Earworm, the second book from acclaimed poet Nick Thran, expertly combines wicked cleverness, adept craftsmanship and a uniquely insightful perspective in an entertaining yet substantial tour de force. Building on the success of his debut, Thran has enhanced his compelling pop culture rhythms and distinctive voice with bolder formal experimentation and greater poetic maturity.

This eclectic collection takes in topics ranging from cartoons to Caravaggio to cicadas, expressed in a comparable variety of poetic forms. Despite this diversity, the book is unified by its perfectly balanced blend of thoughtful observation laced with Thran's characteristically whimsical sense of humour.

Earworm is also interspersed with several poems inspired by works of art in a variety of media. Whether he's reinterpreting Picasso's Blue Period, encapsulating a moment from The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones, or lending a narrative to one of Dennis Oppenheim's conceptual sculptures, Thran is able to distill the essence of the original while adding a fresh twist.

"Side-stepping the more likely subjects, Thran's poems freewheel through a rangy lyricscape of our urban, cultural life, from Picasso to Jessica Rabbit, from the Smurfs to Barry Bonds. Sprawling, irrepressible, Earworm darts with wild control and energy, like a skateboard in a car park, taking the reader along on its engaging ride."
--David O'Meara

I submit to the fair-minded reader that coolness ... has never really been a going concern for Canadian poets. In recent years, there have been a modest clutch ... who really pull it off. Nick Thran is one of them. His poems are cool. Genuinely, impossibly cool.
--Michael Lista, National Post