One of three pamphlets in Thirty West's inaugural Pamphlet Series. The Legend of the Were Mer is not only a mixture of sea and sonnet, but also embodies the soul of transformation. With precise tenacity and purpose, Garth explores this fluidity of spirit through the static body of an English sonnet, allowing her words to transcend beyond the assumed confines of the form. Just like “the loneliness of limbs” reminds us of our grounding but uniqueness as humans, the inclusion of end rhymes and syllabic intent illustrates a mermaid’s flukes and fins; a creature seeped in the shores of human reality but ultimately shaped by the incessant waves of our unbridled imagination. —TE Tomaino, poet