The Winnipeg Free Press loves The Porcupinity of the Stars

'Hamilton writer Gary Barwin's latest collection, The Porcupinity of the Stars (Coach House Books, 96 pages, $17), is firmly in the experimental tradition.

Even though Barwin has supplemented what he calls his "old-school English language technology" (i.e. writing) with poetry-generating software, it is important to note that this is not a dispassionate surrealism.

There's a real depth of feeling and a surprising lyricism in these poems, such as 'Inside H':

"we mist the sky with our blue plum lungs / make heaven heron-dark with our breathing / fog the limits with spirit and blue exhalation."

Those who enjoy playing connect-the-dots can follow this poem back to Vancouver's bpNichol, who grew up in the H section of Winnipeg's Wildwood Park.

Literary sleuthing aside, this is a collection for both the heart and the head. Highly recommended.'