Bob Stallworthy is a transplanted Maritimer who has lived in Calgary for 25 years.  He has been published in magazines and anthologies across Canada, with two chapbooks of poetry and three full length poetry books; his most recent, Optics, was short-listed for the City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize.  He has reviewed books for The Calgary Herald, CBC’s Homestretch and Eye-Opener, and was poetry editor for Dandelion magazine.  He has given more than 150 readings and workshops complete with sound effects and music.  Bob is the co-recipient of the 2002 Calgary Freedom of Expression Award.  He is a Lifetime Member of the Writers Guild of Alberta and a full member of the League of Canadian Poets.

Selected publications:

Optics
(Frontenac House, Calgary, 2004)

From a Call Box
(Frontenac House, Calgary, 2001)

Under The Sky Speaking
(Snowapple Press, Edmonton, 1998)

First Thunderstorm

the crash
lifts me off the bed
and I’m not sure in its aftermath
whether I cry out
or whether I just dream it

I watch the lightning scythe
the sky into bits and pieces
remember the first thunderstorm
you carried me to the window
we watched the light tear up the sky

what frightened me awake tonight
            crash of thunder
            fear that you aren’t there now
            that I will have to explain
the flash of light
that obliterates
everything even memory