With My Eyes Wide Open

“Fraser’s poetry provides rich pieces to share and consider.” —Toronto Star

“With a rare sort of graceful simplicity, [Fraser] takes readers boldly by the wrist and thrusts them into a room full of voices.” —Arc Poetry Magazine

“Michael Fraser, that prized poet – his Eyes Wide Open – be always surprised by how love uplifts us and always lets us down. Mom faces fists, while cool-hand Pops slicks ickily away, a poltergeist in polyester; or the beloved gal is always gone so long and way too soon; or the darling daughter gotta be street-proofed against the “side-eye” and the “n-word.” What I’s sayin is, in With My Eyes Wide Open, MF be breathtakingly personal, but also maybe at his personal best, and that’s sayin a lot, cos the dude got a display case full of trophies for Best Poem, Best Poetry, Best Poet! Rightly so! From the opening lines of the first poem, “In Passing,” you gonna hear blues memory; and then, in the lovelorn lyrics, you sound bossa nova lovemakin & R & B heartbreakin. Keep yo eyes on this prize!” —George Elliott Clarke, Canada’s Parliamentarian Poet Laureate Emeritus

Michael Fraser of Toronto was published in Best Canadian Poetry in English, 2013 and 2018. He has won numerous awards, including Freefall Magazine’s 2014 and 2015 poetry contests, the 2016 CBC Poetry Prize, the 2018 Gwendolyn MacEwen Poetry Competition, and the League of Canadian Poets’ 2022 Lesley Strutt Poetry Prize. With My Eyes Wide Open is his fourth poetry collection.