a blue moment

by Alyssa Martens

a blue moment is a poetic elegy to the Arctic. Centring the land as a main character, this collection reveals a portrait of a vulnerable ecosystem – where quieted chaos has begun to stir a new kind of music.

From 2016-2025, poet Alyssa Martens embedded herself across high-Arctic regions, including Svalbard, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Canada, attending the foremost gathering of Arctic scientists and consulting subject specialists to unravel the nuanced narrative of an Arctic facing decay. The collection translates this journey into 30 cinematic poems and an unfolding series of images, captured by Max Machado within Iceland’s first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. The images are stills from the immersive film which accompanies the work, releasing under the same title in Autumn 2026.

a blue moment is forthcoming in publication by Guest Editions, 2026

Explore the accompanying film

Research and creation of this collection was made possible with the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts and consultation with leading Arctic scientists and cultural mediators.
Special thanks to:

Jenni Laiti – Sámi Artivist & Duojár (Master of Traditional Sámi Crafts)
Dr. Kim Holmén – Arctic Climatologist, Norwegian Polar Institute
Dr. Christopher Burns – Arctic Geographer, Carleton University
Dr. Gregory Hare – Glacial Archaeologist, Yukon University

Discover poems from the collection

 

  • Published in Fresh Voices, League of Canadian Poets, 2025

  • Published in Poetry Diary 2025, Sunday Mornings at the River, 2025

  • Published in Poetry Pause, League of Canadian Poets, 2023

  • Published in Poetry Pause, League of Canadian Poets, 2023

  • Published in Fresh Voices, League of Canadian Poets, 2024

  • Published in Bluebird Anthology: Issue 1, 2024

  • Commissioned by BC Arts Council for the Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival, 2019

  • Exhibited as part of A Poetic Landscape, Culture Days Canada, 2019

    Commissioned by BC Arts Council for the Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival, 2019

Follow the journey

 
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