Harold Rhenisch

September 03rd, 2024

Bridging the settler and Indigenous experiences of the Pacific Northwest’s land and water, The Salmon Shanties: A Cascadian Song Cycle (University of Regina Press $19.95) due out on September 10, written by author Harold Rhenisch, in couplets that blend English and Chinook Wawa. Rhenisch’s poems celebrate a West Coast tradition rooted in the region’s history. The work evokes memories of people and places, crafting “aural maps” through language. Influenced by the rhythms of Secwepemc grass dances, the conversational tone of Canadian poet Al Purdy, and the spirit of poet-historian Charles Lillard, the poems express a deep connection to the land, elevating it through the elements as if reimagining Ezra Pound’s work within the context of Cascadia. 9781779400154

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