There's a feeling of peace to these poems, a calmness of deliberation in their rhythms, sa curiosity that doesn't tear or probe so much as wash across Brewer's subjects. The masterful tempo of his work convinces me that what he says is what must be said, thought and emotion unfolding in natural order. I enjoy his imagery, am drawn to the self revealed, but it's the breath of this book that I believe.-Bob Hicok; One of our best poets, Gaylord Brewer, is at the top of his game in The Martini Diet. In one poem, the speaker calls himself note taker of the exotic. In truth, from the exotic to the everyday, the book explores a wide range of subjects with both wit and wisdom, that lovely, rare combination. I'll down as many martinis as this accomplished brew-master can serve up, and bang the table for more. And the next morning, the next, the next, I'll remember the wonderful words and images in all their vivid detail. Here's to the pleasure that awaits the reader-drink up -James Doyle