When astronaut Julie Payette was returning to earth from space, she said she found being reintroduced to even half the gravity on earth too much for her body to bear. Living in Gravity explores how we bear gravity, both physically and metaphorically. Some of us are lucky enough to float with someone through a night sky, as the lovers in Chagall’s paintings do, while at other times we are crushed by relentless and punishing weight. In this playful collection, the experience of astronauts and swimmers, the joyous and grief-stricken, are celebrated and lamented.

Valerie Stetson was born in Alberta and grew up in British Columbia. She studied English at the University of Victoria. Stetson's first book, a collection of short stories called The Year I Got Impatient, was a runner-up for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. The title story also received The Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award. Her second book, a collection of poems called Living in Gravity, was nominated for a ReLit Award. Her articles have also appeared in The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star. She lives in Kelowna.

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