With Signs Following

'In the poems of David Ricks, we're listening in on the life of the developing lines in the very way the lines are listening to themselves. Line by line and stanza by stanza the lines are listening to themselves as they go along inventing what they're saying. It's all a product of the eloquence and the exactitude of his listening. His translations are brilliantly understood and take a great deal of pleasure in what they're doing. This lyric concentration and the pleasure of making is characteristic of his work. When we hear his song, we're listening to the song that listens to itself as it plays' - David Ferry; 'For those who have read with great pleasure the poems that David Ricks has sporadically published in magazines, their collection into a single volume further underscores the power of his art. Ricks demonstrates an exceptional mastery of verse, and the perspective from which he views reality illuminates aspects of everyday life with a virtuosity that combines seriousness with wit. A truly resonant book of poetry' - Nasos Vayenas