In this wide-ranging collection, Andrew DuBois rounds up some 200 reviews of contemporary Canadian poets (from Jordan Abel to Jan Zwicky); American poets, memoirists, and novelists; and twenty-first century literary critics. With an approach that balances careful attention to aesthetics and style with an over-arching commitment to the crucial role of the arts in our personal and social lives, DuBois describes the objects under his discussion with a clarity and precision that aims to be both fair to the artists and enlightening for the reader. Eschewing obscurity, exiling jargon, and resisting political boilerplate, Start to Figure is a compelling record of over twenty years of critical response, from a lover of genuine art, meant to educate and entertain.