Jan Zwicky has published nine collections of poetry, including Songs for Relinquishing the Earth, which won the Governor General's Award, and, most recently, Forge. Her books of philosophy include Lyric Philosophy, Wisdom & Metaphor, and Alkibiades' Love. Zwicky grew up on the prairies, was educated at the Universities of Calgary and Toronto, and currently lives on the west coast of Canada.

Songs for Relinquishing the Earth contains many poems of praise and grief for the imperilled earth drawing frequently on Jan Zwicky's experience as a musician and philosopher and on the landscapes of the prairies and rural Ontario.