In OPTICIAN TO THE STARS,

the British-Canadian Todd Swift, one of the

leading poet-editors of his generation, takes a look at

life with and without rose-tinted specs, considering

the sublunar world in all its beauty and horror. The

collection favours briefer, more epigrammatic poems,

often composed on his iPhone while waiting for

blood tests or unable to sleep. For the past two years

have seen Swift survive a blood clot on his heart,

and a life-changing diagnosis. Not a diary of disease

and recovery, and never seeking easy epiphanies, the

poems nevertheless unfold a tapestry of humane,

witty, and often formally-delightful perceptions. From

remembering poets who have died, to celebrating seeing

a movie star from Mad Max: Fury Road cycling past, these

are poems always seeking to see things, and say things,

with craft, skill, elegance, and joy.