Bait & Switch: Essays, Reviews, Conversations, and Views on Canadian Poetry

In Bait & Switch, Jim Johnstone?poet, editor, and erstwhile physiologist?turns his considerable analytic powers to Canadian poetry, presenting a series of essays and reviews exploring the state of Canadian poetry in the 21st century through the lens of a trained scientist.

With characteristic empathy and a researcher?s eye, Johnstone explores a variety of topics, including the legacy of science poetry in Canada, the spark that gives rise to the pre-poem moment, and technology and its attendant opportunities for artistic collaboration. He also considers major works by both prominent and up-and-coming Canadian poets, from Christian Bök and Karen Solie to Nyla Matuk and Michael Prior, and takes a deep dive into career retrospectives by Don McKay, bill bissett, and Carmine Starnino.

But Bait & Switch is far from a cold dissection of contemporary verse; it offers a look into Johnstone?s personal evolution as he opts for a writing life based on the ?irresistible force? that is poetry, and gives a behind-the-scenes look at his editorial experience mentoring and promoting Canadian authors.

Jim Johnstone is a Toronto-based poet, editor, and critic. He is the author of seven collections of poetry including Infinity Network, which was shortlisted for the 2023 ReLit Award. He is also the winner of several awards including the Bliss Carman Poetry Award, a CBC Literary Award, the Ralph Gustafson Poetry Prize, the Robin Blaser Award, and Poetry?s Editors Prize for Book Reviewing. Currently, Johnstone curates the Anstruther Books imprint at Palimpsest Press, where he published The Next Wave: An Anthology of 21st Century Canadian Poetry.