Paré reads from “Encrypted”
July 02nd, 2025
Governor General’s Award-winning poet Arleen Paré will host a live reading from her newest collection, Encrypted (Caitlin Press, 2024), on Thursday, July 10th at 6:30 pm at The People’s Co-op Bookstore, 1391 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. Known for her lyrical voice and thematic depth, Paré returns with a poetic meditation on language, mystery and the coded spaces between knowing and not knowing. The event is part of her ongoing promotional tour for Encrypted, a collection that reflects her signature blend of intellect, imagery and quiet urgency.
The evening promises a rare opportunity to engage directly with one of BC’s most celebrated poets in an intimate setting. Books will be available for purchase at the venue, and the event is free and open to the public. Organized in partnership with Caitlin Press and the People’s Co-op Bookstore, this reading invites both long-time poetry lovers and new readers to discover the layered world of Encrypted.
ABOUT THE BOOK
“My grandson, coming of age in an age of anxiety,” says Arleen Paré of the focus of her attention in her book of narrative poems, Encrypted (Caitlin $20). She is writing of Fall, 2020 when her 19-year-old grandson had come to live in her basement to attend second year Computer Science studies. Paré describes him as fresh and sweet with “… hair the colour of new coal,” adding, “your eyes / your dimpled face //.”
But in less than two months, things go wrong when Paré’s grandson drops his coursework due to bouts of severe anxiety and depression. She posits reasons for the downward spiral, including the impact of social media, climate crisis, over eight billion people worldwide, a video-gaming addiction, endemic depression—all issues that other grandparents (and parents) worry about.
“You live in a fortified / video game,” writes Paré. “I don’t even know the town’s name //.”
With empathetic words and allusions to a wide swath of other poets, Paré’s poems grapple with the contemporary life of youth today. 9781773861647
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