Winter, Glossolalia

"John James is a collage artist. He cuts and pastes, making neighbors of images across continents, across centuries." – Jane Zwart, Tupelo Quarterly; "James is a poet of staggering lyricism, intricate without ever obscuring his intent." – Shelf Awareness

A lyric, collage-like collection weaving language, art and climate anxiety, from the Max Ritvo Prize-winning poet John James.

Winter, Glossolalia is a carefully wrought collection of poems that probe the relationship between language and the world. 

Pairing verse with humorous and satirical imagery, John James investigates human creativity within material constraints, exploring artistic possibility and limitation. The poems draw parallels to classical works such as Virgil's Georgics while engaging urgently with contemporary concerns about climate change and environmental damage. 

A collage artist in verse, James makes neighbours of images across continents and centuries, delivering a lyricism praised as intricate without ever obscuring its intent.