Published in 2016 by the University of Regina Press, Measures of Astonishment anthologizes most of the lectures from the Anne Szumigalski Lecture Series's first two decades.

From the preface, by Glen Sorestad:

Anne Szumigalski claimed that as a very young girl she knew that she was going to be a poet, that it was to be her goal in life and indeed, that even at an early age she knew that she was a poet. By the time of her death in 1999, Anne Szumigalski was one of Canada’s most widely respected poets, a Governor General’s Award-winner, an active force in the Saskatchewan and Manitoba writing communities, a strong influence on and  a tireless mentor for a great many writers. Her home in Saskatoon became literally a poetic drop-in centre. Szumigalski, as one of the founders of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, was a strong champion of writing organizations and was also a long time member of the League of Canadian Poets. How fitting then that the League should choose to name after Anne Szumigalski its inaugural lecture series by Canadian poets about the art and craft of poetry by Canadian poets, the Anne Szumigalski Lecture Series. This was done as a lasting recognition of the stature that Szumigalski held as a poet among her colleagues across the country.

Though each of the lectures was initially given as an address to a poetry-friendly audience, the appeal and importance of the lectures is reflected in the fact that Prairie Fire, the excellent Winnipeg literary journal, quickly stepped in to ensure that the oral presentations would then find another audience, a literary reading audience. As well, the lectures also have been included on the website of the League of Canadian Poets, so they have been and are available to readers throughout the world. However, the idea of having the entire series to date appear in print in a single volume seems the logical next step towards giving these valuable insights and reflections the largest audience possible. Only one of the lectures does not appear in this volume: Dionne Brand was the second Szumigalski lecturer and apparently she gave her well received address from a series of note cards and never did write a complete address that could later be published. 

The League is grateful to partner with Winnipeg-based literary magazine Prairie Fire to provide a print home for the lectures delivered each year. Prairie Fire has been a dedicated supporter of the Anne Szumigalski Lecture since its first lecture in 2002, and many of the issues are still available for purcahse through their website. (Find direct links in "Past lecture").

Prairie Fire is an award-winning Canadian journal of innovative writing that is published quarterly by Prairie Fire Press, Inc. Each issue is a fresh, vibrant mix of fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction by our most celebrated writers and the hottest new voices of our emerging writers. It consistently features solid writing that will engage your mind and delight your spirit.

In a typical issue you will find a wide range of writing, including excerpts from a work-in-progress, a thoughtful essay or memoir, literary humour, lots of poetry and fiction, and sometimes something more experimental.

Prairie Fire has been publishing imaginative, provocative, exceptional, worthwhile writing for over 45 years, making it one of Canada’s oldest literary magazines.

Prairie Fire Press, Inc. is located in Treaty One Territory, the home and traditional lands of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), Ininew (Cree), and Dakota peoples, and in the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. Our drinking water comes from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, in Treaty Three Territory.