With the April issue, we say goodbye to Don Bell, our Founde Bookes columnist. Don passed away on March 6. He managed to complete the installment we publish here, "The Blue Notebook", in late February. It is as wonderful as all his other columns. Daniel Bell, his son, has written a parting column for us which will appear in the May edition.
Maryse CondT and the Blue Metropolis
Books in Canada is pleased to present "Spotlight on Maryse CondT". CondT, a remarkable individual and author of numerous novels, works of non-fiction, several plays and short story collections, is being awarded the Blue Metropolis International Literary Grand Prix. Her life and literary achievements are described by our own remarkable contributor, Joan Givner.
Now in its fifth year, the Blue Metropolis (taking place April 2-6) aims to bring together important French- and English-Canadian writers, First Nations authors as well as noteworthy literary figures from all over the world. Barbara Gowdy, whose latest novel, The Romantic, is reviewed here by Linda Morra, and HermTnTgilde Chiasson, whose poetic musings in Available Light are examined by Michael Greenstein side by side with Nancy Huston's essays in Losing North, are two of a large roster of exceptional writers invited to this year's festival.

April is poetry month and we celebrate it with an expanded poetry section consisting of two features: The first is on Milton Acorn, with a review of The Edge of Home: Milton Acorn from the Island, an essay on the politics behind Acorn's poetry, as well as some uproarious recollections of the man excerpted from Joe Rosenblatt's Lunatic Muse. The second feature deals with the Sonnet, its origins, form, and its more current appearance in a number of poetry collections and recent anthologies. In addition, we're presenting the sonnets of our own contributors.
Many other reviews in this issue have a connection to poetry. Among these is an ambitious tackling of three books on Shakespeare by Keith Garebian, who is a poet himself and has recently been recognized with the top prize in the Scarborough Arts Council Annual Poetry Contest. Garebian's is a provocative piece. Read it and the rest.

Erratum
I overlooked an error on the cover of the March 2002 issue. Pier Giorgio Di Cicco laughed it off as one of those absurdities he mentions in the interview which Harold Heft conducted with him for March, but I feel it merits mention if only to make sure our readers know that the handsome man, priest and poet, pictured on the cover is not 'Pierre Di Cicco' but Pier Giorgio Di Cicco. Di Cicco has a large following. I hope his devotees can forgive this gaffe. Olga Stein