Winner of the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Award
In st. mary at main, Patrick Friesen’s lyrical toughness works beautifully to evoke the city of “ghost and muscle” and “frost and fire” that is Winnipeg. Written with clarity, insight, and deep compassion, these new poems are acutely tuned to “how the streets are wired” in a city where the omnipresent wind haunts every corner, and the music of the people seems to spill from every doorway.
News & Reviews
“This is a remarkable mix of images, variously personal, geographical, historical and poetic. The language [is] taut, layered, lyrical: in short, it becomes musical.” —Border Crossings
About the Author
Patrick Friesen writes poetry, drama, songs, and text for dance and music. Friesen has published more than a dozen books of poetry. He has also written two full-length plays, staged at various theatres in Canada. Friesen was short-listed for the Governor General’s Award for poetry in 1997. and for the Dorothy Livesay Award in 1998, and again in 2003. In 1994 his book Blasphemer’s Wheel (Turnstone Press) won the McNally Robinson Book of the Year award in Manitoba. Friesen now lives on Vancouver Island.
