The Best of the Best Canadian Poetry in English takes the pulse of the last decade of Canadian poetry with ninety superb poems that have excelled—twice—at the test of “the best.” With poems chosen from the first nine volumes of this landmark Series, this special tenth-anniversary edition highlights a vibrant variety of Subjects from romance and family to ecology and the economy—not to mention blizzards and bears. Ranging from iconic poets Michael Ondaatje, Anne Carson, George Elliott Clarke, and P.K. Page to notable upstarts, the anthology includes an index for readers, notes from the poets, an illuminating analysis of Canadian poetics by Series editor Molly Peacock, and provocative excerpts from past introductions by guest editors Stephanie Bolster, A.F. Moritz, Lorna Crozier, Priscila Uppal, Carmine Starnino, Sue Goyette, Sonnet L’Abbé, Jacob McArthur Mooney, and Helen Humphreys.

Anita Lahey's poems have appeared in the Malahat Review, the Antigonish Review, Prairie Fire, This Magazine, in Ottawa buses as part of the Transpoetry competition, and in The New Canon: An Anthology of Canadian Poetry. She has won the Great Blue Heron Poetry Contest, Ralph Gustafson Prize for Best Poem, and first prize for poetry in Pagitica's annual literary competition. Lahey is the editor of Arc: Canada's Poetry Magazine and lives in Montreal.

Anita Lahey's profile page

Molly Peacock is the author of six volumes of poetry, including The Second Blush (McClelland & Stewart, 2009) and Cornucopia: New & Selected Poems (W.W. Norton); a memoir, Paradise, Piece by Piece; and a one-woman show in poems, “The Shimmering Verge” produced by Louise Fagan Productions (London, Ontario). She has been series editor of The Best Canadian Poetry in English since 2007, as well as a contributing editor of the Literary Review of Canada and a faculty mentor at the Spalding MFA Program. Her poetry, published in leading literary journals in North America and the UK, is widely anthologized. Her latest work of nonfiction is The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delany Begins Her Life's Work at 72 (McClelland & Stewart, 2010).

Molly Peacock's profile page

"Canada’s most eloquent, profound, humorous and meditative writers, ranging from the seasoned and well known to the new and upcoming." —Eric Schmaltz, Broken Pencil 

“Buy it, or borrow it, but do read it." —Paul Tyler, Arc Poetry Annual

"A great jumping-off point for readers who might be interested in Canadian poetry but are unsure about where to start." —Emma Healey, Globe and Mail 

"From love and loss to the political, from formal to informal verse, the Best Canadian Poetry Series offers an annual sampling of voices and experiences—a little slice of Canadiana that may be appreciated beyond borders as well." —Lori A. May, Examiner.com

“A collection as complex and satisfying as a symphony." —Publishers Weekly

"Bits of eternity, arranged alphabetically by author." —Merilyn Simonds, Kingston Whig-Standard