"The Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador is proud to present three poems from Mr. John Steffler's Helix which were inspired by items from our collections. Mr. Steffler's use of our collection illustrates one of the many ways in which archives contribute to our culture. We wish to thank Mr. Steffler and his publisher "Véhicule Press" for permission to publish this work."

Three of John Steffler's poems based upon PANL photo collection
A10-150 HOLLOWAY: JOHN'S BEACH	A20-86 POSTCARD:  CEMENT PLANT, 1955	VA28-24 POSTCARD:  PAPER MACHINE

 

Helix: New and Selected Poems [363] John Steffler Winner: Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards 2003 For the last twenty years, John Steffler has written poems of profound philosophical curiosity grounded in the landscapes of Newfoundland, Southern Ontario, Greece, and New Zealand. In Helix, Steffler’s fifth book of poetry, we see the full result of those travels: a lyricism distinguished by its scrupulous phrasing, thrilling evocativeness, and deep-timbred music. Helix presents arresting new work together with a selection from Steffler’s three previous much-praised volumes: The Grey Islands, The Wreckage of Play, and That Night We Were Ravenous. This collection is maybe the most persuasive argument yet for considering Steffler, in Don McKay’s words, “Canada’s most sensuously passionate writer.” John Steffler was born in Ontario but, since 1975, has lived in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, where he teaches at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. His novel, The Afterlife of George Cartwright (M&S), won the Smithbooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Thomas Raddall Award, and was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award and the Commonwealth Prize for Best First Book. That Night We Were Ravenous (M&S 1998) won the Atlantic Poetry Prize. * Information about author comes from the Véhicule Press website  Publication Date: October 20, 2002 Published by Signal Editions, Véhicule Press www.vehicule.com