What Remains

by Nicole Dalcourt

79 pages, Paperback

Published August 10, 2025

About the author

NICOLE DALCOURT is an award-winning Canadian writer and poet living on the outskirts of Toronto, Ontario. Her debut poetry collection, What Remains, uses a confessional voice to explore themes of grief, heartbreak, rebirth and belonging. Dalcourt’s work has appeared in Writerly Magazine, The King City Mosaic and on Howl Radio and the Viewless Wings Podcast. When not writing, Nicole hosts and participates in open mics around the region and pursues her passion for teaching poetry skills through in-person and online workshops.

Reviews

[Dr. Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poetic response to this collection:

When life
gives you tomatoes,
make ketchup.
Puree,
liquify,
process,
and add a bit of sugar.
A bit of sweetness
makes
the torrent
relatable
and worth it.

...

What a great collection. Some of those poems will be stuck in my head for a bit, especially the one with the tomatoes.

[ronnie♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This felt like a punch to the heart. Just the way I like it.

my favs from the collection ♥:

★ childhood fragments
★ september 1988
★ you don’t have to be a saint to talk to god
★ holy ground
★ so much living to do
★ what my father grew
★ my father’s grave

[Helen Billett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicole Dalcourt’s debut collection, What Remains, speaks gently to the wounded parts of me. It is sticky and so exquisitely sweaty, all the while maintaining a composed beauty. Heat rises holy and leaves dogma in the dust. As a reader, I was parched and thirsted for more. In the shadows, sought out for shade, a portal opens - ready for exploration. What is found transcends prayer: on the forest floor, with knees as dirty as childhood, these poems provide a cleansing - a lush hymn to forgiveness, of the father, of the self… and the love that is found on the other side of drought.

[Bruce Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What Remains” is an emotional and sensitive memoir told though poetry. It is a poignant story that moves from a difficult childhood to finding peace and support as an adult via a road that is far from smooth. Some of the poems were previously published in magazines and some have won awards, which indicates that they can stand alone with confidence. Together the collection becomes more than the sum of it’s parts.

[Dakota · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best collections of poetry I've read in a long time.

Certain lines come to mind and I find myself going back - eagerly thumbing through pages to read the whole piece again.

This is one you will return to.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amid depths of darkness this book helps you find the beauty that hides, and then guides you toward a light you once thought impossible. It’s a hope-lift when you most need one.