ISBN 1-894838-10-6 - 96 pp - 6 x 9 - pb - $15.95

FIREFLIES IN THE MAGNOLIA GROVE

Poetry by John Smith

Shortlisted for the Atlantic Poetry Prize

In Fireflies in the Magnolia Grove, John Smith's sixth book of poetry, Prince Edward Island's first Poet Laureate offers up a dialogue about "being." In the intellectual context of modern times, he explores what it means to be human, as an individual, as one in relationship to others, and as a part of the earth and of the universe. As physics, algebra, and geometry collide with his own philosophical questionings, Smith uses language to bridge the ephemeral and the infinite. The poems are the distilled, heady musings of a writer whose poetic voice spans millennia.

"Smith's poetry is unabashedly intellectual . . . it is a style that few poets try and that fewer yet manage convincingly."

-- Zachariah Wells, Maissoneuve

"John Smith's poetry is a Hubble telescope, a museum of civilization, a modern dance company moving to the laws and surprises of physics, a baseball game with Bach on the mound and Shakespeare up to bat."

-- Dr. Richard Lemm, Author of Four Ways of Dealing with Bullies and In Love and Anger: Milton Acorn

"Fireflies in the Magnolia Grove presents a major Canadian poet at the height of his talents. Smith spins intricate nets of complex language that glint like spider webs across the lawn after a morning dew. This is poetry that does not apologize for its massive intelligence -- rather it extends the tendrils of its thinking through an astonishing array of sensuous images. In Smith's writing, 'the wind keeps trying new definitions of its name.' Every reader's poetry collection should include this book."

-- Ross Leckie, Editor of The Fiddlehead

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