Carson Pytell’s First-Year is a moving collection of quiet and contemplative poetry. With deceptively simple narratives, Pytell captures the weight of our personal histories and the hidden significance of our trifles. Yet he also flirts with the senselessness that underlies it all. In this way, First-Year is a deeply personal work of both poetic reflection and Cioranian musings. This is poetry with a mission, and it succeeds.

- Brian Geiger (Founder/Editor, Vita Brevis Press)