This spring the Friends of the Halifax Common released a collection of all-new poetry inspired by and in tribute to the 250th anniversary of Halifax's iconic green space(s). With a detailed introduction of "the common" as a concept born in 11th-century Britain through to the modern, local iteration, the collection speaks to its enclosed poets' ability to "share a common of the mind." Here the Common is both muse and misused; the site of rhododendrons in defiance of urban sprawl---but at its very core this book is a collective ode: 31 reasons why the Common should continue to be enjoyed by future generations, be they poets, pets or pedestrians. With contributions from well-loved poets as situated in our landscape as the space itself---Sue Goyette, George Elliott Clarke, Tanya Davis---as well as local historians, artists, and naturalists, Writing the Common is a tribute to the wild green heart of our city.
