Review of Bren Simmers’ “If, When”
By Angeline Schellenberg If, When by Bren Simmers Gaspereau Press (2021) The first poem in Bren Simmers’ new collection ends “You’re not in an ambulance / speeding towards emergency. /…
Review of Theresa Kishkan’s “Blue Portugal”
By Skylar Kay Blue Portugal by Theresa Kishkan University of Alberta Press (2022) Blue Portugal, Theresa Kishkan’s new collection of essays, presents life as mosaic. Kishkan stitches and mends together…
The (Un)expected Passion in Stories of (M)othering
An Interview with Anne Sorbie and Heidi Grogan by Sharon Berg (M)othering: An Anthology Edited by Anne Sorbie and Heidi Grogan Inanna Publications (2022) Sharon Berg: First, thank you both…
Review of Skylar Kay’s “Transcribing Moonlight”
By Bret Crowle Transcribing Moonlight by Skylar Kay Frontenac House (2022) Skylar Kay’s debut collection Transcribing Moonlight is a delicate and transcendental glimpse into the world of identity. Authenticity leaches…
Review of Barry Dempster’s “Being Here”
By Beth Everest BEING HERE: the chemistry of startle by Barry Dempster Frontenac House (2022) From cover to cover, Barry Dempster’s latest book BEING HERE: the chemistry of startle, held…
Review of dee Hobsbawn-Smith’s “Bread & Water”
By Ariel Gordon Bread & Water by dee Hobsbawn-Smith University of Regina Press (2021) dee Hobsbawn-Smith is somehow known both for being a Calgary chef, food writer, and single parent…
Review of Nicholas Herring’s “Some Hellish”
By Kimberley Gilmour Some Hellish by Nicholas Herring Goose Lane Editions (2022) Some Hellish submerges the reader into the culture of coastal people and the fishing industry on the shores…
Blurred Sunlight Shimmering on Wet Rocks: A Review of Laurence Hutchman’s “Swimming Toward the Sun”
by D.A. Lockhart Blurred Sunlight Shimmering on Wet Rocks A Review of Laurence Hutchman’s Swimming Toward the Sun. Collected Poems: 1968-2020. Guernica Editions (2020) I first heard Laurence Hutchman’s work…
L’affaire George Elliott Clarke by Stephen Morrissey
J’Accuse…! (Poem versus Silence) by George Elliott Clarke Exile Editions (2021) The title of George Elliott Clarke’s book length poem, J’Accuse…! (Poem versus Silence), is borrowed from Emile Zola’s 1898…
Review of John Wall Barger’s “Resurrection Fail”
by Bret Crowle Resurrection Fail by John Wall Barger Spuyten Duyvil (2021) Resurrection Fail begins with the disciplined and passionate detailing of personal experiences our author, John Wall Barger, but…