Poetry Reviews

“Joyce demonstrates that he is one of the finest poets working in Canada today. In lines that are energetically taut, elegantly crafted and wonderfully luminous, he brings the reader to the brink of feeling utterly vulnerable in a world that strains toward destruction. Tethered by his belief in Nature’s ability to renew his spirit, Joyce looks unblinkingly at humankind’s fall from paradise...” 

—Ernest Hekkanen, author/publisher/editor, New Orphic Review

“Excellent…” —bill bissett, poet/artist on The Charlatans of Paradise (New Orphic, 2005)

“Romanticism is not a dead school of poetry. We still have our 21st century successors to Blake, Shelley, and Wordsworth, poets not afraid to criticize civilization while they celebrate the natural world. Joyce belongs to this tradition. He returns us to our intuitive powers, our hidden senses. Joyce already possesses many of the gifts which take a lifetime to master.”

—Mick Burrs (Steven Michael Berzensky), poet/artist, on Star Seeds (New Orphic, 2009) 

“Joyce’s language is often haunting and his insights powerful. …Here is a poet who is deeply in love with his landscape, whose imagery, again and again, is drawn from the raucous natural world around him. In reading Joyce’s most recent collection of poems, I often find myself in a trance-like state, letting the sheer musicality of the language wash over me.” 

—Brian D’eon, author, review of The Price of Transcendence (New Orphic, 2015)

“A first-rate collection.” —Tom Wayman, poet/author on The Price of Transcendence (New Orphic, 2015)

“Joyce has already distinguished himself as a poet of great range, brilliant technique and musical qualities. In an age when many poets do not rise above mediocrity because they ask too little of themselves, writing uninspired prosaic pieces that display no rigour, Joyce’s poetry is always striking, structured and memorable. He never falls into opacity or obscurity, being always reader- (and listener) friendly. His work also avoids triviality, instead often achieving universality of thought combined with emotional intensity and appeal to the imagination.”

—Roger C. Lewis, Professor Emeritus of English Literature, Acadia University

“This is a terrific piece, full of surprise after surprise in terms of language and perception, ranging from the vocabulary of the classics to down-home diction. …Your crow seems to me the voice of a more apocalyptic time, prepared to take on larger issues than Hughes or Kroetsch’s raven poems and What the Crow Said took on, and doing it equally well.”

—Gary Geddes, poet/author, on Dead Crow and the Spirit Engine 

What others have said:

“Art Joyce, a gifted writer and editor, significantly influenced me as a novice writer. This gentle man became my first mentor, encouraging me to revise, expand and elevate the writing of deeply personal stories. Art’s editorial feedback was consistently clear, respectful and insightful. Without his initial guidance my stories would likely have remained limited in number, depth and scope. I am proud to acknowledge his contributions to my success in developing my manuscript, Warrior Angel.”

—Susan Dunnigan

Art graciously agreed to meet with me last July 2020 to discuss my aspirations towards writing. Art freely offered his time that day to inform me of the skills, time, and dedication required to reach my goals.  He gave me a list of books to read, exercises to do, and tips on writing.  I came away from our meeting empowered and greatly encouraged to begin my writing adventure.  In the ensuing months, Art has continued to support and advise me.  His critiques on my writing have helped me to improve and develop a deeper underlying meaning to my stories.  I can't say enough about this very intelligent and knowledgeable man.  I entrusted myself to Art's caring guidance and I am now living an unfulfilled desire I had for myself in my early 20's!  Thank you Art.

- Jane Perley 

Diana Morita Cole, author of Sideways: Memoir of a Misfit, wrote: “Your insights and grasp of literature are inspiring. And you employ the Socratic method with such ease. You have the spiritual qualities of a sensei, Art. I use the term sparingly and with great appreciation of the brilliant work you do. What makes you so effective is the amount of care you bring to the classroom. You care whether people learn.”