"Olzmann's masterful debut heralds the arrival of a delightful and daring poetry that scorches and coils its way through galaxies, strip malls, and the intricacies of the human body. With a wickedly delightful wisdom at its core, Mezzanines practices the most graceful kind of alchemy-its greatest strength is how it turns tiny heartbreaks into a bright and satisfying beauty."

-Aimee Nezhukumatathil

"Olzmann has an outsider's wit and a border crosser's slick vision. From seam, threshold, and cut, these poems navigate the galactic and the aquatic, the immediate and the imaginary, the reasonable and the American. He's amused by his own bewilderment. What's more, he manages to never abandon love. Olzmann's skilled play, terrific ear, and immense heart make Mezzanines a must-read."

-Patrick Rosal

"With Mezzanines Matthew Olzmann has given us a vibrant new poetry, as soulful as it is funny. Sci-fi and snake charms, love poems, ship wrecks, and a dash of artful self-parody-the materials of his narratives come from all over the cosmos to find, in this wonderful poet's hands, a shape crackling with power that's connective, convincing, and true."

-David Baker