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Optician To The Stars

Optician To The Stars

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Available NOW! | Poetry - Paperback

** all profits to go to the author's Godson, Alex

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 more brief and 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 collection nevertheless unfolds 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.

A fun AI-generated blurb: Optician To The Stars, featuring expert optician Todd Swift, brings you the highest quality eyewear for all your vision needs. Trust in Todd's expertise to provide you with the best fit and style for your glasses, ensuring you have the clearest, most comfortable vision possible. Upgrade your eyewear game with Optician To The Stars.*


*SWIFT IS NOT AN OPTICIAN, CHATGPT

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Stanley Todd Swift

born in Montreal, Canada, in 1966, was named after his British granddad, Stanley Swift, and Todd, the character from the TV show Route 66. He was a 2017-2018 Visiting Scholar at Pembroke College, Cambridge, as the Writer-in-residence. He has had over twenty collections of his own poetry published, by presses in Canada, the US, Ireland, and the UK. Mentored by A. Alvarez in London, he considers himself a confessional poet. He has a PhD in creative and critical writing from the UEA, where his supervisors included George Szirtes, Denise Riley and Jon Cook.

He is a book collector, lover of cats, and keen swimmer. He has many wonderful nieces and nephews, and one godson, the beautiful lad Alex. He has written over 100 hours of television, including for Paramount, the CBC, Fox, CINAR, Disney, and HBO - and was the series editor for anime cult classic Sailor Moon.

"Todd Swift is the Orson Welles of contemporary poetry" -
Professor Mark Ford