Joseph A Dandurand’s thirteenth book of poetry, I Will Be Corrupted, is a powerful work in its depth and craft and beautiful in its simplicity and form. With raw, relentless energy, Dandurand, a member of Kwantlen First Nation on the Fraser River near Vancouver, writes honestly about his life and past: the trauma caused by colonialism, Catholicism, addiction, and trauma, as well as the healing found in cultural traditions, spirituality, fishing, and writing. I Will Be Corrupted is a mature work that finds a measure of acceptance in past injuries and mistakes but also acknowledges a complicated future. For Dandurand, ‘corruption’ is turned on its head and becomes a channel of healing.

These are powerful visionary parables of suffering, redemption and retribution

Praise for I Want (2015): [Joseph] Dandurand writes out of deep love and commitment to the land, to his ancestors, to his people, to his kids, who “grow up without abuse.” Hands down, Dandurand is one of my all time favourite writers … Good Lord—what a voice!!!!

Dandurand’s collection is a must for readers of Indigenous literature, settler colonial studies, Anthropocene literature, diverse futurisms, or just good poetry.