A Poet’s Life: Remembering Judith Fitzgerald • by Karl Jirgens 1

Hamilton Arts & Letters     Judith Fitzgerald rarely stood on ceremony. She spoke candidly about how things were, and how they could be. She dreamt and lived large. Her circle included some loyal friends near her home in the Almaguin Highlands, along with some of the finest writers in Canada, and around the world. Her poetry received praise and tributes from diverse journalists, authors and critics, including Michael Boughn, Barbara Carey, Leonard Cohen, Marlene Cookshaw, Tom Dilworth, Katherine Govier, Irving Layton, Alistair MacLeod, Daphne Marlatt, Karen Solie, David Staines, Bruce Whiteman, and Lorraine York, among many others. Marty Gervais, publisher of Black Moss Press, admired Fitzgerald’s editorial expertise and felt her writing was the most inventive and original in Canada. The late Alistair MacLeod said: “She is not only the most intelligent poet in Canada, she's also able to take language to new heights and is sensitive to language and all the nuances associated with it1.” Judith Fitzgerald was a fount of energy.     [  >>>>> FORWARD ]     ----------------------------- 1    Judith's Fitzgerald's website: www.judithfitzgerald.ca/criticalpraise.html.   [Distillate © HA&L + Karl Jirgens  |  {from the Greek bios} -- the course of a life.]