Bounce House is a collection of small containers for the uncontainable. Restrained in form but not feeling, Harper's fourth book explores the cyclical nature of grief, imperfect parenting, and our willingness to jump without promise of a safe landing. Measured and meticulously weighted, these poems are playful and poignant as they navigate the strange terrain around losing a loved one: how the past and present blur together, the dead simultaneously here and missing, and how joy moves inevitably forward, as if on wheels.

Jennica Harper was born in North Bay, Ontario and grew up in Brampton. She came to Vancouver in 2000 to earn her MFA in Creative Writing from UBC. Her long poem “The Octopus” was shortlisted for a National Magazine Award, and her first collection of poetry, The Octopus and Other Poems, was published by Signature Editions in 2006. In 2007, her poem “Autumn Detail” was selected for the Poetry in Transit project. Jennica also works as a screenwriter, story editor, and instructor/writer at Vancouver Film School. She lives in the coolest building in Vancouver with her partner-in-all-things, Jeff.

Jennica Harper's profile page