Laura Lush's new collection of poems is nature poetry at its strongest and most insightful, the images connecting to give voice to our many uncertainties as we creep further into an already darkening twenty-first century. With an unwavering eye, Lush focuses on the spiritual tenacity needed to make our way through difficult times. Lush's sharply drawn images make us aware that winter braces the soul, enlivening the instinct for life – as we turn to face the cold wintry blast. "Winter,"she says, "teaches us to love the long / liturgies of ice, the sudden stopping of water / before the black flock of birds / lifts blindly off the pond." For Lush, to understand nature is to know how to die and, therefore, to live.

Laura Lush, known for her highly imagistic and lyrical poetry, lives and teaches in Toronto. She has published two previous collections of poems: Hometown, which was nominated for the 1992 Governor General’s Award for Poetry, and Fault Line (1997). Poems from The First Day of Winter earned her second place in the 2002 CBC Literary Contest. Her first collection of fiction, Going to the Zoo, is to be published by Turnstone Press.

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