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Poetry Canadian

Mockingbird

by (author) Derek Webster

Publisher
Vehicule Press
Initial publish date
Nov 2015
Category
Canadian
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781550654264
    Publish Date
    Sep 2015
    List Price
    $18
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781550654332
    Publish Date
    Nov 2015
    List Price
    $12.99

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Description

In poetry that strikes a delicate balance between candour and lament., Mockingbird tracks the aftershocks of a failed marriage through a variety of self-portraits. Derek Webster’s speakers itemize their regrets and fears while keeping sentimentality in check and the result is a first book of exceptional emotional power. Indeed, the distinctive and nuanced shapes of Webster’s exquisitely controlled lyrics highlight the great achievement of his debut: a clipped, often aphoristic line-making stripped down to cold truths. The struggle isn’t about being yourself, these poems argue, but about deciding which version of yourself to accept—and surviving the decision with equanimity. “Your small life wants to live in you / despite everyone’s attempts to do it in.”

About the author

Born in Richmond, Virginia, Derek Webster grew up in Beijing, Toronto and London. He received an MFA in Poetry from Washington University in St. Louis, where he studied with Carl Phillips, Erin Belieu and Yusef Komunyakaa. His poetry and prose have appeared in The Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review, The Walrus, and Boston Review. The founding editor of Maisonneuve magazine, he lives in Montreal.

Derek Webster's profile page

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