Michael Fraser is a young looking braided-head poet and teacher from a Toronto middle school. His picture graces the back page of the zine giving a subtle voice and presence to the elegant poetry within. His metaphorical and adjective-induced images are vivid and at times extremely powerful. Each piece is inspired, though sometimes only by the most ordinary of images: a child writing words in the condensation of a parked car, kids populating a dark street corner, or the smell of pizza on a college campus. This is only a teaser to the true great pieces that again feel as if they are inspired by actual experiences but are by no means normal. (Adam Vaughn)
poetry, #1, 14 pgs, $5, Michael Fraser, Thirteen Tiger Press, www.13thtigerpress.com