I consider myself to be a field reporter, and I find that everyday industrial landscapes and household objects (especially food) are rich sources of poetic prompts when approached with a sense of wonder. The term “poetic xeriscaping” is a term I keep returning to within these ultra-utilitarian environments. Glimpses and instances of beauty and play are magnified against these barren backdrops. Cacti
and succulents serve as fine analogy, with their sharp spines and striking fruit and flowers. The humans in these settings embody a similar resilience and beauty in how they are able to survive—and ultimately thrive—in industrial deserts. Where does warmth exist within concrete and steel? I begin the poem using language as propulsion and movement within what is in many ways immutable—mills and terminals that are 70, even 100 years old. I’m curious to learn these relics’ secrets. Within these environments, small human connections are constellations. Moments of keen observation, humour, kindness, and vulnerability become a form of celestial navigation in the dark.
Christina Shah reads from if: prey, then: huntress
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Christina Shah lives in New Westminster and works in heavy industry, where she drinks from the firehose of knowledge. Her poetry has appeared numerous Canadian literary journals, including The Fiddlehead, Vallum, Arc, Grain, PRISM international, EVENT, The Malahat Review, The Antigonish Review and elsewhere. Her poem, “they canned a good man today,” was shortlisted for The Fiddlehead’s 2021 Ralph Gustafson Poetry Prize. Her poem, “interior bar, 1986,” was selected for Best Canadian Poetry 2023. She is one-fifth of the Harbour Centre 5 poetry collective, whose chapbook, Brine, was released in 2022. Her first videopoem, “rig veda” (in collaboration with videographer Mark Mushet), was translated into Spanish and screened at the 2023 Cinemística festival in Granada, Spain, and the 2023 Versi Di Luce festival in Modica, Sicily. rig veda, her first solo chapbook (Anstruther Press), was released in 2023. if: prey, then: huntress (Nightwood Editions, 2025) is her first full-length collection. She has some strong opinions on soft pretzels.
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if: prey, then: huntress is available here, or from your favourite indie bookstore.
