Landmarks: An Anthology of New Atlantic Canadian Poetry of the Land

Edward L. Edmonds is a professor of education at the University of
Prince Edward Island and an honorary chief of the Mi’kmaq of Prince
Edward Island.

According to the anthology’s prefatory quotation, “our landscapes
need honest poets.” Landmarks provides just that, featuring 86 poems
by 50 Atlantic-Canadian poets. Some, such as Lesley Choyce, David
Helwig, George Elliott Clarke, Fred Cogswell, Marty Dalton, Ross Leckie,
Liliane Welch, Brian Bartlett, John Smith, and Carole Glasser Langille,
are well known; but new poetic voices have also been included.

In addition to their critical introduction, editors Hugh MacDonald and
Brent MacLaine provide a pleasing selection of poems about the
region’s history and culture, and about the beauty of its landscapes.
From Deirdre Kessler’s keen, perceptive eye in “Blue Shank Road”
through George Elliott Clarke’s fulminations in “Public Enemy” to
the Antaean-like philosophy of genial John Smith, the selections offer
us a wide range of observations, feelings, and thoughts.

In sum, this volume of contemporary poems will both inform and delight.
Also worth noting is Julia Purcell’s cover art, which admirably
portrays Atlantic Canada’s tranquil rural landscape.