Underneath the Water with the Fishis a collection of short fiction that explores the murky underwater existence of women's uncensored thoughts and desires. Often the women are on the cusp of change: death, leaving a relationship, starting a new one, wondering how they got to the point where they are. Sometimes they are living a rather marginal existence or are not well grounded in sound mental health and are just getting by. The author tells these stories with a touch of poetry and of humour and a great deal of emotional intelligence.

Carol Malyon
Carol Malyon is the author of four novels, a collection of short fiction and several books of poetry. Her first short story collection, The Edge of the World (1991) was short-listed for the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best First Book of Fiction, and her novel If I Knew I’d Tell You (1995) was short-listed for the SmithBooks / Books in Canada First Novel Award.

bill bissett
bill bissett’s charged readings, which never fail to amaze his audiences, incorporate sound poetry, chanting and singing, the verve of which is only matched by his prolific writing career?over 70 books of bissett’s poetry have been published. Whether paying tribute to his hometown lunaria or exercising his native tongue dissent, bissett continues to dance upon the cutting edge of poetics and performance works.

Carol Malyon's profile page

"At times heartbreaking, at times hilarious, these stories honour the everyday lives of people who struggle close to the ground. Women try desperately to love men who disappear, who die, who might not even exist, while bruises rise on their skin "like stones emerging from beneath a field." Carol Malyon has created a world where "lily pads float on the water like flattened hearts." At the same time, she not only makes her readers laugh when they think they shouldn't but helps them forgive themselves for doing it."
--K.D. Miller, author of

"Carol Malyon's stories are funny, sad, and deeply ironic. In "Marking Time," as their mother lies dying, her daughters finally want to hear her story. In "Smoke," a woman trying to quit remembers old tobacco ads. In "Thanksgiving," a family's conversation over dinner will make you laugh out loud. These are women's stories from birth to death that speak to all the pain, love, humour, loss, and acceptance that life holds. These are strong women who keep going in spite of the abuse, hardship, and unanswered questions their lives offer. These are women who survive."
--Kristin Andrychuk, author of Mother's Genius