The Universe Is One Poem

William Blackburn is a professor of English at the University of
Calgary.

As the editor points out, the four poets who have contributed essays to
this anthology—Penn Kemp, Ted Plantos, George Swede, and Yvonne
Trainer—“are among the most sought after and experienced poetry
readers and workshop givers in the country. Each has visited hundreds of
elementary and high schools, libraries, colleges and universities
throughout Canada.” That experience is put to good use here, for the
authors have—wisely and humanely—resisted the temptation to produce
yet another volume of Collected Pontifications, or Greatest Acerbic
Remarks. Instead of telling us how poetry makes them feel all warm and
runny inside, Swede’s four poets choose to remind us, in Trainer’s
words, that “teaching poetry means talking about language and allowing
children to play with language.” These essays reflect the wisdom
gained over years spent working with children of all ages, encouraging
them to attempt the kinds of self-discovery that poetry writing makes
possible. There is much good advice, usefully illustrated by poems of
both mentors and students, in this short collection; while it will be
particularly helpful to teachers of language arts, it ought to appeal to
all readers who wish to learn how “to approach the poem from the
interior” and how to remain still until they “see the poem reveal
itself.”