Maps of Invariance

by John Smith

Here, in his seventh collection, John Smith turns from lyrical poems to highly agile prose poetry that showcases his rare wit and wisdom. These poetic reflections, dreams, and essays gracefully explore the nature of our surroundings and build on the broader connections to the outer world.

Be prepared to stumble on the more-than-occasional mixed metaphors of the inspirationally half-waking mind. Tune your set accordingly And watch for lustre in the depths.

Praise for John Smith’s poetry

“Smith’s uncommon breadth of learning and nimble, capacious mind, in concert with an elegant formal touch and keen ear for the music of a line, make his best work appeal to both emotion and intellect.”

—Maisonneuve

“Smith’s vision is original.. . he makes brilliant connections between the abstract and the concrete, between ideas and life-as-it-is-lived... a superior poetic intelligence.”

— Atlantic Provinces Book Review

“The lyrics bespeak wonderment at how predictably contingent, yet how infallibly fresh, this world is

— George Elliott Clarke

“The power of Smith’s poems arises from their fusion of the cerebral and the sensual.”

— Books in Canada

About The Author

John Smith is Professor Emeritus at the University of Prince Edward Island, where he had been Dean of Arts and, for twenty-five years, a professor of English. In 2002, he was appointed Prince Edward Island’s first Poet Laureate. Six collections of his poetry have been published; his most recent is Fireflies in the Magnolia Grove (2004). The Toronto-born poet lives in Chanlottetown.