KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST INDIE BOOKS OF 2019.
The Sandpiper’s Spell is chosen by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Indie Books of 2019.

WRITER’S DIGEST SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARDS
“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

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 | 2019
The Sandpiper’s Spell Review
"Above all, Pearson demonstrates a mastery of imagery."

Readers' Favorite | 5★ Review | September 6, 2024
The Sandpiper's Spell Review by Asher Syed
"... 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. Pearson’s voice is distinct and measured, and his skill in pulling out powerful emotion without even a hint of forced sentimentality sets the work apart from other contemporary, mainstream books. The Sandpiper’s Spell is a finely honed and rewarding read for those who appreciate both form and feeling in poetry."

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)

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

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.

"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 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.)”

"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

“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

★★★★★ “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

More Reader Reviews at:

Goodreads

Amazon

Book Launch at the Red Room at KGB
The Red Room at KGB, New York, NY – Wednesday, April 11, 2018, 7:00 PM

Sense 99 Hong Kong
Tom Pearson Reading and Book Signing in Hong Kong
Sense 99, Central, Hong Kong – Monday, April 30, 2018, 7:00 PM

Spoonbill & Sugartown
Please join Spoonbill Studio [99 Montrose] for a reading and signing of Tom Pearson's newest book of poetry The Sandpiper's Spell: Spoonbill & Sugartown, Brooklyn, NY – Monday, July 30, 2018, 7:00 PM

Westword Arts: Five Best Literary Things To Do...
BookBar welcomes poet and performer Tom Pearson, best known for his theatrical work and now debuting his first book of poetry, The Sandpiper’s Spell. The work is a pastiche of meditative vignettes and fragmented memory, and was called “an homage to the fragility of life [that] requires slow, deep, repeated reading” by playwright Andrea Lepcio (Looking for the Pony). So count this Saturday evening at BookBar as the first of several.
The Five Best Literary Things-to-do in Denver June 4-18, 2018