"Dam-Burst of Dreams" (published 1981), provided Nolan critical acclaim that compared him to the works of W. B. Yeats and James Joyce. The collection was published four years after Nolan was administered Lioresal but some of the poems were written when Nolan was just 12 years old. The title of the collection emphasized the theme surrounding most of the poems, the overflow and release of his mental intellect. His poems in the collection are heavy with alliteration, and incorporate words invented by Nolan utilizing the combination of pre-existing root words.