Quarry

by Tanis Franco

Spaces are not exterior to bodies. They influence and affect the way bodies exist in the world. A quarry is an unnatural place within a natural territory. At any moment, it can be abandoned. A body is not separate from the spaces it inhabits. They exist together, in a mutual state of interrelation and instability. Quarry relays a year in the life of a body in transition as it changes with other bodies; human, animal, and mineral. It examines queer social spaces and contested natural spaces, asking how they affect each other. Using evocative metaphor and refreshing language, these poems make bodily experience new. Tanis Franco eschews traditional narratives of the queer and transgender body, bringing nuanced ideas to an ongoing literary and philosophical conversation. Their strong sense of location and landscape is interwoven with sensual language and impeccable craft, creating a unique and distinctive voice.

Genres: Poetry, LGBT, Canada

80 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

Tanis Franco [they/them] is a poet living in Toronto. Their first poetry book entitled Quarry, published by The University of Calgary Press in 2018, explores queerness from an ecopoetic point of view. They have had recent writing published in Lemon Hound, Grain, Room, Best American Experimental Writing 2018, and elsewhere.

Reviews

[Alanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contemporary queer poetry that I find myself continually returning to. This is a collection that will last through the ages

[Christopher J. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I managed to get through this one. The book was beautifully designed and that suggested that it's content should be too. Alas, for me, this was a case of, don't judge a book by its cover.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

someone to add to my list of queer favourite poets.
love the exploration of spaces in these poems

[Jade Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are poems in here that I return to and re-read, or even just randomly remember and think about. Contemporary queer poetry at its best.