“Martin explores…myths in gritty, sensual, and historically vivid language. This ambitious debut immerses us in the tar of archaeology and the bite of our own environmental dilemma.”
— Jury Citation, Raymond Souster Award (shortlisted) 

“Martin’s troubling of the history of the tar sands in this impressive first poetry collection invites more historical and creative work in this vein.”
— Melanie Dennis Unrau, The Goose

“Martin’s complex collection criticizes the hubristic development of the tar sands and unearths fixed forms to reckon with environmental change.”
— Kait Pinder, Canadian Literature

“This book is a wild ride, chilling at times though leavened with dark humour, and the poet has an ominous warning for politicians and taxpayers to come.”
— Sid Marty, Alberta Views

“Martin's Tar Swan illuminates the degradation of the non-human and human world in four fictive voices bound by a specific thematic and historical period.... this work quickens.“
— Deanna Radford, ARC Poetry Magazine

“This is a remarkable collection…”
— Anne Burke, The Prairie Journal