Books & Chapbooks
Huge Blue
Book of Poetry (2009)
Release Date: Sept. 17th, 2009
Publisher: Leaf Press (Lantzville, BC, Canada)
104 pages, perfect bound, scarlet fly sheets, 4.25" x 5"
ISBN: 978-1-926655-02-4
Summary
In his first full-length collection of poetry, Huge Blue, Edmonton writer Patrick M. Pilarski explores the relationships between people and places; between the urban and natural world. A collection of short-form travel sketches—contemporary haiku, tanka, haibun, tanka prose, senryu, and quatrains—Huge Blue is a poetic tour guide to Canada's stunning western landscapes.
Huge Blue bridges contrasting physical landscapes with recurring characters and images—crows, moments, light and sky. These lead the reader through each different environment, presenting snapshots of rich diversity while at the same time connecting to a unified progression of time and place. Using precise and direct language, the poems in Huge Blue form junction points between humanity and wilderness under a vaulting expanse of sky.
Patrick Pilarski's spare poems shape a pointillist map of the west, placing dot by dot exactly on the large canvas of place and emotion. His poems locate "the quiet point a hook can never reach" with lyric exactness and flashes of sly fun.—Alice Major
Reviews and Recommendations
“Patrick Pilarski's small poems, or meditations, in his first collection Huge Blue leave monumental footfalls in recording the various terrains of western Canada. In the tradition of Japanese poetry—haiku, haibun, tanka and senryu—the crisp and condensed images embody a larger experience and draw the reader into a heightened intimate moment.” read more...
— Andrea McKenzie Raine, Victoria, B.C.
“An accomplished first book...”
— Haiku Canada Review
“[Pilarski's] poetry has come a long way in a short time...”
— Modern Haiku
“This is [Pilarski's] first full-length book, and a fine mixture of nature-themed work it is...”
—Frogpond
“Even the cold wind seems visible... Pilarski's words will take you high up in the Canadian skies... Huge Blue is so vivid you'd forget you are sitting in your home.” read more...
— Lanie Shanzyra Rebecanos, Philippines
“... deceptively simple words, perfectly precise.”
— Trek Magazine
Huge Blue also inspired its very own recipe, the Pilarski Marsh Pot, created by a good friend (and most excellent chef) from What's Cooking With Doc. Be sure to check it out!
Purchasing Information
Huge Blue was released for sale on September 17th, 2009. It can be ordered directly from the publisher Leaf Press (free shipping), via Chapters/Indigo, and can also be purchased from a number of independent booksellers across Canada.
In Alberta, Huge Blue can also be purchased from the following fine book retailers:
- Audreys Books (Edmonton)
- University of Alberta Bookstore (Edmonton)
- Chapters on Whyte Avenue (Edmonton)
- Pages on Kennsington (Calgary)
