Stratford-based poet Michael Smith lives with his cerebral palsy in a remarkably accepting and optimistic way, expressing gratitude for all those who love and care for him. These include many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends, including his aunt Sue Mavity and friend Lesley Walker-Fitzpatrick. His poetry reflects that optimism.

Imagination is not the exclusive domain of the young by any means, but kids certainly possess the freshness of perception and unfiltered ideas that are at the heart of all creativity. That can perhaps be seen best with the young poets in the Gibson family: Quinlan (age 14), Kingston (9) and Aquila (7).

Faera Lane was a true bookworm as a child and fell in love with words from a very young age. She was home schooled and her mother kept many books in the house but her first introduction to poetry was the local library, where she read works by poets like Emily Dickinson and Edgar Alan Poe. Lane says: “The way poetry utilized words with such complex economy to weave nuanced and sweeping narratives fascinated me.”