When I’m Not There

Released on the 15th anniversary of her father’s death, Purmasir’s sophomore poetry collection grapples with the aftermath of her loss. Written in her father’s voice, these poems span a series of iconic moments, moments that define most parent-child relationships: her first crush, her college graduation, her deep-rooted loneliness. When I’m Not There is for anyone who has had to accept the finality of death and, despite this, must continue to live.
When I’m Not There dares us to examine the afterlife from the other side and praise rather than grieve. Purmasir’s poems weave a vulnerable yet defiant rhythm in the voice of her deceased father, demanding us to believe in the power of parenthood to transcend death. By living in the liminal space most choose to ignore, this book reminds us that no one is ever truly gone.

• Noel Quinones, 2016 Poets House Fellow and CantoMundo Fellow

In this collection, Purmasir sheds her skin so wholly and so truly that you forget her fingers are the ones holding the pen. Purmasir steps away from herself and into her dead father to look back at the world she has existed in without him. She peers into the shadowy corners of her own life and, through her father’s eyes, floods them with light. If this seems sad, be sure that isn’t the only thing it is. It’s also funny and beautiful and so devastatingly human that you almost want to look away. You almost aren’t used to such unwavering honesty. This collection peels grief apart layer by layer and stands unflinching in its glory and horror.

• Fortesa Latifi, author of This Is How We Find Each Other and We Were Young