The fine people at Vallum saw fit to publish an 8-page review of The Collected Poems of William Hawkins in their latest issue (13:1, “Open Theme”). David Swartz wrote the review, and I was delighted to see how much time he spent thinking about Louis Riel, which is almost certainly the book of Bill’s that has received the least attention over the years, critical or otherwise (none of it was included in his first selected poems, The Gift of Space, in 1971). Swartz is a good reader of Bill’s work. I couldn’t be happier. Thanks, Vallum, and thanks David!
What gives Hawkins’ poems depth is their immense weight and beauty, their intricacy of thought, luminosity, and comprehensibility. (David Swartz)
The timing is great, as the book just celebrated 1-year in the world (though we launched the book in June 2015, it arrived from the printers in April). I remain immensely proud to have edited it, and I hope that it keeps finding new readers for Bill. Go buy a copy if you haven’t already!
Cameron Anstee 