Resisting Canada: An Anthology of New Poetry

by Nyla Matuk (Editor)

Resisting Canada gathers together poets for a conversation bigger than poetic trends. The book's organizing principle is Canada--the Canada that established residential schools; the Canada grappling with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; the Canada that has been visible in its welcome of Syrian refugees, yet the not-always-tolerant place where the children of those refugees will grow up; the Canada eager to re-establish its global leadership on the environment while struggling to acknowledge Indigenous sovereignty on resource-rich land and enabling further colonization of that land. In the face of global conflicts due to climate change, scarcity, mass migrations, and the rise of xenophobic populisms, Canada still works with a surface understanding of its democratic values--both at their noblest and most deceptive.

The work included in Resisting Canada --by celebrated poets such as Lee Maracle, Jordan Abel, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Louise Bernice Halfe, Michael Prior, and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson--addresses, among other things, Indigenous agency, cultural belonging, environmental anxieties, and racial privilege. These poems ask us to judge and resist a statecraft that refuses to acknowledge past and present wrongs

Genres: Poetry

291 pages, Paperback

Published September 15, 2019

Reviews

[Harmony Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nyla Matuk makes a spectacular case for poetry as a form of resistance, something I had never considered before. The eloquent introduction to these poems put me in a different mindset, leading to me reading these poems in a way I might not had I skipped the introduction.

Many of the poems themselves gave me that gut-punch I love best about poetry. They've also introduced me to poets whose work I want to read more of.

On the whole, this is one of the best poetry collections I have read.

[Victoria Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not every poem was my cup of tea but wow did this anthology ever make me think. I reread the introduction after finishing all of the poetry for clarity.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5