Learning to Love a River

In turns both comic and tragic, Learning to Love a River explores unlikely existences in and of Thunder Bay, Ontario. While this small northern city may be all but unknown to many, it is also rife with stereotype and misconception. This collection offers a sympathetic but frank accounting for these misconceptions, giving readers an insider's look at odds with easily made assumptions about race and class. Deep down, the poems are asking important epistemological and ontological questions. But, they are also reminding us to laugh: at ourselves, at each other, and at absurdity in general. If Thunder Bay were a cowboy town, you could think of this collection as some sort of insincere cowboy poetry that doesn't rhyme.

Navigating through tragedy with sincere inquiry, Learning to Love a River explores unlikely existences in and of Thunder Bay, a small northern Ontario city which is rife with stereotype and misconception. With its insider’s perspective, this collection offers a sympathetic but frank accounting for these misconceptions, challenging facile assumptions about race and class.

Deep down, the poems are asking important epistemological and ontological questions. But, they are also reminding us to try and move forward with a light heart, while looking for the best in others.