A startling and hip collection of poetry from a dual American/Canadian citizen who's already making waves on the literary scene.

Suzannah Showler's bracing, intense second collection is equal parts cultural critique and phenomenological investigation. Building on the enlightened skepticism of her much-praised debut, Thing Is puts the hashtag age through some much-needed paces. Witty, cutting, heartbroken, and cautiously hopeful, these poems are really about "aboutness," about what it means to be alive right now. They also nimbly advance the longstanding poetic argument for the value of considered attention: "What follows from / what you know is / not the same thing / as knowledge. Even / when you get it right."

Suzannah Showler holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Toronto. Her writing has appeared in The Walrus, Hazlitt, and The Puritan.

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE VINE AWARD FOR POETRY
“In Thing Is, poet Suzannah Showler writes beautiful, witty, heartbreaking poems that seek answers to impossible questions. These are metaphysical poems, each its own investigation and exploration.” —Mary MacDonald, Pique
Praise for Suzannah Showler:

“Showler’s work is evidence of a lively and flourishing imagination.” —Toronto Star

“[Showler’s] navigation between the funny and the broken is both startling and captivating, and makes us wonder whether the two are more similar than we might think.” —Contemporary Verse 2

“Her poems are distinguished by their cultural awareness . . . without losing sight of the human ethos that defines modern living.” —Publishers Weekly

“Spiked with snarky wit and punctuated by slivers of tenuous hope. The writing is tight, poignant and accessible.” —Maisonneuve

“A bold, self-assured voice, but Showler proves she has more than earned it. This is the real thing.” —Lemon Hound