Speech in an Age of Certainty

Readers of Speech in an Age of Certainty by J. Khan might want seatbelts for the high-speed chase of his intense poems. He writes sometimes about life as a Midwesterner of South Asian descent, which is a complicated diaspora that includes London and rural Missouri. His poems are stories and songs of resistance-and not to be missed.

-Denise Low, Kansas Poet Laureate 2007-09



Colliding voices animate the parallel worlds of those who feel oppression and those who oppress in this urgent collection of verse by J. Khan. The backdrop is a damaged, devasted earth. While exposing the limits of witness, "I scarcely fathom the howl," the poet compels our attention (and hopefully our action) in these vivid, reflective poems.

-Catherine Anderson, author of Everyone I Love Immortal



Speech in an Age of Certainty is a colorful collection of timely pieces by J. Khan that tackles police brutality, identity, history of our sins and finding balance. Khan offers reflective, lyrical poems that question one's place in the world. A lovely collection that captures the voices of many who are silenced

-Rosalyn Spencer, editor Rigorous Magazine