A distinctive feature of Salzman’s work is her “American voice”, which “swaggers sassily across the proprieties of English metre”. This unique blend is informed by her dual nationality and her early poetic masters, Joseph Brodsky and Derek Walcott, from whom she developed a “conversational ease”. She is credited with helping to “revive the sonnet” with a “cheeky, ironical” style. Her poems are noted for their “brutal honesty, employing a poetic language that is eloquent and bold, scathing and tender”.

Salzman’s poetry explores sharply contemporary society, the unreliability of memory, and especially identity, gender, and love. She also tackles themes of exile and outsiders, drawing from her experiences and observations. While often pigeonholed as an “urban girl, urban poet, urban concerns” writer, Salzman sees much of her work as lyrical and considers herself a nature poet, emphasizing her engagement with “life-affirming writing” amidst themes of mortality.

She prefers to write poetry longhand as a “physical experience,” believing the “sensual and sensuous qualities of the words travel up through the pen, not through the computer”. Her approach to poetry often involves a subtle sense of poise, influenced by her background in dance. Poems like “Air Mail” demonstrate her unique ability to use clarity while maintaining “fertile poetic ambiguity,” aiming for a profound connection with the reader. Specific poems like “Trepanned,” “Grief,” and “Never over the nearly over” have appeared in prestigious publications such as The Independent, The New Yorker, and Granta.