55 Canadian poetry collections to check out in spring 2021

April is poetry month! To celebrate, here is a look at some great Canadian poetry that is being published in the first half of 2021.

• Calling all poets! The CBC Poetry Prize is now open

A History of the Theories of Rain by Stephen Collis

A History of the Theories of Rainis a poetry collection that explores our current state of anxiety and sense of impending doom, using a mixture of lyrics, speculation and philosophy.

Stephen Collis is the author of a dozen books of poetry and prose, includingThe Commons,On the Material,Once inBlockadiaandAlmost Islands: Phyllis Webb and the Pursuit of the Unwritten. In 2019,he was awarded the Latner Writers' Trust Poetry Prize, which honours a poet for theirbody of work. He lives near Vancouverand teaches poetry and poetics at Simon Fraser University.

Run Riot by Ash Winters

When poet Ash Winters went to rehab, they wrote a poem every day 90 days and 90 poems in total.Run Riotcollects these poems. Itis a personal and insightful account into what it's like to deal with one's addiction and excessive drinking. The collection reflects on the past and present, sharing the vulnerable and difficult journey Winters went on to get sober.

Winters is a poet from Toronto. Their poetry has appeared inExistereandOpen Minds Quarterly.Run Riotis their first book.

The Untranslatable I by Roxanna Bennett

Roxanna Bennett is a queer poet living with a disability, and explores both these identities in her work.The Untranslatable Icontinues this tradition as Bennett reflects on how her lived experiences have shaped who she is.

Bennett is a poet from Whitby, Ont. Theirother poetry collections includeUnmeaningableand The Uncertainty Principle.Unmeaningable won the 2020 Raymond Souster Award from the League of Canadian Poets and the2020 Trillium Book Award for poetry.

Lip by Franco Cortese, illustrated by bill bissett

Lipis the first poetry collection from experimental poetFranco Cortese.Lipuses omission and lipograms consciously omitting certain letters from words and phrases to create a work that explores our collective history, culture and environment. It also borrows words and phrases from other languages andincludes poems consisting of a single letter. Lipexplores thepossibilityof language and poetry while also seeking "to be, in many senses, a map of the world itself."

Cortese is an experimental poet from Ontario. He made the 2019 CBC Poetry Prize longlist for Root (six poems). He also won the2020 UNESCO / Brock University Sustainability Poetry Prize.

bill bissetthas written more than 60 books of poetry. Originally from Halifax, he now resides in Toronto. His many awards include the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award and the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. His most recent book is the anthologybreth.

Me, You, Then Snow by Khashayar Mohammadi

Me, You, Then Snowis the debut poetry collection from Khashayar Mohammadi. Itbrings together creative and diverse poems, all inspired by memories, dreams and desires. The collection is an exploration of our desire to connect with and communicate with the world around us.

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Mohammadiis a poet and translator from Iran who now lives in Toronto.

The Garden by A. F. Moritz

The Gardenisa long poem,The Garden in the Midst, and an essay,The Garden, that explores police brutality against Black lives in North America by Toronto poet laureate A.F. Moritz. It starts with the 1992 beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles, and the protests that follow. Itmoves forward to 2020, with the murder of George Floyd, and back to 1968, with the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.The Gardenwas originally written in 1992, and Moritz returned to the work and reworked it in 2020.

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Moritz is the author of 20 poetry collections. He has won the Griffin Poetry Prize, the BessHokin Prize and an awardin literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.He is currently the sixth poet laureate ofToronto.

Torontos poet laureate marks one-year anniversary of COVID-19 pandemic

4 years ago

Duration 2:24

Thursday marks the one-year anniversary since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic. As a tribute to the past year, A.F. Moritz, Torontos poet laureate, presented a poem during Toronto City Council on Wednesday. Exactly Here the Marvel Spoke Memorial of a Plague Year: March 2020 March 2021 not only remembers those we lost, but also highlights the need for hope as we move forward. Take a look. (Photos courtesy of Evan Mitsui & Michael Wilson/CBC, Frank Gunn & Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

Iron Goddess of Mercy by Larissa Lai

Iron Goddess of Mercyis a long poem comprised of 64 fragments, inspired by the history, politics and cultureof Hong Kong, and explores the complicated personal and collective identity of what it means to be "Asian." The 64 fragments honour thehexagrams of the ancient Chinese text I Ching. The poem is also inspired by the Japanese tradition ofhaibun, where travel diary entries end with a haiku.

Larissa Laiis a writer from Calgary. She is also the author of the novelsThe Tiger Flu,Salt Fish GirlandWhen Fox is a Thousand and the poetry books Sybil Unrest, co-writtenwith Rita Wong, andAutomaton Biographies.The Tiger Flu won aLambda Literary Award. She isa Canada Research Chair in creative writing at the University of Calgary.

Nedi nezu by Tenille K. Campbell

Nedi nezuis a poetry collection that exploresthe sexuality, sensuality and romance ofcontemporary Indigenous women. It is an intimate and revealing collection that showcases the diversity and complexity of desire.

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Tenille K. Campbell is a Dene Mtiswriter and artist from English River First Nation who now lives in Saskatoon. Her writing has appeared in several publications, including the CBC. She is also the author of the poetry collection #IndianLovePoems.

CBC Books14:13Rob Winger on The Next Chapter

Rob Winger on The Next Chapter

Red Obsidian by Stephan Torre

Red Obsidianis a poetry collection inspired by the wilderness of the North American west, and what it takes to build a life and make a living there. The collection brings together poems, old and new, to explore environmental loss, gender dynamics, politics, and the pain and pleasure of the west.

Stephan Torre is a poet from British Columbia. He is also the author of the collections Man Living on Side Creek and Iron Fever and Other Poems.

A Number of Stunning Attacks by Jessi MacEachern

A Number of Stunning Attacksis Jessi MacEachern's debut poet collection. It isinspired by the collective history of experimental poetry by Canadian women, such as Lisa Robertson, Gail Scott and Ern Moure. An excerpt fromA Number of Stunning Attackswaslonglisted for the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize.

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MacEachernis a poet from P.E.I., who now lives in Montreal. Shewaslonglisted for the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize.

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5 years ago

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A group of Filipina women are letting you know that the elder women in their community are hilarious and wise. Filmmaker and correspondent: April Aliermo

It Doesn't Matter What We Meant by Rob Winger

It Doesn't Matter What We Meantis a poetry collection that explores the tension between private thinking and public action. Does what we do matter, or what we meant to do? It examinesour internal biases, our mistakes and the role of chance to delve into the limitations of language and thought,and how they impact how we perceive the world and how the world perceives us.

Rob Winger is a poet from Ontario. He is the author of the poetry collectionsSelections from Muybridge's Horse,The Chimney StoneandOld Hat.Selections from Muybridge's Horse was a finalist for the 2007Governor General's Literary Award for poetry. He won the2003 CBC Poetry Prize andwas longlisted for the 207 CBC Poetry Prize.

The Next Chapter16:32Louise B. Halfe Sky Dancer on awsis kinky and dishevelled

The Cree poet Louise Bernice Halfe Skydancer, who was recently appointed Canada's ninth parliamentary poet laureate, talks to Shelagh Rogers about her latest collection, awsis kinky and dishevelled.

Sulphurtongue by Rebecca Salazar

Sulphurtongueis the debut poetry collection by Rebecca Salazar. The wide array of poems explores how we create our identities and how they collide with and complicate each other. They take on the relationships to family, desire, religion, the land, politics, trauma and the natural world and how these things shape who we are.

Salazaris a writer, editor and community organizer from New Brunswick. They edit the publications The FiddleheadandPlenitude.

Phantompains by Therese Estacion

In her debut poetry collection, Phantompains,Therese Estacion shows what it means to bear witness to one's own pain and sexuality,to find catharsis and self-love, after a rare infection stole her limbs but not her life.Estacion takes her audience through the monotony of recovery andexplores themes of disability, grief and life in a surrealist fashion, travelling across geographies and writing in a combination of English and Visayan, the languageof Cebu, where her mother is from, and of her father's small home town ofGuihulngan.

• Phantompains poetry collection takes on disability, grief and life

Estacionis a writer and teacher fromthe Philippines who now lives in Toronto.

Wild Green Light by David Adams Richards & Margo Wheaton

Wild Green Lightis a collaborative poetry collection by New Brunswick poets David Adams Richards and Margo Wheaton, which is inspired by their shared passion for the natural world.Wild Green Lightis a tribute to rural life and its deep connection to the wilderness. The book has two sections, one for each poet, showcasing their different but harmonious literary styles.

Richards is a novelist, nonfiction writer and Canadian senator from New Brunswick. His books includeNights Below Station Street,Mercy Among the Children,Mary CyrandCrimes Against My Brother.Mercy Among the Childrenwon the 2000 Giller Prize. He was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2009.

Wheatonis a writer, editor and poet from Halifax. She is also the author of the poetry collectionThe Unlit Path Behind the House.

The Pit by Tara Borin

The Pitis the debut poetry collection by Yukon poet Tara Borin. It is inspired by a local dive bar, and the people who make the place memorable. The poems inThe Pitare portraits of employees and regular customers, while exploring howroutine, predictability and community can make a basic dive bar a special and memorable place.

Borinis a poet from Yukon. Their poems have been published in several places, includingPrism International,Prairie Fire andThe LaHave Review.

Creeland by Dallas Hunt

Creelandis the first poetry collection by Cree poetDallas Huntabout what makes Indigenous identity, community and home. It explores how our language is limited in how it can convey these ideas and feelings, and how Indigenous communities connect, thrive and find joy on a land ravaged by development and in the face of discrimination, isolation and the legacy of colonialism.

Dallas Hunt is a Cree poet anda member of Wapsewsipi (Swan River First Nation) in Treaty Eight territory. He is also the author of the children's bookAwsis and the World-famous Bannock, which was illustrated by Amanda Strong. He is aprofessor at the University of British Columbia.

The Trailer by James Scoles

The Traileristhe first poetry collection by Winnipeg poet James Scoles. It is a poetry collection about what it means to live on the edge: of a city, of society, of stability. It's an exploration of a life made in a trailer, the joy and beauty, but also the uncertainty and precariousness.Scoleswon the 2013 CBC Poetry Prize forthe poem called The Trailer, which is featured in this book.

Scoles is a poet and professor from Winnipeg. He teaches English at the University of Winnipeg.

Super Important Filipina Thoughts byAlia Ceniza Rasul

Super Important Filipina Thoughtsis the firstpoetry collection from comedian writer and performerAlia Ceniza Rasul.Rasulshares her funny and irreverent reflections on identity, family, relationships and her upbringing.

Rasul is an artist, producer, comedian, performer and writer from Toronto. She is a member of the comedy troupe theTita Collective.

The Next Chapter1:58The Deep Cove's Leanne Dunic on Vanishing Twins by Leah Dieterich

The Deep Cove frontwoman Leanne Dunic shares why she's fascinated by the nonfiction book Vanishing Twins by Leah Dieterich.

Thimbles by Vanessa Shields

Ontario poet Vanessa Shields chronicles the life of her grandmother Maria inThimbles. Nonna Maria grew up in Italy, where shebecame a seamstress, raised a family and then eventually died from dementia.Thimblesexplores Shields' feelings of loss, grief, love and memory while she reflects on Maria's life and legacy.

Shieldsis a writer from Windsor, Ont. Her other books include the memoirLaughing Through A Second Pregnancy and the poetry collectionsI Am That Woman andLook At Her.

Nectarine by Chad Campbell

Chad Campbell explores memory and our relationship to our past in the poetry collectionNectarine.Our past is a collection of stories, triggered by people, placesand objects.Nectarineis about how these shape our own story and what we lose, and find, in the process.

Campbell is a poet from Toronto who now lives in the U.K.He made the 2016 CBC Poetry Prize longlist.He is also the author of the poetry collectionLaws & Locks.

Coconut by Nisha Patel

Coconutis the first poetry collection fromEdmonton poet laureate NishaPatel.Coconutis a vulnerable, political, feminist collection that explores racism, identity, grief, sexuality, empowerment and love. Through these poems, Patel posits what it means to be a good person, a good daughter, and a good partner.

Patel was the 2019 Canadian Individual Slam Championand is the current Poet Laureate of Edmonton.

awsis kinky and dishevelled by Louise BerniceHalfe

In 2021, Louise Bernice Halfe, whose Cree name is Sky Dancer,became Canada's ninth parliamentary poet laureate. Halfe is the first Indigenous person to be appointed with the title. Her latest poetry collection,awsis kinky and dishevelled,exploresstories of resistance, rebellion and laughter by way of awsis, a gender-fluid trickster character who takes readers on a humorousjourney ofmystery and spirituality.

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Halfe served as the first Indigenous poet laureate of Saskatchewan. Her other poetry collections includeBear Bones & Feathers,Blue Marrow,The Crooked GoodandBurning in this Midnight Dream.

Dear Birch by Margaret Christakos

In Dear Birch,Margaret Christakosexplores what life means in the aftermath of her mother's death and the breakup of a long-term relationship. The poem cycle inDear Birchgrapples with the nature of love, death, relationships, grief and healing.

Christakosis a poet, editor and teacherfrom Toronto. Her other poetry collections includeCharisma, Excessive Love Prostheses, Sooner, What Stirs,Her Paraphernalia and charger. An anthology of her work,Space Between Her Lips, was published in 2017.

Moldovan Hotel by Leah Horlick

Moldovan Hotelis a collection of poems inspired by Leah Horlick's trip to Romania. In 2017, she visited the country of her Jewish ancestors to see where they lived before they fled.Moldovan Hotelconnects that past with Horlick's present, weaving through the history and politics that have shaped the world since.

Horlick is a writer from Saskatoon who now lives in Calgary. She won the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for emerging LGBTQ writers in 2016. She is also the author of the poetry collections Riot Lung and For Your Own Good.

The Infinite Park by Peter Unwin

The Infinite Parkis a poetry collection about everyday life, and how we create a world that is rich and full when going about our daily routines. Memories, stories,history, love and connection infuse our days and give things meaning, purpose and beauty.

Peter Unwinis a writerfrom Toronto. His other books include the short story collectionsLife Without Death andThe Rock Farmers, the novel Written in Stone, the nonfiction worksHard Surface: In Search of the Canadian RoadandThe Wolf's Head: Writing Lake Superior and the poetry collection When We Were Old.

The Debt by Andreae Callanan

The Debtis a poetry collection thatexplores the tension between innovation and tradition against the backdrop of Newfoundland after the cod moratorium. Economicsurvival, ecological activism, a loss of a way of life,an uncertain future and the influence ofgreed and capitalismin culture are all explored in this collection.

Andreae Callananis a writer from St. John's. Her work has appeared in severalpublications, includingThe Walrus,Canadian Notes and Queries,Canadian Verse 2 and the CBC.

Selected Poems 1983-2020 by Steven Heighton

Award-winning poetSteven Heightoncollects his work for the first time inSelected Poems 1983-2020. A combination of unpublished work and highlights from Heighton's previous six poetry collections,Selected Poems 1983-2020demonstrates Heighton's accomplished technical skill and unique literary voice.

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Heightonis a novelist, short story writer and poet from Kingston, Ont.His books include the poetry collectionTheWaking Comes Late,which won the 2016 Governor General's Literary Award for poetry, the novelTheNightingale Won't Let You Sleep,the memoirReaching Mithymna, which was afinalist for the 2020 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction.

Villa Negativa by Sharon McCartney

Villa Negativais a poetry collection that looks for the light in dark times. PoetSharon McCartneywrote the collection after having an eating disorder, losing a sibling and a string of failedromantic relationships. It's a collection about knowing yourself, finding resilience and the highs and lows that come from struggles big and small.

McCartney is a poet and legal editor from Fredericton. Her other poetry collections include Hard Ass,The Love Song of Laura Ingalls Wilder,Karenin Sings the BluesandUnder the Abdominal Wall.

The Shadow List by Jen Sookfong Lee

Novelist and broadcaster Jen Sookfong Leeturns to poetry for the first time with the collectionThe Shadow List.The Shadow Listis a collection of lyric poems that explore the tension in the narrator's life between who they are, who they want to be and what they really want.

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Lee is a novelist, broadcast personality, a pastCanada Readspanellist andThe Next Chaptercolumnist from Vancouver. She is the author of the novelThe Conjoinedand the nonfiction bookGentleman of the Shade.The Shadow Listis her first poetry collection.

Aether by Catherine Graham

In the lyric essayAether, Catherine Graham explores how a cancer diagnosis can change a family forever.Aetheris about Catherine, her mother and her father, as this disease turns their life upside down and they grapple with the grief, pain and loss that comes with cancer, but also with the joy, forgiveness, strength and growth.

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Catherine Graham is a writerfrom Toronto. Her other books include poetry collectionsThe Celery Forest,Her Red Hair Rises with the Wings of Insects and The Red Elementand the novel Quarry.

Congratulations, Rhododendrons by Mary Germaine

Congratulations, Rhododendronsis the first poetry collection from Fredericton poet Mary Germaine. The poems inCongratulations, Rhododendronsexplore the tension between the natural and artificial worlds, truth and artifice, and perception and reality, and posits that we can find hope, joy and love in every situation.

Germaineis a writer from Fredericton. Her work has appeared in The Walrus, Riddle Fence andAugur Magazine.Congratulations, Rhododendronsis her first book.

Intruder by Bardia Sinaee

Intruderis the first poetry collection byBardia Sinaee.Intruderis a timely collection about an unsettled and struggling world. It includes a 12-part prose poem about Sinaee's cancer diagnosis and subsequent recovery in his early 20s as well as poems written while living in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sinaeeis a writer from Iran who now lives in Toronto. His work has appeared in The Walrus, Canadian Notes and Queries and the Best Canadian Poetry anthologies.

Strangers by Rob Taylor

Strangersis a poetry collection about lineage, both familial and literary, and how these stories and histories shape who we are. It also explores memory, language and connection, and how we come to new understandings and new meanings.

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Rob Taylor is a poet from British Columbia.His other collections include Strangers, Oh Not So Great, The News and The Other Side of Ourselves. He teaches creative writing at Simon Fraser University.

Mere Extinction by Evie Christie

Mere Extinctionis a collection of poems about understanding and connecting with the world around us. It looks atthe history that shaped the present, and the future that is unsettling and uncertain.

Evie Christieis a writer from Ontario. Her other books include the poetry collection Guttedand the novelThe Bourgeois Empire.

Poisonous If Eaten Raw by Alyda Faber

Poisonous If Eaten Rawis an experimental long poem by Halifax writerAlyda Faber.Poisonous If Eaten Rawis 20 years after the death of Faber's motherand in the poem Faber grapples with her mother's memory and their relationship.

Faberis a poet from Halifax. She is also the author of the collectionsDust or FireandBerlinale Erotik. Her writing has appeared inRiddle Fence, theMalahat Review and Fiddlehead.She teaches at the Atlantic School of Theology.

Catalogue d'oiseaux by Aaron Tucker

Catalogue d'oiseauxis a poetry collection about a year a couple spent in a long-distance relationship. It documents their time apart, and their reunion, as they travel around the world. It is a collection about finding intimate spaces in the vastness of the world and a celebration of love, culture and art.

Aaron Tuckeris a poet from B.C., who now lives in Toronto. He is also the author of the novelY and the poetry collectionsirresponsible mediums and punchlines.

Is This Scary? by Jacob Scheier

Is This Scary?is a poetry collection from Jacob Scheier that explores mental health and disability. It dives deep into anxiety, chronic pain, depression and more, while also sharing odes to medicine and medical procedures that help with these ailments. It also challenges our assumptions about what it means to "get better" and what the journey to true wellness looks like.

Scheieris a writer and journalistfrom Toronto. He is also the author of the poetry collections Letter from Brooklynand More to Keep Us Warm.More to Keep Us Warmwon the Governor General's Literary Prize for poetry in 2008.

Exhibitionist by Molly Cross-Blanchard

Exhibitionistis a collection of raunchy, confessional poems about being truly, authentically yourselfand the fear, messiness and uncertainty that comes with it.

Molly Cross-Blanchard is a writer and editor currently living in Vancouver. She is the publisher of Room.Exhibitionistis her first book.

Duct-Taped Roses by Billeh Nickerson

Duct-Taped Rosesis a poetry collection by Billeh Nickerson about heartbreak, healing, community, life, love and loss. The title refers to how Nickerson's father would duct-tape his airplanes to keep them in working order Nickerson's relationship with his father is explored in one of the poems found in this book.

Nickersonis a writer from Halifax who nowlives in Vancouver. His other poetry collections include The Asthmatic Glassblower,McPoems,Impact: The Titanic PoemsandArtificial Cherry. He teaches creative writing atKwantlen Polytechnic University.

Il virus by Lillian Necakov

Il virusis a collection of 113 poems by Lillian Necakov written during the first 78 days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto. They are responses to daily media, music, Necakov's dog and more. The collection explores the heightened emotions we felt during such a scary and uncertain time includinganger, grief, fear, neediness, but also love and connection.

Necakovis a writer and editor from Yugoslavia who now lives in Toronto. Her other books includeCowboy in Hamburg,Sickbed of Dogs and Polaroids.

This is How It Is by Sharon King-Campbell

This is How It Isis a collection of poems that span the globe, exploring colonialism, the environmental crisis and how language and history have limited our understanding of the world and the crises we face.

Sharon King-Campbellis a writer from Ottawa who now lives in St. John's. She made the 2020 CBC Poetry Prize longlist forField Notes.This is How It Isis her first book.

Undoing Hours by Selina Boan

Undoing Hoursis the first poetry collection bywhite settler-nehiyaw writer Selina Boan. Boan grew up disconnected from her father's culture and history;Undoing Hoursis about reconnecting with and reclaiming heridentity and theNhiyawwan language.

When you can read it: April 24, 2021

Boan is awriter from B.C. Shemadethe2016 CBC Poetry Prize shortlistwith her poemIn six, the seasons.Undoing Hoursis her first book.

Scofflaw by Garry Thomas Morse

Scofflawis a long poem that explores the contemporary relationship between settlers and Indigenous people. The poem is positioned as a standoff between a figure known as Scofflaw and a narrative "we." It spans the Canadian landscape and engages in a playful exchange of languageand ideas while grappling with difficult topics.

When you can read it: April 25, 2021

Garry Thomas Morseis a poet from Winnipeg. His other books include the poetry collections Discovery PassagesandPrairie Harbour and the novelsMinor Episodes/Major Ruckus,Rogue Cells/Carbon Harbour andYams Do Not Exist.Discovery PassagesandPrairie Harbour were both finalists for the Governor General's Literary Prize for poetry.

One and Half of You by Leanne Dunic

One and Half of Youis a poetic memoir by artist, musician and writer Leanne Dunic.One and Half of Youexplores Dunic's biracial upbringing on Vancouver Island, her connection to music, her relationship with her brother and how she finds connection and community that helps her understand who she is and who she wants to be.

When you can read it: April 27, 2021

Dunicis an artist, musician and writer from B.C. She isthe fiction editor at Tahoma Literary Review and is in the bandThe Deep Cove.

First by Arleen Par

InFirst, Governor General's Literary Award winning poetArleen Parbrings together the story of her first best friend, now long-lost, with a meditation on friendships, beginnings, loss and longing.

When you can read it: May 1, 2021

Paris a writer from Montreal who now lives in Victoria. Her other poetry collections includePaper Trail,Lake of Two Mountains,He Leaves His Face in the Funeral Car,The Girls with Stone Faces andEarle Street.Lake of Two Mountains won the 2014 Governor General's Award for poetry.

The Junta of Happenstance by Tolu Oloruntoba

The Junta of Happenstanceis the first poetry collection from Nigerian Canadian writerTolu Oloruntoba.The Junta of Happenstanceis an exploration of disease, both medical and emotional. It explores family dynamics, social injustice, the immigrant experience, economic anxiety andthe nature of suffering.

When you can read it: May 1, 2021

Oloruntobais a writer from Nigeria who now lives in Vancouver. He is the founder of the literary magazineKlorofyl.

The Language We Are Never Taught to Speak by Grace Lau

The Language We Are Never Taught to Speakis the first poetry collection by Grace Lau. It brings together Bible verses, pop culture and everything in between to explore how identities are shaped and evolve as we move through time, space and place.

When you can read it: May 1, 2021

Lau is a writer who was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Vancouver and now lives in Toronto.

still by Anahita Jamali Rad

stillis a poetry collection that explores interior life: reflection not action. It grapples with what it means to withdraw, to not participate, to be stillwith oneself and one's body.

When you can read it: May 4, 2021

Anahita Jamali Radis a writer from Iran who now lives in Montreal. They are also the author of the poetry collectionfor love and autonomy.

Because the Sun by Sarah Burgoyne

Because the Sunis a poetry collection that explores how the sun is a symbol of violence and destruction. InAlbert Camus'sMeursault, the sun pushes the titularMeursault to commitmurder, while inThelma and Louise, the sun becomes a symbol of pain, real and imagined, as the main characters travel through the desert.The voices inBecause the Suncome together to mimic the sun's beauty and pain, asking readers to look right at it.

When you can read it: May 7, 2021

Sarah Burgoyneis a writer from Montreal. She is also the author of the poetry collectionSaint Twin.

29 Leads to Love by Salimah Valiani

In the poetry collection29 Leads to Love, Calgary poetSalimah Valianilooks at the meaning of love from 29 different perspectives. It's about love on the grand, global scale. It exploresromantic love, familial love and self love, and how love can be the catalyst for change.

When you can read it: May 14, 2021

Valianiis a poet, activist and researcher from Calgary. Her other poetry collections includebreathing for breadth,Letter Out: Letter In,land of the skyandCradles.

Then Now by Daphne Marlatt

Then Nowis a poetry collection inspired by the letters Daphne Marlatt's father wrote throughout his life. Arthur Buckle was an accountant who left England to work in Malaysia in the 1930s. He wrote many letters home. He married, started a family. They left Malaysia in 1942, but returned after the Second World War. The poems inThen Noware a response to these letters.Marlattreflects on her family's history, and how the world has changed and stayed the same between then and now.

When you can read it: May 18, 2021

Marlattis a writer, editor and teacher from Vancouver. She has written numerous books, including nonfiction, fiction and poetry. Her essays were collectedin Readings from the Labyrinth and several poems were collected in Intertidal.In 2006, she was named a member ofthe Order of Canada.

Resistance, edited by Sue Goyette

Resistance is a collection of poems curated and edited by Sue Goyettethat reflect on the #MeToo movement, sexual assault and sexual violence. The overarching theme in the collection is resistance and resilience in the face of people and systems that suppress and silence survivors.

Poetswho contributed to the anthology includeJoan Crate, Ashley-Elizabeth Bestand Beth Goobie.

When you can read it: May 22, 2021

Goyetteis a poet from Quebec who now lives in Nova Scotia. Her other books include the poetry collectionsThe True Names of Birds, Outskirts,Oceanand The Brief Reincarnation of a Girl and the novelLures. She won the 2008 CBC Poetry Prize. She is currently the poet laureate of Halifax.

Letters in a Bruised Cosmos by Liz Howard

Letters in a Bruised Cosmosis the secondcollection fromGriffin Poetry Prize winner Liz Howard.Letters in a Bruised Cosmosbrings together Westernand Indigenous astrophysical science to explore the nature of needing, and connecting with, others. It's a collection that explores family, tragedy, triumph, love and the meaning of life.

When you can read it: June 8, 2021

Howard is a poet from Ontario. Her debut poetry collection, Infinite Citizen of the Shaking Tent, won the 2016 Griffin Poetry Prize.

The Tantramar Re-Vision by Kevin Irie

The Tantramar Re-Visionis a poetry collection by Kevin Irie inspired by the late Canadian poet and translator John Thompson. It's about the relationship between literature and nature, and how they can speak to each other. It's also about the relationships texts can have between each other. An excerpt fromThe Tantramar Re-Visionmade the CBC Poetry Prize longlistin 2017.

When you can read it: July 1, 2021

Irie is a writer from Toronto.His other poetry collections include Burning The Dead, The Colour of Eden, Dinner at Madonna'sandAngel Blood: The Tess Poems.He was a CBC Poetry Prizefinalist in 2008 and made the CBC Poetry Prize longlistin 2017.

Bramah and the Beggar Boy by Rene Sarojini Saklikar

Poet Rene Sarojini Saklikarkicks off a multi-part series about survivors of ecological destruction withBramah and the Beggar Boy. Inspired by fairy tales, thefirst instalment is about a woman named Bramah and a beggar boy living in an abandoned village. They find fragments of an ancient text, and slowly piece together the story of what happened to the planet, and why they live the way they do.

When you can read it: July 17, 2021

Saklikaris a lawyer and writer born in India who now lives in Vancouver. She is also the author of the poetry collectionchildren of air indiaand the nonfiction bookListening to the Bees, which she co-authored with Dr. Mark Winston.