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The Work
- GenresPoetry
73 pages, Paperback
Published April 2, 2024
16 people want to read
About the author
Bren Simmers
7 books9 followersBren Simmers’ first book of non-fiction, Pivot Point (Gaspereau Press, 2019), is a lyrical account of a nine-day wilderness canoe journey and a frank reflection on the roles friendship, mindfulness, and creativity play in the evolution of our lives. She is also the author of three books of poetry: If, When (Gaspereau Press, 2021), Hastings-Sunrise (Nightwood Editions, 2015), which was a finalist for the City of Vancouver Book Award, and Night Gears (Wolsak & Wynn, 2010). A lifelong west coaster, she now lives on PEI.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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December 8, 2024"There comes a point / when the losses stack / up" (Simmers, 15).
When I think of writing that addresses grief, capturing its essence, I think of The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, The Friend by Sigrid Nunez, Involuntary Bliss by Devon Code, and now The Work by Bren Simmers.
The collection is broken up into sections, each worthy of multiple re-readings. The increasing absence of the letter 'o,' the use of spacing, and consecutive variations of word-portions to replicate stuttering in Still Mom is effective in presenting the reader with an interactive simulation of what it might be like for one's own lingustic abilities to progressively decline.
When it rains, it pours. The Work chronicles multiple experiences of loss, seeming to occur in rapid succession (if not overlap). The poet bravely guides the reader through. "Seven Pounds" is a beautiful poem to end the collection, reflecting "that all this noticing / was love" (71). If grief is an experience that everyone must endure, then let this collection serve as required reading.
When I think of writing that addresses grief, capturing its essence, I think of The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, The Friend by Sigrid Nunez, Involuntary Bliss by Devon Code, and now The Work by Bren Simmers.
The collection is broken up into sections, each worthy of multiple re-readings. The increasing absence of the letter 'o,' the use of spacing, and consecutive variations of word-portions to replicate stuttering in Still Mom is effective in presenting the reader with an interactive simulation of what it might be like for one's own lingustic abilities to progressively decline.
When it rains, it pours. The Work chronicles multiple experiences of loss, seeming to occur in rapid succession (if not overlap). The poet bravely guides the reader through. "Seven Pounds" is a beautiful poem to end the collection, reflecting "that all this noticing / was love" (71). If grief is an experience that everyone must endure, then let this collection serve as required reading.
August 22, 2024
Deeply moving, beautifully written, profoundly sad. How does Bren Simmers write through such grief to such beauty?
January 1, 2025
A deeply moving consideration of grief and loss through poetry.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews