The Saddest Place on Earth

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The Saddest Place on Earth

‘Mockler’s skill with language and narrative beat lends itself well to these unapologetic poems. At times I found myself groaning out loud, or shaking my head to get a grip on what I had just read. There is heart and terrific depth in this work.’ — Canadian Poetries

AUTHOR

Kathryn Mockler

KATHRYN MOCKLER is the author of five books of poetry. She co-edited the print anthology Watch Your Head: Writers and Artists Respond to the Climate Crisis (2020) and is the publisher of the Watch Your Head website. She runs Send My Love to Anyone, a literary newsletter, and is an Assistant Professor at the University of Victoria where she teaches screenwriting and fiction.

Reviews

At times, the starkness and simplicity of the poems is poignant. In Air Vents, Mockler wrestles with a sadly all too familiar social and political theme. The poem reads, I think about the shooting / because all shootings / are one shooting. I think / about all the places to / hide to avoid bullets: air / vents, storage lockers, / somewhere normal. The idea that all shootings are one shooting shows the absurdity of mass shootings being labeled with dates, names, and places, and instead, focuses on the loss that affects all. There is also the idea of helplessness, which is a common theme throughout the poems, and the idea of places where one can hide which, as it turns out arent many and aren’t all that feasible.’ – Heavy Feather