Bert Almon has been writing and publishing poetry since 1968, and he served as a professor of English Literature at the University of Alberta for forty years. The winner of many prestigious prizes, including the Stephan G. Stephansson Prize for Poetry (twice) and the City of Edmonton Book Prize, he was also inducted to the Edmonton Cultural Hall of Fame, an honour that took into account his role as mentor to many poets, a number of whom have well-established reputations. The Cracking Tower: New and Selected Poems is the first collection to give a retrospective overview of Bert Almon’s work as a poet and translator.

Selected by award-winning poet David Martin, in collaboration with the author, and edited by award-winning poet Wendy McGrath, this selection of Almon’s work gives readers an appreciation for the keen-eyed lyric voice that Almon has refined over many decades of writing, as well as a chance to read new works that continue to explore his storehouse of themes and subjects. Almon’s poetry uses fine-tuned lyric precision to consider his childhood in small-town Texas, the deprivations and hardships faced by his parents, his own journey to finding love and family life, and his passions for art and world travel.