Best Canadian Poetry 2026 - by Anita Lahey (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Selected by editor Mary Dalton, the 2026 edition of Best Canadian Poetry showcases the best Canadian poetry writing published in the past year.

Featuring introductions by Mary Dalton and series editor Anita Lahey, Best Canadian Poetry 2026 offers a collection of brief but impactful glimpses into our current literary landscape, that expands our worldview and continues in the series tradition of asking: What constitutes a great poem?

Featuring:

John Wall Barger - Ronna Bloom - Nicholas Bradley - Petra Chambers - Carolina Corcoran - Kayla Czaga - Danielle Devereaux - Irina Dumitrescu - Puneet Dutt - Darrell Epp - Susan Glickman - Ariel Gordon - Jennifer Gossoo - Sue Goyette - Richard Greene - Glenn Hayes - Henry Heavyshield - Dave Hickey - Nancy Huggett - Kevin Irie - Emily Kedar - Conor Kerr - Evelyn Lau - Sylvia Legris - Steve McOrmond - Estlin McPhee - M.W. Miller - Khashayar "Kess" Mohammadi - George Moore - Paul Moorehead - A.F. Moritz - Megan Morrison - Erín Moure - Cassandra Myers - Shane Neilson - Nofel - David O'Meara - John O'Neill - Michael Ondaatje - Craig Francis Power - John Reibetanz - Ozayr Saloojee - Vivek Sharma - Sue Sinclair - Karen Solie - Misha Solomon - Susan White - Erin Wilson - Jaeyun Yoo - Patricia Young

Review Quotes

Praise for Best Canadian Poetry

"A magnet, I think, for the many people who would like to know contemporary poetry."
--A.F. Moritz, Griffin Poetry Prize winner

"One of the gifts America gave Canadian poetry was Molly Peacock, a famed poet who, upon arrival in Toronto, originated the Best Canadian Poetry series, transplanting your grand tradition here . . . You might not be able to get the news from this book, exactly, but you can find that which will keep you from corruption yourself."
--Shane Neilson, Washington Independent Review of Books

"The wide range of writers, forms and themes represented here make it a great jumping-off point for readers who might be interested in Canadian poetry but are unsure about where to start."
--Globe and Mail

"One of the best things about the end of the year is having a chance to look back. The three Best Canadian volumes . . . are a snapshot of some of the finest in Canadian writing this year."
--Robert J. Wiersema, Toronto Star

"Buy it, or borrow it, but do read it."
--Arc Poetry Magazine

"[These] books are must-haves for libraries, schools, and intellectually well-intentioned bedside nightstands across the country."
--Quill & Quire

About the Author

Mary Dalton is the author of six books of poetry, among them Merrybegot, Red Ledger, Hooking, and Interrobang, as well as a prose miscellany, Edge: Essays, Reviews, Interviews. The book version of her 2020 Pratt Lecture, The Vernacular Strain in Newfoundland Poetry, was released by Breakwater in 2022. She lives in St. John's, Newfoundland.

Anita Lahey's third poetry collection, While Supplies Last, was published by Véhicule Press in 2023. She's also co-author of the graphic-novel-in-verse, Fire Monster, a collaboration with artist Pauline Conley (Palimpsest, 2023). Her memoir The Last Goldfish: a True Tale of Friendship was a finalist for the 2021 Ottawa Book Award. Anita first joined Best Canadian Poetry as assistant series editor in 2014, and has served as series editor since 2018. She lives with her family in Ottawa.