Why Sina Queyras got immersed in the life and feminism of Sylvia Plath

WithMy Ariel, Montreal poet Sina Queyrastakes an analytical and poeticlook at Sylvia Plath'sAriel.As a poem-by-poem engagement withAriel and the mythology surrounding it the book examines the iconic text, and, by extension, cultural norms and attitudes.

Poetic exploration

"My Ariel is a multi-pronged engagement with Sylvia Plath's collection of poetry. I wanted to explore the poems themselves. I thought that I would have a nice way to reflect on the state of motherhood, which I had just entered into myself. But all of my work is an of exploration of the bridge between conceptual work and lyric work."

• The best Canadian poetry of 2017

Emotional impact

"It's always a mystery to me when a poet can pack so many varied emotions into a poem so successfully and so succinctly. The book is also an exploration ofthe way in which we can do that both can such a compressed way and then letting it go in a real, expansive way."

Sina Queyras's comments have been edited for length and clarity.