Dennis Lee is Toronto’s first Poet Laureate, an Officer of the Order of Canada and the author of timeless children’s collections such as Garbage Delight, Jelly Belly, Bubblegum Delicious and
The Ice Cream Store.
His poetry is anthologized and read around the world. Dennis Lee’s contributions to the Canadian literary landscape are innumerable. His career spans nearly 40 books, including the 1972 Governor General’s Literary Award winner Civil Elegies, and the iconic children’s poetry collection Alligator Pie, which is credited with starting a boom in Canadian children’s publishing in the 1970s. In 1967, he co-founded House of Anansi Press with writer Dave Godfrey and edited early works by luminaries like Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje and Austin Clarke.