Quality Control at the Miracle Factory

The fourth full-length collection of poems by Irish poet Patrick Cotter, Quality Control at the Miracle Factory reflects the dark times of its writing, moving with unease through the world. Injustice and brutality are faced unflinchingly while the miracle of survival and endurance is credited and marvelled at, wherever it might occur. "One of the more satisfying aspects of Sonic White Poise is in the formal control exerted by Cotter throughout. Some of these poems, in their discursive manner, reminded me of the best of Ciaran Carson's work, the longer-than-usual lines, the thought process that is followed wherever it may go. ... The language does the work and the poems are intelligent and captivating, and deserve, require, and reward close reading." - Richard Hayes, Poetry Ireland Review "Patrick Cotter is a poet capable of being both playful and serious to excellent effect. He has a gift for creating a rueful narrative voice that milks both sympathy and laughs from the reader. The writing is always finely crafted; it is conversational but learned, seemingly effortless, and is studded everywhere with the poet's vast and unusual vocabulary. He is a modern poet in the best sense of that word and he deserves many, many readers." - Nuala O'Connor, Poetry International (San Diego)