'No Straight Lines is a book of warm, but never soggy, poems. It is a book where empathy shines. Robyn Black cares about the outsiders of our society. She cares about the natural environment as well, but not in a gushy 'isn't it lovely' way. She appreciates the harshness, the brutality out there. The poems about her family, dealing with elderly mental deterioration, are especially impressive. Tightly written, with occasional surprising twists, the poems in No Straight Lines will fly arrow straight into the heart and mind of any reader with half a soul.' - David Kelly