“In the beginning, science tells us, the four fundamental forces of the universe were one—a single force encompassing all possible energies. Reading Topaz Winters’ poems, I was reminded of this fact—in her work, heritage and politics, intelligence and ardor fuse in an intensity both incandescent and compelling. Sparks fly, while a human hand reaches for another. A dazzling and a deeply moving collection.”

—Monica Youn, author of Blackacre & National Book Award finalist

“‘I wanted the world & all I got was / this body,’ writes Topaz Winters in So, Stranger. I entered this book wanting to find a world and Winters gave me dozens. Each poem is so full it feels like its own planet, and each planet is revolving around the bright star that is the speaker’s relationship with her father: ‘home is not / my father’s hands but the light / they reflect when burning.’ And where is Winters in this solar system? She’s on the satellites, always taking pictures, and always reporting back as she makes another revolution: ‘Here I am & here I am again.’”

—Paige Lewis, author of Space Struck & curator of Ours Poetica

“Topaz Winters’ So, Stranger is gorgeous. It’s a book filled with heart and possibility toward the future, while questioning the past and the present. The speaker navigates the knots of an immigrant family, love, pain, American ignorance, and existentialism. Every poem brims with the possibility of language and skillful and surprising aphorism. I find myself nodding in recognition, but new recognition with each surprising line. Winters is the real thing—spilling with talent. I look forward to all she will make and do in the future.”

—Victoria Chang, author of Obit & National Book Award Finalist

“So, Stranger spans a journey through landscapes present and left behind, what it is to be seemingly from two places and then none at all. Winters challenges the familiar narrative of the American dream and the immigrant experience—‘America says I am disappointed in you & I say join the damn club.’ At the center of this narrative is a daughter reaching to ‘imagine writing a father without writing a drowning,’ a father who ‘turned his back on the border of everywhere & began to sculpt a myth.’ So, Stranger is a close study on departure and arrival, to and from countries, bodies, and loves. Yet it is also a study on remaining, the brown body remaining: ‘& what is this ache but a method of survival?’”

—Diannely Antigua, author of Ugly Music

“Immigration and inheritance, arrival and departure, a fading American Dream—these are movingly woven into the warp and woof of the third full-length poetry collection by the Singaporean-American poet.”

—Toh Wen Li for The Straits Times

“I'll return to So, Stranger every time I fall in love with someone (or something) new, and I’ll return to it when my heart is breaking. This book is a time traveler and a confidant.”

—Lyd Havens, author of Chokecherry

“Winters offers a layered and thoughtful critique of the immigrant experience in America, the nuances of her relationship with her father and how borders operate in our lives. She writes with self-awareness and wit, allowing herself the space to be both overtly poetic and bracingly literal. So, Stranger demonstrates the award-winning prowess Winters has for writing that is at once notably accessible and emotionally fraught. This is a collection that will appeal to new and seasoned poetry readers alike, as it offers both a cohesive narrative and technical device in equally masterful language.”

—Ronnie K. Stephens for The Poetry Question

“I don’t know if I can put in words how beautiful this book is. I feel like nothing I say will do it justice. It’s way more important than just a book I will rate and then put on the shelf. These were honestly some of the greatest verses I’ve ever read and it’s not even about the beauty of the expression, but the beauty of the emotions the author wasn’t afraid to show. To display those emotions so beautifully is not just talent, but an unbelievable strength.”

—Katarina, reader

“this collection features brilliant metaphors and intricate usage of language, but i think what i admire most is the simplicity intermixed with such powerful words. topaz’s writing focuses heavily on her lived experiences as a queer immigrant, and though i hadn’t heard of her before receiving this book, she’s immediately going on my auto-buy list! i’m not always a 5-star rater, but when it feels right, i just know it. and topaz winters feels unbelievably right and true.”

—Haley S., reader

“So, Stranger is an absolutely enthralling poetry collection. Each word and poem is so thoughtfully crafted that you want to constantly go back to re-experience the beauty of each line, but you also want to keep going forward to experience the beauty of each new line. There is something so magical about Topaz Winters’ writing style–it reminds me of Terrance Hayes’ lyrical writing that is insistently raw.”

—Erin, reader

“The narrative and prose poetries in this collection are beautiful, telling rich, lovely stories. Each story is framed and told differently, but they weave together to create something beautiful, raw, and open. This is one of those poetry books that you read and immediately have to find the rest of the author's work.”

—Misha L., reader

“Topaz Winters takes the purest and darkest human emotions and pours them raw onto the page, She writes from the perspective of ‘the daughter’: a third generation immigrant's journey of self discovery, resentment, forgiveness, her relationship with their parents, and their bittersweet connection to the generations before her. The poems speak for the immigrant experience, especially the third generation. However, their words will resonate with anybody suspended in that strange and confusing place between timelines and cultures—anyone who feels displaced in their own life. It's about being born into the world wearing the skin of your ancestors who have suffered before you, but feeling like you don't deserve the rage and strife that comes with it.”

—Kyla Streng, reader

“loved this collection surrounding topics on being a first generation daughter, queerness, parents, language, and more. topaz winters is an amazing writer and poet. you will be forced to read fervently and diligently as you converse with the hunger of her words. wonderful poetry book and recommended for poetry lovers and haters alike.”

—Nika, reader

“So, Stranger was one of those collections where I knew I would love it from the moment I saw it. It’s an exploration of identity, familial relationships and history, and a discussion about what it feels like to be loved. Topaz Winters absolutely nails so many different aspects of giving and taking—and feeling guilty about it all. Truthfully, I could read a thousand more poems by Topaz Winters. This was an automatic five star and I cannot wait to read more by them!”

—Rebecca, reader

“biting wit and beautiful words. each poem is its own world, its own experience—yet they all weave in and out of each other, they all seem to connect. quite a few lines that left me staring at the wall and whispering them back to myself. a wonderful exploration of identity, being a daughter, lineage, departure/arrival, & home.”

—Aria, reader