The Island in Winter is Terence Young's fresh and broad take on the universe. With a wry sense of humour he chronicles his childhood, family, marriage and dreams. He explores the natural and symbolic landscape with a depth of vision that is surprising in a first book.

Terence Young recently retired from teaching English and creative writing at St. Michaels University School. He is a co-founder and former editor of The Claremont Review, an international literary journal for young writers. His first collection of poetry, The Island in Winter (Véhicule Press, 1999), was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award and the Gerald Lampert Award. Since then, he has published several books: a collection of stories, Rhymes With Useless, which was one of two runners-up for the annual Danuta Gleed award; a novel, After Goodlake’s, which received the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize in 2005; and a second collection of poetry, Moving Day, which was nominated for both the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize in 2006. In 2008, he was awarded the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence. More recently he received a National Magazine Award for his poem “The Bear,” and was the 2019 winner of the Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest. Young lives in Victoria, BC.

Terence Young's profile page

"Young is a storyteller and his ability to marry storylines to strongly crafted, richly imaged poetry, is a rare gift, indeed. [...] The Island In Winter is a truly remarkable first book and, by blending his considerable expertise as both fiction writer and poet, Young has made sure that it is one that can be read and appreciated by anyone who enjoys truly fine writing." —Ronnie R. Brown, Canadian Bookseller

"Young's work is sure-footed and entertaining, and he's adept with humour, at times using it to ground romanticism. ...This is a book that will have a wide range of appeal; even those readers not normally drawn to poetry will enjoy the poet's compassionate, forthright, and fresh vision. ...Young is an exceptional poet, and he's only going to get better." —Kelly Parsons, Malahat Review "This is a wonderful collection of joyful meditations in lyric narrative mode. The bulk of the poems are written in free verse strophes, but the occasional prose poem and exploration of parallel syntax in open form lyric add spice to the mix. Music and image are splendidly handled throughout, and Young is especially adept at creating the telling image. An auspicius beginning indeed." —Richard Stevenson, Books in Canada