Taking off from the myth of human creation, this poetic collection explores the individual as a sentient mystery. The first section examines overlooked moments with urban characters — the woman on the bus, a neighbor talking to plants, or the girl smoking after a storm. The second section takes a confessional turn towards the author's inner life. At times reflective, instructional, playful, or strange, exception is found in the ineffable distinctions between people, selves, objects, and histories.

Gillian Sze is the author of multiple poetry collections, including Peeling Rambutan, Redrafting Winer and Panicle. Her work has been nominated for the QWF’s A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry, and has received awards such as the University of Winnipeg Writers’ Circle Prize and the 3Macs carte blanche Prize. She studied creative writing and English literature at Concordia University and received a PhD in études anglaises from the Université de Montréal. Originally from Winnipeg, she now resides in Montreal, where she teaches creative writing. The Night Is Deep and Wide is her first board book and was inspired by her son who was a challenging sleeper as a baby.

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