Kaie Kellough Knihy

An original, inventive--and visually stunning--exploration of place, identity, language, and experience from the acclaimed poet, novelist, and sound performer.GRIFFIN POETRY PRIZE WINNERQWF A.M. KLEIN PRIZE FOR POETRY FINALISTThe poems in Kaie Kellough's third collection drift between South and North America. They seek their ancestry in Georgetown, Guyana, in the Amazon Rainforest, and in the Atlantic Ocean. They haunt the Canadian Prairie. They recall the 1980s in the suburbs of Calgary, and they reflect on the snowed-in, bricked-in boroughs of post-referendum Montréal. They puzzle their language together from the natural world and from the works of Caribbean and Canadian writers. They reassemble passages about seed catalogues, about origins, about finding a way in the world, about black ships sailing across to land. They struggle to explain a state of being hemisphered, of being present here while carrying a heartbeat from elsewhere, and they map the distances travelled.

Exploring themes of belonging, dislocation, and national identity, this collection of poems offers a vibrant, jazz-infused perspective on Canadian culture through a Black Canadian lens. Kaie Kellough crafts a unique soundscape that intertwines the written word with musical elements, referencing both African Canadian and African American culture, alongside Canadian history and politics. The work features a diverse cast of characters, including dancers, piano players, and boxers, creating a rich tapestry of voices and experiences.