 Tilt: Poemsby E. Blagrave Cormorant Books, 2012 E. Blagrave was twenty-three years old when The Fiddlehead published all thirteen of her submissions in a single issue. Forty years later, those thirteen poems—brief and startling snapshots of the natural world in flux—appear in their original form in Blagrave’s first collection, Tilt. The collection is filled out with her work from the past few years, and her publisher, Cormorant Books, makes note of her gap in production on the book’s jacket. What’s most interesting about her publishing history is how little it matters to the continuity of the collection. Her older poems like “The Sea Gull” and “Sooke River” are threaded between newer work like “Ghosts” and “All Day The Rain”. Blagrave’s voice is undiminished despite decades when she didn’t publish any verse; it is rooted in the material and familiar tropes of Canadian literature, but also too ethereal to pin down to a formal or a traditional sense of narrative. Most poems don’t extend beyond a page but manage to tap into eternal concepts in only a few terse lines, like in “Dad” where “Profound love/beat against the tides/seemed to make the moon grow/he understood me/knew what made me/rampage through night” (37, 10-15). Her ethereal style is paired with a microscopic eye for detail, so Blagrave doesn’t avoid the big stuff, either. In “I catalogue the books” self-awareness prevails: “I catalogue the books/I make my bed of leaves/I live in a century/of turmoil” (50,1-4). The chaos of the 20th century fuels Blagrave’s blatantly naturalistic, fanciful and spirit-like voice. While she may argue “false hope/ plagues me/ I deliver these/ few poems/ in your hands” (57, 12-16) there is no doubt readers wish she would deliver those few poems more often. Alex J. Carey graduated from Western University with an honours degree in English Literature with a minor in Creative Writing. He is the runner up for Western's 2013 Alfred R. Poynt Award in Poetry. His short fiction has appeared in The Regis, and he has written music and book reviews for The Gazette and Qwiklit. Reading and writing is a good time, but all in all, he'd rather be camping.
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RUSTY RECOMMENDS
In the spirit of supporting writing—especially writing that's off the radar or under appreciated—we want to know what you are excited about reading and what you think we should be reading. Your recommendations should be paragraph length (approximately 250 to 300 words) and should briefly summarize the book and detail why you are recommending it or why you think others should read it. Send our reviews editor Aaron Schneider your recommendations of Canadian and International fiction and poetry. Please write "Rusty Recommends" in the subject line. Include your (250 to 300 word) recommendation, name, and a link to your website, blog, or social media site (if you have one). Selected recommendations will be posted on our website. We will contact you if your recommendation is selected for publication. There is no payment for publication of Rusty Recommends. Archives
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Dr. Aaron Schneider completed a PhD. in Canadian Literature at Western University where he currently teaches courses in public speaking, political rhetoric and Canadian Literature. He is excited about bringing together his interests in World and Canadian Literature. He is the co-founder and co-editor of The Rusty Toque and Western's online student journal Occasus. |
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