Two Maps of Emery is Laurence Hutchman's second book dedicated to the place in North York called Emery. Most in the GTA would not know of this place. But Hutchman brings it back to life in this book of memoir-styled poetry.
Divided into two sections: 'The First Map of Emery' begins with the story of John Graves Simcoe and finishes with the post-war period. 'The Second Map of Emery' details the arrival of families from elsewhere in Canada and Europe. Hutchman adds a personal touch by recounting his own family's journey to this new land as well as his own experiences growing up there.

Laurence Hutchman was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Toronto. He received his PhD from the Université de Montreal and has taught at a number of universities. For twenty-three years he was a professor of English literature at the Université de Moncton at the Edmundston Campus. Hutchman has published 13 books of poetry, including Foreign National, Beyond Borders, Reading the Water, Personal Encounters, Two Maps of Emery, The House of Shifting Time, Fire and Water (in collaboration with Eva Kolacz) and Swimming Toward Sun Collected Poems: 1968-2020. He has also co-edited the anthology Coastlines: The Poetry of Atlantic Canada and edited In the Writers’ Words.

His poetry has received many grants and awards, including the Alden Nowlan Award for Excellence and has been translated into numerous languages. In 2017 he was named poet laureate of Emery, north Toronto. He lives with his wife, the artist and poet, Eva Kolacz in Oakville, Ontario.

Laurence Hutchman's profile page