In her first collection of poetry, Learning to see in the dark, Lorraine Janzen draws from her heritage to create poems of discovery and rediscovery. With an eye for a telling detail, and a strong rhythmic bent, Janzen offers poems of pie-making, poems about Indian dust, poems that decipher cross-dressing. Her images resonate with honesty: a father entertains his daughter at a visit to his parents, a part-Iroquois, part-Scottish school teacher instructs children on a hot afternoon, a mother crafts pies and tells stories. Through all of her work a love of the land predominates, and deep understanding of the history of everything she touches. This is a richly grounded debut collection that will leave readers with a taste for more of Janzen's poetry, with its strong sense of place.

Lorraine Janzen's profile page

Lorraine Janzen lives in North Bay, where she teaches English Studies at Nipissing University. She has published a number of books on Victorian illustrated works, most recently Christina Rossetti and Illustration: A Publishing History. Her poetry has appeared in literary journals across Canada. In 1998 she won first place in the Northeastern Ontario Poetry Contest.