Pleased to Meet You

by Romana Tarlamis

Pleased to Meet You is a soliloquy portraying the author’s life journey over three continents—through childhood, middle-hood, in the now and into the possible—written in search of meaning and connection.

Early Praise for Pleased to Meet You:

Pleased to Meet You, debut chapbook by Romana Tarlamis, is aptly named. She presents us with whimsey, mischief and a myriad of odd delights. “Cheers to the Assassin of Painterly” displays her feisty nature, it features Miro’s ghost and declares the necessity of tenacity for the imagination to prosper. Tarlamis uses commands with authority in order to inaugurate her spunk as she declares: Paint. Splatter. Drip. Lists of literary & historical allusion give her work depth as well as playfulness. Her bucolic tendencies are showcased in “Tree Hair” an historical & botanical combo. One page offers an over-the-top collection of southern cliches while the next explores the nature of the Minotaur. She then switches gears to present us with a tender portrait of her injured son. Startle is the norm: the title poem morphs into a culinary delight. Her elegy to her grandmother introduces us to her hum, whistle, wisps as well as depicting her radish-like knuckles—an imagistic tour de force. Her coming-of-age poem under a communist regime in 1973 is compelling. My favorite, “Icarus on Easy Street,” an ekphrastic prose poem describing Boss, from a satirical Charles Bragg etching. A plethora of fine epigraphs are sprinkled throughout the manuscript; it’s worth the read if only to savor those gems. Her final poem conveys transcendence and levity, which is reflected in its title: “Clown Cars, Cathedrals and Transience.” Well done, Romi!

—Sally Naylor, poet & teacher, author of First Light for Emerging Poets

Playful and profound, Pleased to Meet You is a lyrical meditation on the multiplicities of life—laughter and sorrow, music and silence, movement and stasis, dream and reality—where past, present, and future collide. Romana Tarlamis’ unparalleled skills as a painter and mixed medium artist, coupled with her uniquely singular vision, are in full force in this dazzling debut. Here is a stunning first collection filled with a bricolage of surreal and bold imagery—evocative glimmers and kinetic assemblage—shared by an equally assured (and assuring) voice that will awaken the reader’s mind and spirit to the delight of its inherent wisdom. What emerges from these colorfully vivid experiments and kaleidoscopic explorations in poetic form is a reverence for history, a yearning for the possible, and a deeper appreciation for the trembling here and now.

—Mikaela von Kursell, MFA, Florida Atlantic University

The introductory poem, “Sonder,” is the perfect entry into Romana’s vision. Each poem, a short story illuminating moments in her life, questioning and challenging the reader to marinate the words or phrases in their mind. These small paintings of the poet’s experiences are exquisite annotations to the larger novel of her life. Together they weave a tale told in painterly strokes. Some poems are thick with undertones, others flow with watercolorist wash. Please To Meet You is a mixed palette of humor, portraiture, and longing, a book of intimate sketches shaped into words.

—Charlotte Blair

About the Author

Romana Tarlamis was born in Slovakia, lived in Canada & Australia and currently resides in Florida. She recalls painting her first bouquet of Hydrangea at the age of seven while visiting her grandmother. In her current art practice, she uses mark making, multi-medium collage and writes poetry. She believes we make art by asking intentional questions to renew ourselves & strengthen our connection to each other and with the natural world. Her artistic influences are derived from collaborations and workshops with other artists and poets. In the past twenty plus years, she has had the privilege to serve clients transforming living and working spaces with murals, paintings & artistic finishes. Her works have been exhibited in the Mad & Noisy Gallery, Creemore, Canada, Lauderdale by the Sea Public Library, Ann Kolbe Nature Center, Coral Springs Art Museum & Weston Yoga Studio, Florida. Her poems and artwork have appeard in The Poeming Pigeon. When she isn’t painting or writing, she loves to cycle, practice Yoga, swim or just be with nature.

You can browse her art at: wallimpressions.com

Instagram: @romi3307  •  Facebook: Romana Artistry

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