Dennis Lee's contributions to the Canadian literary landscape are innumerable. His career spans nearly 40 books, including the 1972 Governor General's Literary Award winner Civil Elegies, and the iconic children's poetry collection Alligator Pie, which is credited with starting a boom in Canadian children's publishing in the 1970s. In 1967, he co-founded House of Anansi Press with writer Dave Godfrey and edited early works by luminaries like Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje and Austin Clarke. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and most recently published the book, Heart Residence, which collects 50 years of his poetry.