The Laurier Poetry series introduces the excitement of contemporary Canadian poetry to an audience that might not otherwise have access to it. Selected and introduced by a prominent critic, each volume presents a range of poems from across the poet's career and afterword by the poet him- or herself. Economically priced, these volumes offer readers in and out of classrooms useful, provocative, and comprehensive introductions to and contexts for a poet's work.
“Wilfrid Laurier University Press has done a great service to the cause of the preservation and dissemination of Canadian poetry by releasing an average of two such books a year in their continuing series.”
— John Herbert Cunningham, Prairie Fire Review of Books
“The quest for a wider audience for poetry may be quixotic, but this series makes a serious attempt to present attractive, affordable selections that speak to contemporary interests and topics that might engage a younger generation of readers. Yet it does not condescend, preferring to provide substantial and sophisticated poets to these new readers. At the very least, these slim volumes will make very useful introductory teaching texts in post-secondary classrooms because they whet the appetite without overwhelming.”
— Paul Milton, Canadian Literature
“I can say unreservedly that this series will be an invaluable resource to students and general poetry readers alike. Because even major Canadian poets must watch their books slip out of print, this series should do much to keep contemporary poetry in circulation. The books in the series will be logical choices for poetry or Canadian literature courses, either as a group, or as supplements to anthologies. The individual poetry selections are broad enough to give representation to the different stages in each poet's career. While I appreciated some introductions more than others, I found all five valuable in offering the reader a way into each poet's work. Moreover, the poets' afterwords often provide a complementary perspective—or even a counterweight—to the introductory critical appraisals. I think most teachers of poetry are always on the lookout for insightful poetics, not just to help understand the work of individual poets, but to understand more fully what the project of contemporary poetry is, and how poets achieve the desired result. Such teachers won't be disappointed by some fine insights provided by these poets.... [T]he Laurier Poetry Series... is providing an excellent model for keeping interest in Canada's contemporary poets alive.”
— Paul W. Harland, University of Alberta, Journal of Canadian Poetry
“The aim of the Laurier Poetry series is both admirable and exciting.”
— Erin Wunker, Canadian Literature
