This collection comes from an alternate world of poetry running close beside our own, one which is always chugging away at shaping meaning and adding substance to our feelings. These poems are usually a study in near-solitude: domestic scenes, Michelangelo's Last Judgement, the myths of Egypt, skaters on the Rideau Canal. The poems don't so much tackle as trip over something like the truth, capturing the moment that brings together art and the observer, history and modern life, fact and fiction. The result is occasional rhyme and traditional forms, snatches of conversation, tiny dramas, painted moments, and an unflagging faith in Language and its ability to give us everything we need to learn and know.

Craig Poile grew up in New Brunswick. He earned degrees in Journalism and English Literature at Carleton University in Ottawa, where he now lives. He works as a technical writer, has been active as a playwright and theatre producer, and co-owns Collected Works Bookstore. His first book of poetry, First Crack, was shortlisted for the 1999 Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. He and his partner Christopher have two children, Lily and Samantha.

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