“The poems in Spotlit by Sunlight stem from an unflinching acceptance of impermanence. Some simply convey the poet’s awe upon observing things that might otherwise go unnoticed. Others delight in the absurdities of daily life. In all the poems, John Brehm’s authenticity touches my heart and my soul.”

– Christopher Herold, author of Inside/Out and former editor of The Heron’s Nest

"Told with refreshing humor and self-awareness, the poems in Spotlit by Sunlight bring a Zen sensibility to the big questions of meaning, mortality, and acceptance.”

– Annette Makino, author of Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku

“This poetry is good medicine. Through grief or celebration, during seasons of renewal or times of decline, a well-written poem can accompany, even hold us. John Brehm’s Spotlit by Sunlight is a particular kind of tender and joyful medicine. Spotlit by Sunlight is a delight, a balm, a joy easy to appreciate when slowly ingested.”

– Koshin Paley Ellison, Zen teacher and author of Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion

“The taste of sunlight on summer grass
the sounds of creek water
the feeling of a true meeting
right here in my chest—
the piece that stands for the whole world—
John Brehm’s poems.”

– John Tarrant, author of The Story of the Buddha

“One wishes that a poet of John Brehm's compassion, wit, and intuition had come to haiku and senryu even sooner than he did. These disarming and conversational poems invite you to share the poet's open and meditative attentions, each moment sharply seen as if caught in sunlight.”

– Michael Dylan Welch, cofounder and director of the Haiku North America Conference