Throwing the Diamond Hitch

by Emily Ursuliak

In 1951 two intrepid women, Phyllis and her best friend, Anne, set off on a journey from Victoria, British Columbia, to Red Deer, Alberta, and back again. Travelling first by 1927 MG Roadster to Alberta, and then on horseback on the way home, the journey took months and would test the women’s wits and resourcefulness at every turn. Phyl and Anne documented their adventures and the stories of the people they met along the way in a journal, which was passed down to author Emily Ursuliak, Phyl’s granddaughter. Throwing the Diamond Hitch—an inventive, poetic retelling of the Phyl and Anne’s journey—crackles like the starter of an old roadster, and kicks like a stubborn pack pony. Ursuliak employs a variety of poetic styles and approaches to capture the personality of the two women and the motley of characters they encountered on their trip. Ride along with Phyl and Anne, and discover how to throw the elusive diamond hitch.

"Throwing the Diamond Hitch follows two young women on a rip-snorting adventure by antique roadster and horseback through the Rocky Mountains. Drawing on first-person accounts and photos preserved in Phyl and Anne’s co-written diary, Ursuliak constructs a poetic narrative of two astonishing women who smoke and drink their way through the mountains and who finish each other’s sentences. Ursuliak’s confident debut shows her eye for detail and ear for language. Her poems turn cowboy culture on its head."
—Monica Kidd, author of The Year of our Beautiful Exile

"Throwing the Diamond Hitch is at once a play, a poetry book, a travel journal, a history, and a western. Knotting together these forms, Ursuliak uses the particular—her grandmother and best friend’s 1951 trip by roadster and horseback—to tell a timeless story of young women who refuse to be tied down by convention. Tough, tender, well-crafted and funny, this book poignantly captures the spirit of adventurous womanhood."
—Joan Crate, author of Black Apple

"This is a stunning debut collection. Ursuliak’s thoughtfully crafted lines and the dance of space and movement within her poems are impressive. Fragments of photos and handwritten notes draw the reader into a tightly woven poetic and narrative tapestry. This fresh voice calls for a quiet reading and a listening ear."
—Kim Fahner, 2016-2018 poet laureate for Sudbury, author of The Narcoleptic Madonna

Genres: Poetry

106 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Chrisreadsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely poetic narrative about 2 friends on the adventure of a lifetime. The writing makes you feel like you are on the journey with them. I loved it - and I share an office with the author which is quite thrilling.

[Laina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel-in-verse is the true story of the author's grandmother Phyllis and her best friend Anne as they travelled through the Rocky Mountains and Okanagan by horseback in 1951. The writing was so lovely – there are some very beautiful turns of phrase, and every scene was self contained in a poem. I enjoyed it so much that I might write about it on my semi-defunct ClassroomCanLit blog. What I loved most was that these brave and tough young women embarked on this journey just for the sheer adventure of it. I think some of us go through such a phase in life – I moved to Spain at age 23 after my degree, and I could relate to the bravery and desire for self-sufficiency and independence gained by such an experience. What amazing and interesting ladies Anne and Phyllis must have been!

Also, this novel reminded me of how much I love novels-in-verse – I haven’t read one this good since Alice Major’s Office Tower Tales, which I also LOVED.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really nice collection of poems about the author's grandmother, who travelled from Victoria, BC to Alberta by roadster and horse. The author used her grandmother's diaries to recreate the trip.

[Jacob Bews · Rating 4 out of 5]

yeeehawww

[Marlies · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun adventure beautifully written. A lot of fun.

[Kelsey]

I was so absorbed in this collection of poetry I missed my train stop! I often need a through-line narrative for me to really get into poetry, and this book certainly has that. Start to finish, it tells a story.