Sylvia Legris on the poetry of anatomy

Saskatoon poet Sylvia Legris won the Griffin Prize in 2006. In her new collection, The Hideous Hidden, Legris takes a deep dive into human and animal anatomy, finding poetry in the words and phrases that describe body parts and functions. 

For the last number of years I've been immersing myself in antiquated and ancient medical texts. The language is so rich, it's a minefield if you're a poet. I call this collection The Hideous Hidden because I think as a culture we're obsessed with the human body and what's inside us. We're very squeamish about the human body — just the thought of having your organs donated after you die is something that I think most people are very uncomfortable with. My intention in this book is to draw out the beauty that's embedded in what's hidden, not just in the human body but in the language that surrounds it. I feel like there's so much to explore, and I'm still in some ways looking at anatomy in work I'm doing now. I guess I'm just obsessed. 

Sylvia Legris' comments have been edited and condensed.