Personal, lyrical and honest, this debut book of poems from award-winning author John Arends is as much a collection of stories as it is of poetry. Arends clearly has something to say, as evidenced by his longer pieces, which unfold into narrative journeys of surprising poignancy. In SINEW, his poetic impulses take us from dust-choked back alleys in a Mexican border town, to the granite-shored bays of Greenland, to an abandoned zoo in the Sarajevo war zone. Along the way, he asks us to bear witness to excruciating beauty, crushing despair, the desolation of betrayal, and the colors and hues of unconditional love. At each turn, the lines and language ring with an earnest, emotional resonance, as Arends explores the borderlands of madness and bliss that are modern-day life.