Learning to Love a River

by Michael Minor

In turns both comic and tragic, Learning to Love a River explores unlikely existences in and of Thunder Bay, Ontario. While this small northern city may be all but unknown to many, it is also rife with stereotype and misconception. This collection offers a sympathetic but frank accounting for these misconceptions, giving readers an insider's look at odds with easily made assumptions about race and class. Deep down, the poems are asking important epistemological and ontological questions. But, they are also reminding us to at ourselves, at each other, and at absurdity in general. If Thunder Bay were a cowboy town, you could think of this collection as some sort of insincere cowboy poetry that doesn't rhyme.

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2018

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kind of poetry that is clear and crisp, shows you what's going on, and allows you into a city, a place, a moment that you might not have ever experienced or seen otherwise. Minor really shines when describing his love for the winter outdoors, and Thunder Bay, its streets, its families, its fountain full of soap suds.

[Ciarra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book of poetry. The verse was clear and evocative, full of precise imagery. I think my favourite poem from the collection was “Their Garden.”