In 63 poems and 12 original watercolors, Dan Liberthson blurs the line between human and animal with humor, tenderness, and insight.
November 2025 — Lovers of cats and poetry alike will be delighted by A Carnival of Cats, the latest collection from award-winning poet Dan Liberthson. His work has been featured on The Writer’s Almanac and has won prizes in several state poetry contests affiliated with the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. This new collection offers a poetic journey through the enchanting, complex world of cats—those captivating creatures who both comfort and confound their human companions.
Featuring sixty-three poems and twelve exquisite watercolor paintings, A Carnival of Cats explores the beauty, humor, and mystery of feline life. Liberthson captures each cat’s unique personality through verse that is whimsical, profound, and deeply moving by turns. From cherished pets and stray wanderers to fleeting encounters, the poems paint vividly imagined portraits of cats’ inner world and capture the human emotions they stir.
“To say I am a ‘cat person’ would be an understatement,” writes Liberthson. “Throughout my life, I have been enchanted, thrilled, moved, amused, and inspired by every cat that has crossed my path… Gradually, I began to hear what all the cats I’ve known had been urging through the years: You need to write a book all about us.” The result is a heartfelt tribute that reveals as much about human nature as it does about the feline spirit.
Blending rhyming and free verse, the poems in A Carnival of Cats range from playful to poignant, examining cats as muses, tricksters, orphans, gods, predators, and companions. The collection loosens the boundary between human and animal, exploring the profound connections—and sometimes comic misunderstandings—that bind the two species.
Liberthson, who has a PhD in English and is the author of six poetry collections, brings a scholar’s precision and a cat lover’s passion to his work. His previous titles include A Family Album, The Pitch is on the Way—Poems About Baseball and Life, Animal Songs, and A Poetry of Birds.
Now retired from careers in teaching and medical writing, Liberthson lives with his wife, two cats, and a dog in San Francisco, California, and Cottage Grove, Oregon. A Carnival of Cats invites readers to see the world through feline eyes—and, perhaps, to recognize a little of themselves in the creatures that curl up beside them.
A Carnival of Cats is available now through major book retailers.
