In the Clear: A Contemporary Canadian Poetry Anthology

Don Precosky teaches English at the College of New Caledonia and is the
co-editor of Four Realities: Poets of Northern B.C.

As described in the Editors’ Note, In the Clear is a collection of
poetry “that has been published over almost a quarter of a century by
poets at every stage of their artistic development.” The book is drawn
entirely from the archives of one publisher, so it does not quite live
up to the grandiosity of its subtitle. The authors reprinted reflect the
regional nature of Thistledown’s publishing history. The
contributors’ list is largely, though not exclusively, Saskocentric.

The works of four poets stand out in this anthology. Bert Almon’s
poems are intelligent and humane, with a perfect mixture of humor and
sadness. Peter Christensen presents spare, imagistic epiphanies: “Why
am I out here / Shaking my limbs / Doing some death shake / Inside this
cave?” (“Pretending to Dance”). The poems by Leona Gom focus on
domestic life as observed by someone who has been toughened by the
experience of growing up on a prairie farm. And then there’s Tom
Wayman; after all these years, I’m still a sucker for Wayman’s
“Wayman” alter ego as he stumbles through life.

In the Clear is a testimony to the work and accomplishment of the
people behind Thistledown Press.