Open Country: Canadian Literature in English: Canadian Poetry is a contemporary showcase of the country's writing. The collection includes extensive annotations that offer new interpretive possibilities for the study and appreciation of Canadian literature.
Editor Robert Lecker provides an unparalleled view of Canada's literary evolution. This volume brings together poetry by 58 authors who gained prominence between 1825 and the present, with an emphasis on contemporary writers and a focus on identity, race, gender, and sexuality. It also includes the complete texts of well-known long poems such as Isabella Valancy Crawford's Malcolm's Katie, Earle Birney's David, and Robert Kroetsch's Seed Catalogue.

Organized chronologically, the works of each author are introduced by a detailed bio-critical essay that provides background information about the influences and ideas shaping the selected works as well as the author's career. Open Country: Canadian Literature in English: Canadian Poetry combines recognized works in the Canadian canon with innovative challenges to the tradition, creating a dynamic balance between the established and the new.