Posted on October 23, 2013
The Breakwater Book of Contemporary Newfoundland Poetry, edited by Mark Callahan and James Langer, was published earlier this year and features the work of 11 poets who "developed—either by birth or residence—a strong relationship with the island of Newfoundland prior to the publication of their first full-length collection of poetry." This anthology includes the work of Al Pittman, Tom Dawe, John Steffler, Mary Dalton, Carmelita McGrath, Richard Greene, Michael Crummey, Agnes Walsh, Ken Babstock, Sue Sinclair, and Patrick Warner.
Fiddlehead editor Ross Leckie and I reached out to poets across the country to get their perspective on the 11 poets selected. We didn't want an overly complex analysis of the featured work, nor did we want to call into question the editors' selection. We wanted poets simply responding to poets. Appreciations. And the responses — we hope you agree — are thoughtful, generous, and illuminating.
Starting tomorrow and over the next several weeks and months, we'll be posting what came back to us over the electronic transom. On behalf of The Fiddlehead team, we hope you enjoy.
Ian LeTourneau
Poetry Co-editor
October 24: Richard Kemick on Tom Dawe
October 29: Stan Dragland on Agnes Walsh
November 5: John Steffler on Al Pittman
November 14: Katia Grubisic on Ken Babstock
November 20: Lynn Davies on Mary Dalton
November 26: Susan Gillis on Sue Sinclair
December 3: George Murray on Patrick Warner
December 9: Jeffery Donaldson on Richard Greene
December 16: Shoshanna Wingate on Carmelita McGrath
January 6, 2014: Lorna Crozier on Michael Crummey
January 16, 2014: Vanessa Moeller on John Steffler
Add new comment