“The writing of Mimi Zollars pours into you like the most intimate lover, washing over your defenses, nourishing your Spirit, and firing up your Soul. Benediction for a Black Swan is for those among us who want to live and love raw and real like poets, even if we may not have a way with words. Pick it up when you yearn to be brought back to yourself. Drink it in like an elixir of warm milk and honey. It will sit on my altar of sacred writings, alongside my favorites of the ecstatic ancients, Rumi, Kabir, and Hafiz.”
—Jennifer Mizel, modern-day Mystic and Alchemist of the Soul

“A debut collection of poems exploring love, art, and loss. Some poets focus on the mechanics of poetry, such as intonation and rhythm, and neglect passion. This isn’t the case with Zollars, whose debut collection is a masterful study of how words can be sparingly hewn to create stunning, long-lasting emotional scenes—from a child’s fraught relationship with an alcoholic mother to the cold reality of professional beauty. Each poem offers a perfectly observed moment as seen through a slightly distorted lens, featuring personality, heartbreak, and the desire to bridge distances that can’t be named. A set by a brilliant new poet, featuring exquisite emotional nuance and an impressive mastery of craft.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review