PRESS HIGHLIGHTS

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More Performing Arts Reviews + Media Coverage at Third Rail Projects.

All Book Reviews in Listings Below.


Press Archive (in-progress) for Book Reviews & More:

  • 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.”

  • 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

    “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.) Thank you.” – 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