Land of Forgotten Fish

by W.L. Gertz

A bold collection of poems that captures the collisions of memory, history, and dream. From the turbulence of the 1970s to the dissonance of modern times, these verses move through war, solitude, fleeting love, and the strange beauty found in loss. With imagery that is at once haunting and surreal, the collection reflects on survival, disillusion, and the enduring power of art. By turns raw and tender, Land of Forgotten Fish invites readers to pause, reflect, and rediscover what remains when the world forgets.

51 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 13, 2026

Reviews

[Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

won a copy through a goodreads giveaway

quick read since it's poetry, but very thought provoking. it could get confusing at certain points and i had no idea what the author was trying to get at. will be sharing some highlights soon

[bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a restless, searching quality to Land of Forgotten Fish that makes it feel deeply human. WL Gertz writes about youth, politics, illness, identity, and memory with a voice that shifts from defiant to contemplative as the years unfold.

I especially appreciated how the later poems confront growing older without sentimentality. The revolutionary fire of youth gives way to quieter reflections, yellow wine, lavender cords, thoughts before dawn. It’s a collection that lingers not because it answers big questions, but because it keeps asking them.

[Job · Rating 5 out of 5]

What stayed with me most is how the later poems soften without losing their edge. Pieces like “Stateless” and “I Think I Missed It” feel reflective, even vulnerable, as the speaker wrestles with identity, aging, and relevance. It’s messy in an intentional way, more like memory than narrative, and that’s exactly its power.

[Maryrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection reads like a lifelong argument with the world. In Land of Forgotten Fish, WL Gertz moves from Brooklyn streets to Venice canals to war-shadowed cities, but the real landscape is internal, art versus commerce, dreams versus reality.

[Lisa Thorpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the opportunity to read your work.