"There are in my mind three elements to writing poetry: craft, honesty, and the eye. Lisa Zaran possess all three. Craft is something you develop while honesty is something you come to terms with. As for the eye either you have it or you don't. That is one of the reasons she is such an excellent poet: she has the eye like few others producing today. Her work borders on the state of verse that I refer to as a "tongue kissed by angels."
~Roger Humes, Director of The Other Voices International Project
"Zaran hits her readers with a stellar collection of modern incantations. Full of feeling and gorgeous pedagogy, her works illuminate and mesmerize both readers and writers alike. Zaran's honest voice delivers a montage of events rich in charm and celebration. Here is an impressive litany of the human spirit, a gathering of intimate joy for all existence. It's a collection of poetry to be celebrated and studied. Take notes. Zaran is the poet this generation has been waiting for, a true advocate of recording life with all its wonder, all its glory, and all its uncertainty. This book confirms the truth that The Blondes Lay Content."
--Tony R. Rodriguez, author of simplicity regurgitated: poems and shorts
Splashed Down
I am an idea.
The one redhead in a room
full of blondes.
Listen to me while I stand out.
Teach me, if you could,
how to be a river running slow.
A big blue sky, a billion stars at night.
Take me out of this cold, cruel world
into silence, into divinity,
into the sobriety of your heart.
Invent my murder,
carry it out.
Professional Reviews
Scott C. Holstad, author of 15 books of poetry including Cells and Places
"Lisa Zaran is a voice of uncompromising talent, beauty, passion, and wonder. Her new book, The Blondes Lay Content, is by far her best work yet. Love is a prevalent theme here, and as such, is treated both with awe and contempt, dreams and despair. Zaran does not back off to write about safe things. She brings them to the forefront of imagination, moving fluidly, vividly, and brilliantly. You will find yourself moved as you read these poems. This book should be considered a contemporary American classic."
Tracee Coleman, editor of A Little Poetry
"Lisa Zaran's latest collection is nothing short of miraculous in both spirit and craft. The work speaks the human heart in both whispers and thunderous roars of divine, at times startling, clarity. This poet possesses keen insight and a ferocious tenacity of soul which affords speaking her reality honestly--with refreshing perspectives on life, love, and faith. It is impossible to read Zaran and not come away enlightened or dazzled."
C.E. Laine, poet, author and editor of Verse Libre Quarterly
"Zaran's words are a glowing iron, searing what they touch with her unique imprint. These poems are starkly beautiful, humble, and knowing. 'The Blondes Lay Content' is a compelling mix of innocence and old-soul, daring revelation and honest speak. It's a book I will read again, and often."
Each person is but a grain of sand resting beside the sea. This thought sets the tone for Jill Eisnaugle’s latest poetry collection, Beside Still Waters.
