Broken Dawn Blessings: Poems

(Paperback)

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Trillium Book Award-winning poet Adam Sol's newest collection of contemporary poetry. A collection of poems, loosely linked to the traditional Jewish morning prayers, the Birchot haShachar, that try to find moments of blessing in the midst of personal and public pain, shame, and worry.

Trillium Book Awardwinning poet Adam Sols newest collection is made up of poems that are loosely linked to the traditional Jewish morning prayers, the Birchot haShachar, which try to find moments of blessing in the midst of personal and public pain, shame, and worry. How do we respond to others pain, both the pain of those we love and the larger global pain of those we dont know In a religious context, a witness can offer blessing when those in the midst of suffering cannot. Taking on the responsibility of blessing, then, is a way to shoulder that burden for the sufferer. This presupposes the idea that blessing is a necessity which may be a point up for debate. In the context of his wifes recovery from surgery, and with civic violence prevalent in his city, the speaker of these poems leans on the structure of the Birchot haShachar (dawn blessings) to carve out space for empathy, complaint, and occasional flashes of wonder. These poems showcase Sols trademark blend of humor and lyric virtuosity, and display his familiarity with Jewish texts and traditions, but add a new intimacy and urgency that break new ground for one of Canadas most respected poets. It is his most risky and most accomplished collection to date.Trillium Book Awardwinning poet Adam Sols newest collection of contemporary poetry.

Reviews

"In your hand is a manifest of wrecked words haunting a city's fratricidal concerns. What is true of impermanence and grief in these dawns are lucid doors that aim to breach the need of a world wrinkled by violence and fear. But, also, here is awe." -- Canisia Lubrin, winner of the Windham Campbell and Griffin Poetry Prizes and author of The Dyzgraphxst
"This vulnerable, heartbreaking, witty, kind, sometimes angry, and always honest book masterfully and generously intertwines private and public concerns. As his beloved 'drifts from room to room, ' recovering from cancer surgery, the speaker goes deeper into his own mind, to find poems that do the necessary work of clarifying our complexities. This book is a treasure for all of us as we struggle and love." -- Matthew Zapruder, author of Why Poetry and Father's Day

Author Bio

Adam Sol has published four previous books of poetry, and one collection of essays, How a Poem Moves: A Field Guide for Readers of Poetry. He is the Coordinator of the Creative Expression & Society Program at the University of Toronto's Victoria College. He lives in Toronto, Ontario