonishing depth.” – The Bookish Elf

“Still, the Sky is a book I recommend to art and poetry lovers alike with the certainty that any who have yet to venture into the realms of mythology will be enraptured.” — Sarah Stuart

“… a perfect balance between raw, grated, difficult, emotional pain and beautiful words… an invigorating, razor-sharp poetry collection… fierce, provocative, and sensual” — Readers’ Corner

“Heartfelt, emotional, and thoughtful… a marvelous and moving work of art that fans of poetry and mythology will not be able to put down.” — Anthony Avina

More Reader Reviews at:

Goodreads

Amazon

STREAMING

THE NIGHT GARDEN Streaming on Vimeo (Rent $2.99 / Buy $9.99 Buy)

THE NIGHT GARDEN IMDb

AWARDS

Best Experimental Short Film ROMA SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Rome, Italy)

Best Experimental Short Film TOKYO INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Tokyo, Japan)

Platinum Award Experimental Smart Phone Short Film FOCUS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.)

Best Experimental Short Film CROWN WOOD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Kolkata, India)

Best Experimental Film SHENZHEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Shenzhen, China)

Most Innovative Short Film OBIETTIVO CORTO INTERNATIONAL SMARTPHONE FILM FESTIVAL (Molise, Italy)

Best Mobile Film Short TORONTO INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL (Toronto, Canada)

Best Experimental Short LONDON INDIE SHORT FESTIVAL (London, UK)

Best Mobile Film MOSCOW RUSSIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Moscow, Russia)

Best Poetic Film SHORT INVICTUS FILM FESTIVAL (Porto, Portugal)

Best Smartphone Film THE BARCELONA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Barcelona, Spain)

Best Sound Short FREEWHEELING FILM AWARDS (London, UK)

Silver Award, Best Experimental Short Film FLORENCE FILM AWARDS (Florence, Italy)

Special Mention ATHENS INTERNATIONAL MONTHLY ART FILM FESTIVAL (Athens, Greece)

Honorable Mention NEW YORK MOVIE AWARDS (New York, NY)

Honorable Mention, Best Smartphone Film MYKONOS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Mykonos, Greece)

Honorable Mention, SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT (Seattle, WA)

Outstanding Achievement Award (Mobile Short): INDIE SHORT FEST / LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Los Angeles, CA)

Honorable Mention, NEXGEN INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Pune, Maharashtra, India)

Honorable Mention, SHORT INVICTUS SHORT FILMS EVENTS (Porto, Portugal)

FINALIST

Finalist Best Actress (Renata Zhigulina, Marissa Nielsen-Pincus, Marta Luné, Anastasia Nesterova, Daria Karpova) EUROPA FILM FESTIVAL (Barcelona, Spain & Resistencia, Argentina)

Finalist EXPERIMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL BARCELONA (Barcelona, Spain)

Finalist SEOUL INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Seoul, South Korea)

Finalist BIZARRYA SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Porto, Portugal)

Semi Finalist BERLIN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Berlin, Germany)

Semi Finalist KANSAS ARTHOUSE CINEMA (Kansas City, MO)

Semi Finalist BLOW-UP INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE FILMFEST (Chicago, IL)

Semi Finalist SAN FRANCISCO ARTHOUSE SHORT FESTIVAL (San Francisco, CA)

Semi Finalist NEAR NAZARETH FESTIVAL (Afula, Israel)

Semi Finalist DUBLIN WORLD FILM FESTIVAL (Dublin, Ireland)

Semi Finalist DUMBO FILM FESTIVAL (Brooklyn, New York)

Semi Finalist NYACK FILM FESTIVAL (Nyack, NY)

Semi Finalist ONLINE ISOLATION SHORT VIDEOS FESTIVAL (Moscow, RU)

Semi Finalist ARFF AMSTERDAM AROUND INTERNATIONAL FILM AWARDS (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Semi Finalist SERBEST INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Kishinev, Moldova)

Quarter Finalist MELECH TEL-AVIV INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Tel-Aviv, Israel)

Nominee LA INDIES FEST (Los Angeles, CA)

Nominee HONG KONG WORLD FILM FESTIVAL (Hong Kong)

OFFICIAL SELECTION

LONDON MOVIE AWARDS (London, U.K.)

CHICAGO INDIE FILM AWARDS (Chicago, IL)

LA SUN FILM FESTIVAL (Los Angeles, CA)

VEGAS SHORTS (Las Vegas, NV)

BERLIN INTERNATIONAL ART FILM FESTIVAL (Berlin, Germany)

MONTREAL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL (Montreal, Canada)

FILMS ON PHONE (APP)

MOSCOW SHORTS (Moscow, Russia)

VENICE SHORTS OF CALIFORNIA (Venice Beach, California, U.S.)

GOLDEN BRIDGE ISTANBUL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Istanbul, Turkey)

THE MOODY CRAB FILM FESTIVAL (Moga, Punjab, India)

NEW YORK LIFT-OFF FILM FESTIVAL 2022 (New York, NY)

ALL THAT MOVES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (São Paulo, Brazil)

ANATOLIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Istanbul, Turkey)

AFRICAN SMARTPHONE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Lagos, Nigeria)

PHARE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Albion, Mauritius)

SCREENINGS

Screening with the FILMS ON PHONE FESTIVAL app.

December 16-21, 2022: Screening at the AFRICAN SMARTPHONE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Lagos, Nigeria) | Official Selection

July 1–August 4: Screening via Vimeo On-Demand with the NEW YORK LIFT-OFF FILM FESTIVAL 2022.

April 14, 2022 at 1:00PM (13:00) EDT: THE PAUS PREMIERES FESTIVAL 2022 (Online, free with registration) — Register to View | Official Selection

May 8-18, 2022: Screening online at ROMA SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Rome, Italy–Screening online, all films for one $5 pass) | Winner Best Experimental Short Film

Month of May: Screening at FLICKFAIR (Online, $4.99 for monthly festival viewing) On-Demand Film Festival Platform | Official Selection

May: TOKYO INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL | Winner Best Experimental Short Film

July 10–14: Screening online with the SEOUL INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL.

August 18, 2022 at 8:36PM ET: NYACK FILM FESTIVAL, Hotel Nyack, Nyack, NY.

September 16: SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT, Hyatt Regency Lake Washington At Seattle's Southport and online screenings. Seattle, WA.

DOWNLOAD THE INITIAL PRESS RELEASE FOR IKAROS AT WOW

DOWNLOAD THE FULL FESTIVAL PRESS RELEASE FOR WOW

La Jolla Playhouse's 2019 Without Walls (WOW) Festival Trailer

PRESS

The San Diego Union-Tribune | Review | October 19, 2019
”Walk-through experiences the highlight this years Without Walls Festival” by Pam Kragen
"Genius and visceral… One of New York’s most acclaimed site-specific theater troupes makes its San Diego debut at this year’s Without Walls Festival with the dance theater piece “Ikaros,” a meditation on humankind’s eternal desire to take wing.”

Olin College of Engineering | Feature | | October 22, 2019
Olin’s Second Creative in Reference Takes Flight with Help From Olin Students Special to Olin
“I’m finding it really incredible and inspiring to have so many different perspectives on what it means to create and design,’ he says, ‘it’s helped me to envision new ways in which art, design, and engineering all fit together.”

KPBS | Interview with Tom Pearson | October 16, 2019
KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando highlights Third Rail Projects' "Ikaros," a site specific work that is part of La Jolla Playhouse's Without Walls (WOW) Festival 2019. Thanks to Sean Hagerty for use of the music.

BROADWAYWORLD (San Diego) | Review | October 19, 2019
“BWW Review: WITHOUT WALLS FESTIVAL at La Jolla Playhouse - PDA, TALL TALE OF THE HIGH SEAS, INCLUSION, & IKAROS” by E.H. Reiter
" … inspires conversation and contemplation… I couldn't stop thinking about it after I saw it.”

SAN DIEGO STORY | Review | October 21, 2019
“The Point Loma Pause as Art: Ikaros at the WOW Festival” by Janice Sternberg
“… Exquisite visual imagery, every-gesture-counts dance, and an evocative recorded sound score… performed with impeccable clarity… Even pedestrian moves convey a sophisticated choreographic intelligence.”

NO PROSCENIUM | Review | October 23, 2019
“We Don’t Need Walls Where We’re Going: 2019 Without Walls Festival Diary: San Diego’s Liberty Station became ground zero for groundbreaking work” by Noah Nelson
“There’s a depth of precision to Third Rail’s choreography that few others dare match, and that’s on display here in abundance.”

DOWNLOAD THE PRESS RELEASE FOR CONFECTION

PRESS

The Washington Post | Review | March 11, 2019
At this show, you get to eat cake. But you might feel a little guilty about it. By Maura Judkis
"[Confection] is the type of silver covered dish you’d find at a formal banquet. Sometimes, when performers lift the top off, there’s something wonderful underneath. And sometimes, there’s something that will rattle you"

The Making of Confection | Youtube Documentary & Discussion | 2019
Exploring Third Rail Projects' Confection at the Folger Shakespeare Library

The DCist | Feature | March 6, 2019
Wander Forbidden Rooms, Sneak Some Dessert, And Learn Some History At Folger’s Immersive Show ‘Confection’ By Allie Goldstein
“The thrill of Confection is being so close to the images, getting to feel the fabric of the costumes brush against your skin or sitting at a banquet table as the performers prance by at eye level."

MD Theatre Guide | Review | March 11, 2019
Theatre Review: ‘Confection’ at Folger Theatre By Peter Orvetti
"Confection’ is worth seeing while you can. Like a good meal, you will never experience anything exactly like it again."

The Washington Post | Feature | March 7, 2019
‘Confection’ is about the (mostly) sweet side of life
Lila Miller, owner of D.C.-based Lupin Baking Company, talks to The Washington Post about the inspiration for the desserts served in Confection.

AWARDS

The Sandpiper’s Spell is chosen by Kirkus Reviews as one of the BEST INDIE BOOKS OF 2019. “Tom Pearson's "The Sandpiper's Spell" employs vibrant, carefully-crafted language to paint engaging, imagistic scenes exploring some of life's essential questions. The collection has a deft control of image and metaphor, with beautiful imagery and turns of phrase throughout. The titular "Sandpiper's Spell" depicts a "shell of upturned ocean" beside a "salted city," the evocative language drawing the reader in to a poem, and a larger collection, rich with mystery, lyricism, and beauty.” — Judge, 29th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Award

MEDIA

The Sandpiper’s Spell reading on YouTube, from the Book Launch at The Red Room, NYC on April 11, 2018

REVIEWS

Kirkus Reviews | Starred Review | January 4, 2019
Kirkus Reviews BEST INDIE BOOKS OF 2019
★ "Pearson's masterfully observant debut poetry collection scours littoral and urban landscapes... Both vastly panoramic and deeply introspective, Pearson’s writing explores both the wonders of nature and the shifting landscape of the human mind. A startlingly intuitive new poet—one to watch.”

BookLife by Publisher’s Weekly | Review | 2018
The Sandpiper’s Spell Review
"Above all, Pearson demonstrates a mastery of imagery."

Foreword Clarion Reviews | Review |
The Sandpiper’s Spell Review by Jeana Jorgensen
“Tom Pearson’s The Sandpiper’s Spell contains poems that meditate on nature, life, death, and memory, using language in startling and dazzling ways… Intertextuality and keen attention to word choices mark these poems as texts to linger over and return to. They implicate humanity in the encroachment of cities upon coastlines, too, with subtle ecological messages that sit alongside ruminations on tourism and culture, on memory and identity.”

Online Book Club | Review | July 31, 2018
Official Review: The Sandpiper's Spell by Tom Pearson by J.R. Mercier
"Stunningly reflective... The Sandpiper's Spell is a relatively short poetry read but Tom Pearson fills each page with an abundance of evocative language." — Online Book Club (Review)

PODCASTS

No Proscenium | Podcast Interview | February 9, 2019
Podcast Interview with Tom Pearson and Kathryn Yu

Movers & Shapers | Podcast Interview | March 13, 2018
Podcast Interview with Tom Pearson and Erin Carlisle Norton

INTERVIEWS & GUEST POSTS

Blasting News | Interview | April 16, 2018
‘The Sandpiper’s Spell’: Interview with poet and theater visionary Tom Pearson, with Meaghan Meehan

Excerpt:

MM: How long did it take to write all of these poems and how did you decide on fundamentals such as spacing, punctuation, and all those little elements that can so influence how a poem is read and absorbed?

TP: I took about six months to assemble the book, but some of the poems are much older, and I’ve been honing them for many years. I usually free write the images and then spend months going back and distilling the images down to the most minimal but potent language. There’s even a section two-thirds into the book where it gets incredibly condensed as the story starts to arrive in haiku-esque, minimal flashes of juxtaposed imagery. I work through a kind of distillation and alchemical process. I also consider the writing visually –– often forgoing punctuation or other grammar in order to paint them on the page in a way that encourages intended pacing and rhythm –– but also with open space for the reader to connect stanzas in their own unique ways and perspectives.

SELECTED READER REVIEWS

"The Sandpiper's Spell' feels like an homage to the fragility of life. Death so close, but beauty closer. It requires slow, deep, repeated reading. The imagery is complex and layered. Often unexpected, like a dance, a quick shift in direction." — Andrea Lepcio, playwright and author of Looking for the Pony

"A beautiful and curious read. At once a spell and a calling, a screaming and an invocation… we have no choice but to follow it like a trance." — Hannah Barry

“The Sandpiper's Spell is a glorious reminder of what poetry can be…. Whether interpreting a languid moment or creating a narrative from a conflicting pastiche, the verse is as telling as it is revelatory…. From the first poem in the compilation—establishing the anchor—cinematic breadth, plangent introspection, and the irrevocable ordinary compel the reader to fill in apertures through self-reflection…. As the poems progress, they become more hermetic. Dualities of intent are supplemented, in no small part by extraordinary imagery.” – Constance Stadler

“The Sandpiper's Spell by Tom Pearson is a poetry collection that delves into the intricate connections between memory, nature, and transformation. with visually-timed lines that enhance the sense of rhythm and gorgeous images that make one stand still and re-read them to engage with their different levels of meaning…. Pearson’s gift for imagery is both evocative and precise, painting vivid word pictures that linger in the mind… a poet with a unique and compelling voice in contemporary poetry” – K.C. Finn

“Tom Pearson’s The Sandpiper’s Spell is a wonderfully textured poetry collection, and its strength lies in the precision and beauty of the language. Pearson’s writing draws readers in with almost tactile imagery and moments of quiet intensity… a finely honed and rewarding read for those who appreciate both form and feeling in poetry.” – Asher Syed

"… Rich language, conveying complex themes and experiences…. The book explores the contrast between pleasure and tragedy, our understanding of identity and belonging, and the struggle to survive societal challenges. It contains poems about life, loss, and rebirth, as well as verses exploring themes of connection and renewal. The collection conveys the quest for meaning and self-discovery and outlines how memories and experiences shape who we are." – Doreen Chombu

"… a transformative journey across distant lands and time… a deeply reflective and contemplative poetry collection… Tom Pearson has a distinctive poetic flair that seems to slow down time itself… one of the most emotionally powerful and haunting collections I've read this year." – Pikasho Deka

"A fine, sensitive voice… When you read a lot of single-author poetry collections, many of them self-published, you wonder whether anyone out there actually knows what poetry is. And then you read a book like this one. This is the quintessence of what a poet does: simple-seeming statements clothed in complex ambiguities, startling images, felicities of expression, the play of forced conjunction and surprised disjunction. I can't recommend this book enough. This is a real poet at work (and even more, at play.)" – Amazon Reader Review

"Tom Pearson’s ‘The Sandpiper’s Spell’ is a stunningly realized debut collection of imagery-laden [poetry]." – James W

"Pearson is a master of language and he uses it perfectly in this collection of poems." – Kat Kennedy

"This is my second Tom Pearson poetry collection that I've read this year and I'm not even surprised at how quickly he has become one of my favourite poets." – Priyanka Kedia

"This is actually the second book I have read by Tom Pearson and I can not get enough! His work is so vivid and enchanting, you can really visualize what he's writing about. I'm also deeply in love with the author's writing style and spacings, it allows time to grasp and feel what I'm reading. I can't rave enough about this book! All I can say is that I'm ready to see more from Tom Pearson!" – Adrien Weinhoffer

More Reader Reviews at:

Goodreads

Amazon

Trailer for Feature Documentary and Performance
Streaming on Vimeo (Rent $2.99 / Buy $9.99 Buy)

GPS Discussion at Museum of Russian Ethnography | March 15, 2016 | FREE

Performance Excerpt | Opening Sequence | FREE

Performance Excerpt | Wallpaper Duet | FREE

Performance Excerpt | Book Reading Sequence | FREE

Performance Excerpt | Piano Sequence | FREE

Performance Excerpt | Pillow Sequence | FREE

DOWNLOAD THE OPENING PRESS RELEASE FOR THE GRAND PARADISE

DOWNLOAD THE CLOSING PRESS RELEASE FOR THE GRAND PARADISE

AWARDS

2016 Time Out Love New York Award Winner

PRESS

The New York Times | Review | February 1, 2016
Review: ‘The Grand Paradise’ Summons a ’70s Pleasure Palace
"Using the ’70s as a time frame turns out to have been an inspired idea... 'The Grand Paradise,' the latest and lushest of the many immersive theater spectacles to set up camp in New York in recent years, traffics in instant nostalgia. Created by Third Rail Projects, this interactive tour of an imaginary Floridian pleasure palace from the 1970s manages to summon romantic promise and regretful retrospection in a single, ocean-air breath." - Ben Brantley

Time Out New York | Review | February 2, 2016
The Grand Paradise
"… the piece is a captivatingly sensual interactive adventure… This escapist world is our oyster, where each grain of sand in an hourglass has a shot at becoming a pearl.” - Adam Feldman

FOX5 NY | Feature | November 17, 2016
The Grand Paradise
"At the Grand Paradise, you are the story and the storyteller, relying on instinct and intrigue to navigate a tangled web of distant memories and far-off fantasies." - Simone Boyce

American Theatre Magazine | Feature | February 24, 2016
Aroma-turgy: What’s Smell Got to Do With It?
"...The show is created to make audience members feel like protagonists, which is why everyone has the freedom to explore and interact with it on their own terms. That’s why we go through the trouble to find these things that trigger memory and trigger a personal response. There’s been a fascination with seeing if there’s a way to create some part of an emotion in a theatrical experience—if there’s some way to take you back to what you felt like in a particular moment. And smell is a big part of that.” – Mark Blankenship/Jennine Willett, American Theatre magazine

American Theatre Magazine | Feature | February 23, 2016
A Sense of the Space: Where Dance/Theatre Leads Us by Rob Weinert-Kendt

Asbury Park Press | Review | February 19, 2016
'The Grand Paradise' an essential, theatrical escape
"Every audience member's visit to The Grand Paradise" is different; as a work of immersive, dance-based theater, it requires the guests to make their own way, following characters and story threads that pique their interest. In the show's two hours, there are any number of sights to be seen, events to experience and interactions to be had — and it would take a few visits to get the full picture.” - Alex Biese

Manhattan Digest | Review | February 16, 2016
Transform Yourself With The Grand Paradise
"I realize I’ve only seen two Third Rail Productions, but I’ve come out of both feeling so incredibly connected and engaged with that I immediately wanted to turn around and go back in, just to recapture that feeling… The long and short of all this is, should you see The Grand Paradise? Very much yes. Go, and go with an open mind, and a readiness to engage and explore and flirt. If your night was anything like mine, it will be a highly rewarding and transformative experience.” - David Baxter

New York Live | Review | February 9, 2016
The Grand Paradise
“… A wild immersive theater experience, probably like nothing you’ve ever seen before… What happens at The Grand Paradise stays at The Grand Paradise” - New York Live

The Huffington Post | Review | February 8, 2016
You'll Have a Grand Old Time: 'The Grand Paradise'
"This was by far my favorite aspect of The Grand Paradise: the intimate scale of the performance, which allows for a deeper engagement and more communal experience… I know I'm likely to search for paradise again, and I can assure you that you'll have a grand time if you do the same. I also look forward to seeing what Third Rail Projects will do next, as it's high time someone took a more nuanced look at immersive theatre.” - Bess Rowen

Bedford + Bowery | Review | February 5, 2016
Shake Off the Winter Blahs and Jet to This Grand Paradise of Immersive Theater
"A step beyond what other immersive shows usually offer...a disorienting, entertaining escape, one that playfully blurs the lines between performance and reality.” - Kavitha Surana

TDF Stages | Review | February 2, 2016
A Virtual Vacation of Desire and Death
"Like the theatre company's long-running, Alice in Wonderland-inspired 'Then She Fell', its new interactive show takes place in a multilayered fantasyland where all of your senses are stimulated -- yes, even taste, touch, and smell. However, 'The Grand Paradise' is produced on a much grander scale, with 60 audience members and 20 performers frolicking in a late-'70s, hedonistic, tropical resort where adventures and awakenings await. And, in large part, you determine your own fate.” - Raven Snook

The Huffington Post | Review | February 1, 2016
Theater: Almost 'Paradise;' Awkward 'Affair'
“… it shows that whatever era you're living in, moments of true intimacy are rare and precious and best appreciated quietly, one on one, with the curtains drawn." - Michael Glitz

amNewYork | Review | January 31, 2016
‘The Grand Paradise’ the latest immersive theater experience
"extremely impressive in the scope of its detail.” - Matt Windman

NBC New York | Review | January 31, 2016
In Bushwick, Inhibitions (and Clothes) Fall Away
"Theatergoers are alternately voyeurs and participants in the family’s dark or erotic altercations.” - Robert Kahn

The Wall Street Journal | Feature | January 28, 2016
From Brooklyn Warehouse to ’70s Tropical Resort
"Since Third Rail began creating site-specific and site-adaptive work in 2006, their productions have been inextricably tied to the spaces in which they are performed… [The artistic directors] and the rest of the creative team have been able to fine-tune every aspect of the experience.” - Darryn King

The New York Times
Immersive Theater’s Next Stop: A Sexy ’70s Fantasy Island by Diep Tran | Feature | December 27, 2015
"Third Rail is leaving behind the Victorian era of 'Then She Fell' and transporting audiences to more recent times: a hedonistic Florida resort in the late 1970s that may or may not contain the Fountain of Youth. There they will be guided through the kind of curated one-on-one interactions that make 'Then She Fell' popular, while also having the freedom to choose their own scenarios."

Dance Magazine
Welcome to Paradise by Brian Schaffer | Feature | December 2015 Issue
"Though it feels spontaneous, it also always feels like you’re exactly where you should be. The Grand Paradise will maintain this strategic intentionality, but dials up the audience agency."

Commercial Observer | Feature | December 5, 2015
Interactive Theatre With Human-Sized Aquarium Coming to Bushwick
"Brooklyn-based experiential dance theater company Third Rail Projects is capitalizing on the current success of Then She Fell in Williamsburg, which allows the audience to be more involved in the show, and is bringing that concept to Bushwick with a new act." - Liam La Guerre

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PRESS

The New York Times | Review | June 30, 2013
Family Camping Trip Packed With Phantom Selves, Hopes and Dreams by Alastair Macaulay
“All the dance stays close to ordinary movement, but the choreography takes everyday impulses and makes them lyrically potent.”

New York Post | Feature | June 21, 2013
Hot Picks: Step Up! Real Camp by Leigh Witchel

The New Yorker | Feature | June 23rd, 2013
Goings About Town: River to River Festival / Third Rail Projects

The New York Times | Feature | June 19, 2014
Picnic Tables for Dancing, Bookcases for Naps By Helene Stapinski
“Governors Island [is] a perfect place for Third Rail. This is one of the few places in New York City where artists can have the time and space to collaborate with a site and be in a conversation with the public… It’s a perfect match, really.”

Mana Spotlight | Documentary | 2013
Mana Contemporary interview with Tom Pearson and spotlight on Roadside Attraction

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DOWNLOAD THE CLOSING PRESS RELEASE FOR THEN SHE FELL

AWARDS

2013 NEW YORK DANCE AND PERFORMANCE (BESSIE) AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION

BEN BRANTLEY’S TOP 10 OF 2012 THE NEW YORK TIMES

BEST IN THEATER 2013 VOGUE

CRITIC’S PICK: The New York Times, Time Out New York, Vogue, The Village Voice

PRESS

The New York Times
Feature Article: Adventures in a Sinister Wonderland
By Siobhan Burke | August 9, 2013
"… a lush, if fragmented story arrives by way of the exacting, exuberant choreography."

Brooklyn Magazine
The 100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture
By Brooklyn Magazine | March 1, 2016
"... what better time to celebrate some of the many people who are shaping Brooklyn culture today, those people responsible for the words we want to read, the films we want to see, the music we want to hear, the art we want to experience, the spaces we want to inhabit... work that continues to make Brooklyn not just culturally relevant, but culturally vital."

The New Yorker
Goings On About Town/Review
By New Yorker Staff | April 1, 2013
"wildly imaginative… an anxiety-provoking but exciting theatrical encounter… Wonderfully written, directed, and choreographed."

The New York Times
Year in Theater: Ben Brantley’s Top 10 of 2012
By Ben Brantley | December 16, 2012
"The immersive theater company Third Rail’s personal guided tour of Alice’s Wonderland, in a former outpatient hospital in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. A show that makes you understand — and takes you to, via a labyrinth of intricately arranged rooms — the place where Lewis Carroll was coming from.”

Vogue
Theater: People Are Talking About - Wonderland
By Adam Green | April, 2013
BEST IN THEATER 2013:
"… haunting, hallucinatory, and profoundly intimate."

American Theatre Magazine
Dance or Theatre? Yes.
By Kelundra Smith | February 23, 2016

The New York Times
Starring Me! A Surreal Dive into Immersive Theater
By Sarah Lyall | January 7, 2016
"... intimate and tightly choreographed… After a while, it felt as if we were dreaming, or mad, so febrile and charged was the atmosphere…You cannot feel more immersed than that."

The New York Times
Theater Review by Ben Brantley: “Lewis Carroll is in a Hospital”
By Ben Brantley | December 1, 2012
CRITIC’S PICK: "This show occupies a dreamscape where the judgments and classifications of the waking mind are inoperative, and where the single self keeps splitting and blurring."

The Economist
Return to Wonderland
By D.S.K. |September 23, 2014
"Then She Fell does what the best retellings set out to do: it offers a new framework through which to contemplate a familiar story."

American Theatre Magazine
The Walls Come Tumbling Down
By Diep Tran | July, 2013
"It requires us to have an ease that we would have in everyday life,” says co-creator Tom Pearson, who plays the White Rabbit, sans bunny suit. “It’s very cinematic. When the screen is right there in front of your face, it picks up everything. It’s the same when you’re in a room with someone."

Gothamist
Follow the Rabbithole To Williamsburg For The Best Show So Far This Year
By John Del Signore | March 15, 2013
"an enthralling theatrical spell is being woven… as unsettling as it is enchanting."

Forbes
Feature Article - "Theater for the Video Game Generation"
By Seth Porges | October 29, 2012
"Secret rooms and passageways are the norm, as are sets that guests are encouraged to explore by sifting through drawers, pockets, and papers. Think of them as haunted houses that do more than just scare."

The Wall Street Journal
Feature Article: “A Macabre Misadventure in Wonderland”
By Lizzie Simon | October 4, 2012
"Then She Fell’ will offer a more deliberately crafted experience… to allow all of the guests to discover and accumulate bits of story until they leave with the satisfaction of having co-created, with the show itself, a narrative arc and resolution."”

Time Out New York
Theater Review: “Alice gets a new Wonderland: an abandoned hospital in Greenpoint, Brooklyn”
By Jenna Scherer | October 8, 2012
CRITIC’S PICK | 4 STARS: "Stunningly personal… When you peer into the looking glass, it stares right back at you."

BRIC TV
Then She Fell: Caught In The Act
by BRIC TV | October 2, 2012

American Theatre Wing
Working In The Theatre: Immersive Theatre
by American Theatre Wing | April 29, 2014

TIME Magazine
Total Immersion
By Richard Zoglin | TIME | June 24, 2013
"… this is extreme theater: fresh, fun, totally absorbing, a full contact sport with no rules and no boundaries."

New York Daily News
Feature Article: “Go ask Alice: Theater group will turn old Greenpoint Hospital building into an interactive wonderland”
By Lore Croghan | New York Daily News | July 17, 2012

Broadway World
BWW Reviews: THEN SHE FELL: All Mad Here
By Duncan Pflaster | Broadway World | November 30th, 2012

Odyssey Works
TOM PEARSON ON DREAM LOGIC
By Ana Freeman | Odyssey Works | April 12, 2016

Deep Media
Way-way-off-Broadway: How the immersive theater of 'Then She Fell' resonates with the digital world
By Frank Rose | Deep Media | June 10, 2013

New Statesman
Feature & Interview with Zach Morris
By Tara Isabella Burton | New Statesman | June 1, 2013
"Third Rail has created something utterly strange, magnificently surreal: undoubtedly Wonderland."

Imaginary Worlds
Episode 42: Then She Fell
By Eric Molinsky | Imaginary Worlds

Backstage
“Topsy-Turvy ‘Then She Fell’ is Magical”
By Jason Fitzgerald | Backstage | March 18, 2013
"The lusciously and meticulously designed world, full of strange knickknacks and worn furniture, teases every nerve at the imagination’s disposal."

TDF Stages
“Your Private Trip Through Lewis Carroll’s Mind”
By Raven Snook | TDF Stages | March, 2013
"… quite accessible and very visceral. It’s impossible to move through the scenes without becoming involved, emotionally and otherwise."

Stage and Cinema
“Review of Then She Fell”
By Sarah Taylor Ellis | Stage an Cinema | March 26, 2013
"… the manipulation of perspective and the use of space is ever imaginative, and the intimate (and often one-on-one) scenes are wondrous.."

NBC
Review: “Then She Fell” at the Kingsland Ward in Williamsburg
By Robert Kahn | NBC | March 15, 2013
"Attention to detail is mind-boggling… the experience is unlike anything I’ve had"

The Village Voice
CRITIC’S PICK
By Elizabeth Zimmer | August 31-Sept 6, 2016

TIME OUT HONG KONG: The One You Love Is Sick | Feature | April 14-27, 2010 | Aedas My Footsteps by Ben Sin “… education and art with a bit of Gothic ambiance thrown in.”

CUP MAGAZINE | Interview| April 2010 | Issue 099 | Interview with Tom Pearson and Zach Morris

THE STUDENT STANDARD: The One You Love Is Sick | Feature | April 12, 2010 | Interview with Tom Pearson and Zach Morris | Room to Maneuvre | “... site-work has proved to be tremendously rewarding experience for both artists and audiences alike.”

READ THE PRESS RELEASES FOR VANISHING POINT:

DANSPACE PRESS RELEASE

BESSIE AWARDS PRESS RELEASE

BESSIE AWARDS CITATIONS

AWARDS

BESSIE AWARD Citation for Choreographer/Creator Award to TOM PEARSON and ZACH MORRIS
“For creating a work suffused in memory and remembrance, at once universal yet quintessentially American, informed by love, wisdom, and humor, and expressed in luscious movement and music by virtuosic performers in “Vanishing Point” at Danspace Project.”

BESSIE AWARD Citation for Compser KRIS BAUMAN
“For creating music infused with charm and playfulness, that helped bring characters and stories from rural America to life with his band, The Dang-It Bobbys, in Tom Pearson and Zach Morris' Vanishing Point presented at Danspace Project.”

PRESS

The New York Times | Review | | July 1, 2008
“This Ruminative Funeral Moves to a Country Beat” Vanishing Point by Roslyn Sulcas
“… the dance equivalent of a peaceful, ruminative discussion with a few close friends, drinks in hand… quietly mesmerizing… wonderfully sensuous off-kilter… death may be the vanishing point, but irrepressible life is its theme."

The New Yorker | Preview | June 30, 2008
Vanishing Point by Brian Siebert
“Dance segments that are touching and deep… add up to a vague sense of Faulknerian doom.”

INFINITE BODY | BODY & SOUL PODCAST | June 10, 2008
Eva Yaa Asantewaa with Tom Pearson and Zach Morris

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST | Feature | December 8, 2007 | “Students Step Up to Dance with the Professionals” by Liz Gooch

U MAGAZINE | Feature | December 2007 | Interview with Tom Pearson and Zach Morris

TVB8 | Feature | December 2007 | Interview with Tom Pearson and Zach Morris

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UDF PRESS RELEASE

UDF FACT SHEET

OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING | Feature | October 22, 2019 | “Olin’s Second Creative in Reference Takes Flight with Help From Olin Students”

WESU 88.1 CENTER FOR THE ARTS RADIO HOUR | Episode 15 | January 2019 | Conversation with Visiting Instructor Tom Pearson, Michayla Robertson-Pine '22, and Elizabeth Woolford '21 by Campus and Community Engagement Manager Rani Arbo (starting at 38:00).

THE WESLEYAN ARGUS | Feature | January 28, 2019 | “This Between Shadow” Showcases Winter Session Theater Students’ Work” by Tara Joy.

THE WESLEYAN ARGUS | Feature | November 26, 2018 | “Visiting Artist Tom Pearson Discusses Upcoming Immersive Theater Course” by Tara Joy.

TIME OUT HONG KONG:The One You Love Is Sick | Feature | April 14-27, 2010 | Aedas My Footsteps by Ben Sin “… education and art with a bit of Gothic ambiance thrown in.”

CUP MAGAZINE | Interview| April 2010 | Issue 099 | Interview with Tom Pearson and Zach Morris

THE STUDENT STANDARD: The One You Love Is Sick | Feature | April 12, 2010 | Interview with Tom Pearson and Zach Morris | Room to Maneuvre | “... site-work has proved to be tremendously rewarding experience for both artists and audiences alike.”

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST | Feature | December 8, 2007 | “Students Step Up to Dance with the Professionals” by Liz Gooch

U MAGAZINE | Feature | December 2007 | Interview with Tom Pearson and Zach Morris

TVB8 | December 2007 | Television interview with Tom Pearson and Zach Morris

SJRCC COLLEGE CONNECTION | 2006 | Florida School of the Arts “FloArts Alumni Return with Seasoned Advice”

PALATKA DAILY NEWS | June 24, 1999 | “FloArts Graduate Excel”