Geoff Inverarity writes poems for people who don't like poetry (and those who do).

In this debut collection Inverarity writes of broken things, things that have come apart at the seams, things that ought not to but sometimes do dissolve with time: friendships, relationships, promises, aging parents, hearts, bodies, love, and even time itself. But it's not all shattered dreams and sad-luck stories here, there is hope and optimism too - in the future, in the Now, and in the heat and power of the coming generations. And there are poems of memory, poems for grandfathers and aging aunts, children and lost loves. Inverarity also probes the the multitude of possibilities "in this fallen world of compromises," gently reminding us that "we're stockpiling for the short term / the long term we don't know. / No matter how much you prepare / there's always something new looming / like the Unexploded Grief Bomb." It is a world where we struggle to give back the past, to finally get to the point "where the past does not exist" and "where all history is now."

The penultimate entry is "Mars Variations," a wonderfully extended suite of complementary poems, a time-traveling fractal narrative: a sci-fi horror movie for the ears, referencing works as disparate as Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars and H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, Wordsworth's "Prelude," and horror films like Robin Hardy's The Wicker Man along with nods towards the various iterations of Godzilla; and of course the classic 1962 "Mars Attacks" Topp's Bubble Gum cards - which form a framing device. The sequence explores the relationship between time, fiction, and facts; between public history and private experience.

The book concludes with a short Epilogue, assuring us that "one day, all the broken things will be mended."

Geoff Inverarity's profile page

Father of three, grandfather of two, Geoff lives with his partner on Galiano Island. He's produced and written a number of award-winning short films, taught literature and Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia, and has also won awards for his screenplays, poetry, and non-fiction prose. He's a frequent poetry contributor to Geist magazine and is currently the Director of the Galiano Island Literary Festival.

Praise for Inverarity:

"engaging on all levels, in terms of verbal dexterity, humour, telling images and a kind of unexpected liveliness that you don't often see these days." - Gary Geddes, recipient of the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence

"a wizard of tongues" - bill bissett