News and Smoke

Hugh Oliver is the former editor-in-chief of the OISE (Ontario Institute
for Studies in Education) Press. He is the author of Hoblyn: A Novel in
Three Parts and Voices from the Cradle, Echoes from the Grave: A Volume
of Verse.

News and Smoke comprises a selection of poems from Sharon Thesen’s six
previous books, a few unpublished poems, and poems that have appeared
only in magazines. The title is taken from a sign on a Chinese grocery
store in West Vancouver, and the poems, as Thesen says, are about living
in Vancouver, “a place I’ve always disliked but have never had the
sense to move out of.”

Thesen’s poetry is characterized by short pithy lines, sharp images,
and an emphasis on statement or narrative rather than description. She
evokes an impressive range of emotions between hope and despair.
“Speaking English / we go over & over / the things that happen, / but
I would rather have you / in my arms than in this conversation.”

Thesen has written some memorable poetry.