Joshua Levy

ISBN 9781771262361 $17.00 CDN/USA 80 pages

 

The Loudest Thing is a love letter to family and the complex history of blood, to failed relationships and the magic left behind, to the dance of a happy marriage across decades, to friendship, travel, coming home. Funny, honest, and seductive—Joshua Levy finds the silver lining in even the darkest subject matter with an infectious sense of wonder. We journey with him as he visits the crooked streets of Lisbon, a kibbutz in Israel, the hollow of a guitar on a beach in Venezuela, even an alien planet. But mostly these poems brim with affection for his hometown, Montreal, and all that keeps him anchored here.

PRAISE FOR THE LOUDEST THING

“It’s entirely valid for any poet nowadays to mourn and brood on personal and planetary trauma. But what a welcome remission from worry and heaviness it is to find a book of poems that unapologetically and sometimes hilariously delights in life. Consider Levy’s facetious ode to his own nose, or any number of fresh, touching poems of conjugal and familial celebration. The Loudest Thing is a book of toasts, graces, and small gratitudes, and I’m grateful for it.”

— Steven Heighton, author of The Waking Comes Late

“Levy declares love our ultimate refuge and release. And this—our ‘messy heart’—is his triumphant song.”

— Virginia Konchan, author of The End of Spectacle

“Joshua Levy’s poetry is earnest and full to the brim with songs of praise and love. We are invited to share in his family’s rich histories and meet the cherished people who have touched his life. We join him on his many travels—he translates Lisbon’s light for us, yet always returns home to his beloved Montreal. The Loudest Thing is a moving debut.”

— Greg Santos, author of Blackbirds

LISTEN TO CBC’S RECENT INTERVIEW WITH JOSHUA LEVY ABOUT THE LOUDEST THING.

‘MY WIFE TEACHES ME TO DANCE,’ a video poem by JOSHUA LEVY:

Joshua Levy grew up in Montreal, and after stops in Toronto and Lisbon, he has returned with his wife. His work has appeared in anthologies (Vehicule Press, Oxford University Press) literary journals (Maisonneuve, Malahat Review, Vallum, the Rumpus, the Puritan), radio shows (a consistent guest on CBC Radio), podcasts, newspapers, and theatres. The winner of numerous literary awards, he was recently  CBC’s writer-in-residence. The Loudest Thing is his debut book.

 

The Loudest Thing

Author’s Website: www.joshualevy.net