Inquiries

Poems

In poems that risk the comingling of anger and elegy, poetry and documentation, humour and the dark spectre of poverty, Michelle Porter’s Inquiries oscillates at its edges, and amplifies the presence of human strength as it keeps company with our enigmatic and ever-present nemeses. This is a startling debut where the line between reality and reality television blurs, where a simple trip to the grocery store unifies mother and daughter in struggle, and where an economics of iniquity proves the existence of love as equality. With wit, poise, raw emotion, and versatility, Inquiries announces the emergence of an impressive new talent.

Contributors

Michelle Porter

Michelle Porter is a Red River Métis poet, journalist, and editor. She holds degrees in journalism, folklore, and geography (PhD). Her academic research and creative work have been focused on home, Métis mobility, and the changing nature of our relationship to land. She’s won awards for her work in poetry and journalism, and has been published in literary journals, newspapers, and magazines across the country. She lives in St. John’s.

Chapter Title Contents Contributors Pages Year Price

Preview

Of the Red – North Saskatchewan River, 1980s – Mama Doesn’t Pray but She Buys Lottery Tickets: Mama’s Kitchens I – Whiteway Street, 2008 – Tessier Place, … 11 $1.10

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Cartons of milk hold everything up: Mama’s kitchens IV – Métis mother Returning from the Grocery Store, Alberta – In the City, Alberta – To the Last Cent: … 29 $2.90

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Marinate the Bones: Mama’s kitchens XIII – Packing Boxes and Loading the Truck – Pillar of Salt – Where the Songs Root and Grow: Mama’s kitchens XIV – Home, … 12 $1.20