Poems for a Small Park

Blodgett wrote his poems for a small park in English and some in French, but was able to have some of them translated into Cree, Michif, Chinese, and Ukrainian. This reflects Edmonton’s unique multicultural ambience and the roles of diverse cultures in the making of the city.The powerful images and thoughtful metaphors in these short lyrics show readers the connections between Canadian nature (even within city limits) and the sublime, especially in the overwhelming silence we can sense outdoors – if we pay attention. The poet speaks to change by helping us see natural phenomena around us in a different light each time we read his poems.

Blodgett is known as a highly literary poet, and he does not disappoint in these small lyrics, yet they are clear, almost transparent, in their use of plain language, highly compressed and pointed. - Douglas Barbour, author of Breath Takes

E.D. Blodgett, FRSC, is UniversityProfessor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at the University ofAlberta, and holds the Louis Desrochers Chair in Études Canadiennes atits Campus Saint-Jean. He has published 18 books of poetry, two ofwhich won the Governor General's Award, as well as Five-PartInvention: A History of Literary history in Canada. In 2007, hewas appointed Poet Laureate of Edmonton.