In Fine Form: A Contemporary Look at Form Poetry

In the decade since the publication of the first edition of In Fine Form, there has been a resurgence of poets writing in “form” – in sonnets and ghazals, triolets and ballads, villanelles and palindromes ― and formal poetry has become more visible in books, literary journals and classrooms. The first edition of this anthology was called “groundbreaking,” “a paradigm shift” and “a landmark text.” Since then, it has gone through several printings and been widely used in classrooms at all levels from elementary school to university, by writers who want to try something new, and by readers eager to explore a whole other side of poetry.

Of course, we have always written in form, and some of its early practitioners such as Charles G.D. Roberts and Robert Service are again represented here, as well as more recent writers such as PK Page, Margaret Atwood, Fred Wah, Rachel Rose, Christian Bök and George Elliott Clarke. The new edition includes 51 new poets including Nicole Brossard, Rob Taylor, Renée Sarojini Saklikar, Kyla Czaga, David O’Meara, Sheri-D Wilson, George Bowering, Lillian Allen, Marlene NorbeSe Philip, Mary Dalton, and also explores exciting new forms not acknowledged in most other anthologies including spoken word, prose poems, doublets, found poems and pas de deux.

In Fine Form Second Edition, is an anthology that continues to break new ground, a thrilling collection of more than 25 forms and 180 poems arranged by section, one for each form, with a brief introduction to the form’s history and variations. An extended essay explores common poetic terms and technical devices. Surprising and exhilarating, here is a showcase for some of the best poetry this country has produced.

Sandy Shreve has written, edited and/or co-edited seven books and two chapbooks. Her most recent poetry collection is Waiting for Albatross (Oolichan Books, 2015). Shreve’s contributions to the literary arts include founding BC’s Poetry in Transit program, as well as serving on a variety of committees and juries. Her poetry is widely anthologized and has won or been shortlisted for several awards. Now retired, she worked in communications for fifteen years and, prior to that, as an office manager, secretary, union coordinator, library assistant and reporter. Born in Quebec and raised in Sackville, New Brunswick, she lived for some 40 years in Vancouver, British Columbia. Sandy Shreve now makes her home on Pender Island in BC, where she is diving into a relatively new interest in photo art.

Kate Braid has edited, co-edited and written eleven books and two chapbooks of poetry and non-fiction, many of them about working people including miners, fishermen, and artists Emily Carr, Georgia O’Keeffe and Glen Gould. Her poetry has won or been nominated for national, provincial and local prizes. Her most recent poetry book, Rough Ground Revisited, based on her 25 years as a construction carpenter, is a companion to her memoir, Journeywoman: Swinging a Hammer in a Man’s World. For 12 years she also taught creative writing in Vancouver and Nanaimo, BC, including classes on how to write in form. In 2015 Braid won the Mayor of Vancouver’s Arts Award in recognition of leadership and contributions to the Vancouver literary arts. She divides her time between the beauties of Vancouver and Pender Island.