The poems in Ode to Dymphna weave and jolt through the human condition - what it means to inhabit a human body from its cellular to its intricate and holy machinations. They are raw and determined. They are haunting, and in some cases, haunted. They are intentional. They interrogate. They remember. They clap back. In this collection, resilience resonates through the familiar, the mundane, the unpleasant, and the necessary. In her careful eye for image, Robins captures hard truths: mortality is inevitable, these poems teach us, and grief is inevitable, but it is also the warmth of the human condition, in all of its messiness, that sustains us.

- Ariana D. Den Bleyker, founder and publisher of ELJ Editions, Ltd.

In this collection the poet comes into her full power. Biography flaring through into universal message. Meaning. Light. Incandescent and gritty. Not since finding Plath at 17 have I felt this kinship. But more hope here, more humility and love. I'm grateful for these poems. Rest in peace, hopelessness.

- E. K. Gordon, author of Love Cohoes and Walk with Us (Crandall, Dostie & Douglass Books). Professor of English, Northampton Community College

Ode to Dymphna is a real feast for thought and, at times, a real punch in the gut. Nina ponders important questions, like bacterial belief systems, and shares more anecdotes captured through the lens of her magnificent wit and humor. This might just be her best work yet!

- Michael A. Carroll, author of Storm of Summer and Scotch Sympathy