Peter Kahn’s debut
collection Little Kings is an
astonishing book of astute and deeply humane poetry, one which seeks to find in
both teaching and learning a common ground, and between longing and belonging
an equilibrium. Intuitive and wise, Kahn’s poems remain compelling even when
exploring those places where there is “no vocabulary for what might happen”. Little Kings encompasses stories of the Jewish diaspora and of American
life, interweaving narratives of escape and refuge, of yearning and absence. Some
of these poems ricochet with the magnitude of loss and violence, with lives
interrupted, half-lived, or vanished. Anchoring these poems is their immense
grace and lyricism, and Kahn’s great skill in tenderly carrying memory and
experience into our shared understanding.