What I look for in brilliant books and why I want to focus on reviewing books by Canadian women now

 I've been a reviewer, both paid and not, for over 15 years. Reviewing poetry books in Canada is indubitably almost a thankless task so why does one persist? Poetry is the abiding love of my life. When I write a review I feel I am providing real context for the reception of a book. Not a blurb, promo or an overview, but a critical plunge into the text, through which I am able to explore the structure, forms, history of influences and other prosodic aspects. Through this process, not only does the poet feel read, but their potential readers are given more terms and tools by which to enter the book and thereby, enable the work to impact their lives on a more meaningful level. That's the hope at any rate. Without deep readers, we are lost. 

And so, after writing Marrow Reviews for 12 years on my Wordpress site for free, and trying to switch to more paid reviewing for BC Review, Alberta Views, Freefall magazine and others, I realized I cannot entirely cease the public service of reviewing, and especially for Canadian women poets as still, in 2025, we are massively under-reviewed and thus, under-read. The literary world has become far too dominated by what I call "gold star" culture in which only the prize books get a chance, and what, pray tell, does this have to do with the vast and diverse ecosystem of writing the poem in this damaged and beautiful world we live in. 

So send me your poetry books published in this country and I will do what I can to speak of them with respect, and also honesty. Because this is what the ancient art of poetry deserves.