Misled

by Susan Holbrook

From tantalizing spins on fairy tales to perilous questions of gender and identity, misled never takes words at face value. Shifts in syntax and self-mirror shifts in health and sexuality while humor, angst and eroticism become the backdrop in a passion play on words. A girl's first crush on a boy transforms into passionate lesbian dreams and encounters. An incomplete memory of a cliche ricochets off the familiar. A writer's contemplation of rewriting leads to a list of things you can rewrite . . . "You can rewrite the bus schedule / but you might just confuse yourself." Through it all, misled dances with equivocation and delights in the enchanting ways in which life and language mislead us all. Shortlisted for the Pat Lowther Memorial Award and the Stephen J. Stephensson Award.

Genres: Poetry

98 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

About the author

Born in 1967, Susan Holbrook is a Canadian poet and professor. Holbrook received her B.A.from the University of Victoria, and her M.A.from the University of Calgary. She teaches North American literatures and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, in Ontario.

Susan Holbrook’s teaching, research and writing is propelled by her interests in contemporary poetry and poetics, Canadian literature, American Modernism, gender studies, and creative writing. She is poetry editor for Coach House press. She is currently working on a poetry manuscript (Throaty Wipes, forthcoming in 2016), and an edition of Daphne Marlatt’s collected poetry.

Reviews

[Paulo Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is best enjoyed with one's clothes off. Slippery words rub against the tongue, slide and rivulet around the lips like dripping ice cream in summer, "does your tongue recoil at mistaken objects, salt for sugar, butter for cheeses, wasabi for toothpaste, potpourri for popcorn, croquettes for coquettes questions for Christian crepes for craps caps for cups tit for tat that's that nought's enough loose lips slink lips."

Choose a place - crown of a tree, the edge of fast moving water - where you'll be comfortable being loud, enjoying the groans, the giggles, the surprises of tongue and language contorting in impossible ways. "Don't burn your britches. I got a whiff that this had to do with friendship somehow, and that there was some connection with liar liar pants on fire."

This is a book to be read aloud. So, while friends are at work leave these poems on their answering machines. And if you think you don't have anyone to read aloud to in bed, just wait... those friends will undoubtedly be calling you back.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book of poetry by a nice woman that I met