Private Eye draws upon the metaphor of the poet as private investigator to uncover a world of wonder hidden beneath the ordinary. The precise yet musical use of language brings to life a world of food, fantasy, family and friendship, while penetrating the shadows of loss.

Wendy Morton, an insurance investigator for the past twenty-three years and a Victoria, British Columbia native, has a knack for ‘turning her poetry into currency’. After being stopped by a cop for speeding, Morton read him a poem and managed to get out of a ticket, which convinced her of the power of poetry. From there, Morton called WestJet Airlines and asked them if she could read and write poetry for passengers before and in exchange for flights; WestJet agreed making her its ‘Poet of the Skies’. Inspired by the ordinary and the poetry of Patrick Lane, Wendy Morton is able to successfully blend her past experiences as a private investigator into her poetry. Host of Mocambopo – a weekly poetry venue in Victoria, British Columbia, Morton published her first book of poetry, Private Eye, in 2001 as well as two other books of poetry, Undercover and Shadowcatcher, and a memoir entitled 6 Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Morton’s Private Eye has been praised for its ”intimate and evocative poetry that undoes the myth of the hard-boiled investigator, bringing the focus of her own ‘private eye’ a wish for grace“ (Tanis MacDonald – Antigonish Review). Patrick Lane also notes how ”It’s wonderful to have watched Wendy Morton over the years as she has developed her fine gift for poetry“.

Wendy Morton's profile page