In 1763, King George III granted 235 acres of common land “for the use of the inhabitants of the Town of Halifax forever.” This anthology celebrates the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the Halifax Common by collecting an impressive offering of poems about the Common by thirty-one writers. These poems reflect the diversity of ways in which citizens relate to the Common, their subject matter ranging from the rhododendrons in the Public Gardens to the Rolling Stones concert, from romances to dog walking and from nostalgia to heartache and grief. Together they explore the concept of public space and the unique role that it can play in the life of a city, including the ways it fosters the literary imagination of the community.

Contributors include: Joanne Bealy, Miriam Breslow, Lois R. Brison-Brown, George Elliott Clarke, Tanya Davis, Joan Dawson, Brigid Garvey, Corinne Gilroy, Sue Goyette, Bill Hanrahan, David Huebert, Joanne Jefferson, Pauline Kaill, Justin Kawaja, Anne Lévesque, George MacDonald, Jean MacKaracher-Watson, Heather L. MacLeod, Michael McFetridge, Kenna Creer Manos, Maryann Martin, Robin Metcalfe, Anne Moynihan, Michelle Paon, Jaywant Patil, Tamara Rasmussen, Karen Raynard, Wanda Robson, Vincent Tinguely, Helen M. Vaughan, and Matthew Walsh.