Apostrophe 1. Rhet. A figure of speech, by which a speaker or writer suddenly stops in his discourse, and turns to address pointedly some person or thing, either present or absent; an exclamatory address. (OED) Renowned poet E.D. Blodgett extends his lyrical meditations to the limits of human knowing in Apostrophes VII: Sleep, You, a Tree. By remaining true to the ancient trope of direct address, he is able to sustain the merest suggestion of the infinite complexity of the natural world beyond "You," and thereby impress his breathtaking vision. Via sumptuous imagery commanded by musical lines and understated language, readers are invited to partake in the greatest marvels that happen to be all around us, and accessible to us, every day.

Poet and scholar, E.D. Blodgett has published seventeen books of poetry two of which were awarded the Governor General’s Award. He is an Emeritus Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Alberta. His research has varied from mediaeval European romance to Canadian Comparative Literature and his publications include Five-Part Invention: A History of Literary History in Canada (2003) and Elegy (2005).

Harold Coward is Professor Emeritus and the past director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria where he continues to be involved as a research fellow.

E.D. Blodgett's profile page

"Each time [the imagery of these interrelated poems is] transformed into an elegantly satisfying visual music that pulls the consciousness of the willing reader into a fresh perception of the connections among mind, language, and the world." Neil Querengesser, Canadian Literatures 214, Autumn 2012

"'The best part is the moment (often a long one) before one begins a poem. It is that state that Keats calls "negative capability," and it is a state that simply comes over one and almost dissolves one.' This moment or state leads to a particular sensibility that filters through Blodgett's work. "That the world, no matter how brutal and mindless it is tending to be, is a place of incomparable awe.'" Ariel Gordon, Prairie Books Now, Summer 2011

Blodgett's weaving of form and content is rare in contemplative poetics.... Blodgett's rhythms, both formal as in traditional sonnets but also relaxed in their line ends and break-up of rhythm, are delicious to the ear. Such poetry is made to read aloud." BC Bookworld