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Hope on the Border
“Heartfelt . . . a surprisingly uplifting call to reform an unjust system.”
―Publishers Weekly
“Seth Michelson indeed offers hope to readers with this timely and important book. It elegantly combines rigorous academic research with hard-earned insight from Michelson’s years of first-hand experience working in immigration detention centers and refugee camps. At its core this is for me a Constitutional argument, with Hope on the Border encouraging us to work together to ensure that our immigration system values and protects the dignity of all human beings, as promulgated by the very US Constitution that we hold so dear, with its sublime and immutable guarantee of equal protections for all.”
― Khizr Khan, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, author of This is Our Constitution and An American Family: A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice
“Seth Michelson’s Hope on the Border: Immigration, Incarceration, and the Power of Poetry is an amazing testimony of the difficult crossings of adult and children immigrants towards the American and Human Dream. Eleven moving chapters and an Epilogue begging for the Nation to open the doors and provide the better life.”
― Luis Alberto Ambroggio, North-American Academy of the Spanish Language
“Michelson gives a voice to the voiceless by sharing the poetry written by children in a detention center in rural Virginia and the heartbreaking, gut-wrenching stories of asylum seekers along the U.S. border. Through a behind-the-scenes look at the U.S. immigration detention system, Michelson also portrays the grueling nature of the work that immigration attorneys, interpreters, students, and volunteers undertake in an effort to ensure that the detainees secure their freedom and legal status in the United States. The result is a powerful story of the human experience and a call to action, inspiring readers to use their knowledge of the current broken system to advocate for a more just system marked by compassion rather than cruelty. This is a must-read in light of the current assault on due process for immigrants in the U.S.”
― Jessica L. Yañez, Attorney at Law, NC Board Certified Specialist in Immigration Law
“Michelson gives voice to the hearts and minds of perseverant refugees, who keep hope alive notwithstanding the devastating circumstances that have led them to flee their homes. He shows us how proximity to these brave migrants in detention, refugee camps, and shelters can inspire us as we face daily challenges to our fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. In this way, Hope on the Border is roadmap to navigate these troubled times with empathy and an eye towards a brighter future.”
―David C. Baluarte, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
Purchase Here: https://www.churchpublishing.org/hopeontheborder




“This collection reflects an original voice that all at once presents a perfect alchemy, blending creative force with the tenderness of a speaker telling profound truths with conviction and beauty.” — Marjorie Agosín
“Seth Michelson’s poems, one after another, wrangle the brutal and broken world into something that sings. This is hard work, and good work.” — Ross Gay


“Heartbeat and hymn, prayer and curse, Seth Michelson’s vigorous, spellbinding verse tackles the unbearable and that what must not be told. From the torture dens of Buenos Aires to the hospital beds of L.A. County, these Eyes Like Broken Windows summon us to bear witness until we decipher the truth that hides at the center of this visionary collection: ‘yes, we exist / where we’re erased.'” — Alicia Partnoy
“Seth is interested in pain and beauty. The cusp moments of life bend for him into moments of grace, ‘So that’s your Bach, those fine moments / of primeval release.’ He loves those moments of breaking and typically brings the reader into them.” — Kate Gale

“[A]n important precedent for the inclusion of silenced voices in the literary discourse and immigration rhetoric of the United States” – Arthur Dixon













