Short History of Pets won the 1999 CSU Poetry Center Prize, and was published by Cleveland State University Press in 2000. Of Short History of Pets, Naomi Shihab Nye wrote: "Short History of Pets is a knock-out punch from the get-go. With captivating power, it reminds us that what claims or appears to be short may also be profound, deep and enduring. Also, how many histories are hidden, and for how many diffcult reasons. Carol Potter writes with a magnetically potent instinct for pacing and a stunning originality of style. Her poems pull us into scenes, images, ragged relationships, complicated worlds of adults -- you'll come out voting for children and animals, as well as re-examnining every troubled saga you encounter with a more vivid eye and sense of smell. READ THIS BOOK: It's as important and indelible as that." --Naomi Shihab Nye


One of the poems in this book, "Three Crows", was awarded a Pushcart Prize in 2001.