Guernica Editions

It’s the kind of book that would have been life changing for me a young writer. There are so many incredible pieces in here, from Doretta Lau, Ayelet Tsabari, Jael Richardson, Leesa Dean, Adam Pottle, Doyali Islam, Charlie Petch and more.

One of the aspects that makes Changing the Face of Canadian Literature stand out is the prominent space devoted to spoken-word artists like Jamaal Jackson Rogers, Ian Keteku, and Tanya Evanson. Spoken word and page poetry seem like vastly different worlds, but Swan’s selection dissolves that separation. In “Medicine,” Rogers writes, “In these decades of days past I would meet faces attached to stories that / carried history from all across earth’s marvelous landscapes.” The poem dramatizes a personal encounter in Ottawa that coincides with an unpacking of immigrant identity. The concluding lines – “That if we ever want to know how deep our beauty and empathy resides, / we shall see it in the hope, the healing, the stories, the joy, / that lies in a newcomers eyes” – speak to sharing and celebrating diversity. “Medicine” captures an intent of the anthology: within differences can lie space for solidarity.

This anthology is animated by many voices and they all seem to speak to each other across the pages. Dane Swan's foreword is provocative and imaginative — for instance, asking the reader to consider what classrooms would be like if the dub poets were taught alongside/instead of the Confederation Poets. I mean, wow! The opening essay concludes with 'Congratulations, Canada, you finally have a literature that looks like the people who inhabit you. Do not take this moment for granted.' A great read and a call to action and accountability.