Air Canada Owls: Travel Poems

by Glen Sorestad

In this collection of poetry by Glen Sorestad, a once-comfortable world takes on a startling and dreamlike quality when removed from the usual surroundings of home. These are poems about places encountered, from the oil donkeys rocking by the runway in Calgary to the fields of France seen through a train window. They are also about people observed and the nature of travelling. They move from his silent reflections on the nighttime street sweepers of Frankfurt to raucous encounters in the beer halls of Amsterdam, from airport departure lounges to secrets offered en route by anonymous strangers.

In these poems, the foreign world encountered is filtered through the perspective of home. Distances are measured in prairie miles; an Austrian hayfield is felt through the itch of Saskatchewan foxtail. The traveller arrives at unexpected destinations, and home is seen in a new and unfamiliar light upon return.

77 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Glen Sorestad is a nationally recognized poet who has published twenty books of poetry. His work has been recognized in Europe and the United States where throughout the years he has been invited to universities and writing festivals to present it. His work with the Saskatchewan Writers Guild earned him the Guild’s Founders’ Award in 1990. In subsequent years he was recognized by the Writers Union of Canada and in 1998 the League of Canadian Poets honoured him with Life Member status. In 2000 he was appointed the first Poet Laureate of Saskatchewan, a post that he served until 2004, and in 2010 he was appointed to the Order of Canada.

Reviews

[David Finger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This being my first introduction to Saskatchewan’s poet laureate Glen Sorestad I must say, I am impressed. Sorestad’s poems paint such a vivid picture in so few lines that you can’t help but be impressed. And as a world traveler myself I couldn’t help but relate to so many of his poems from such remarkable and unremarkable locations. From Amsterdam to Artesia, Glen is able to capture a snapshot of a moment. Some are poignant and some are absurd...but the poem still pulls you in and leave a small imprint of that moment with you long after you finish.