This Sunday, Ted Wilson turned five. Happy anniversary, Ted!
In the latest “Last Book I Loved,” Michelle King finds a kindred spirit in Sylvia Plath, who, the first time she kissed husband Ted Hughes, allegedly bit his cheek and drew blood. King, in turn, admits to shattering wine glasses—intentionally and unintentionally—and goes on to declare that “Sylvia and I are women who break things, even when we are trying to clean them.” Sylvia Plath’s relationship with Ted Hughes is at the center of The Silent Woman, Janet Malcolm’s biography of the poet.
And in the Sunday Essay, the sudden death of her husband’s elderly friend gives Jennifer Pastiloff cause for introspection. After examining her own life and circumstances, Pastiloff asks a pressing question: what do the dead leave behind? The answer to this question leads her unerringly toward a reckoning.
Lastly, in a review of this year’s Griffin Poetry Prize Anthology, Lois Bassen guides us through some standout winners of Canada’s “most generous” poetry award. Each year, one prize goes to a Canadian and one to an international poet writing in English. From Anne Carson and Brenda Hillman to Carl Phillips and Sue Goyette, this anthology teems with talent.
