Poet and novelist Anne Simpson, who lives in Antigonish, uses her
home turf, and other points across the province, to trod and to think
through otherness in writing generally, poetry in particular.
Added up, the six essays seem to suggest place is the other for
this writer and, as such, helps us understand ourselves, our lives or
being. The author only briefly explains her reasons for going to
various sites and getting involved in the different situations that
lead to the walks that trigger the thoughts. For example, she breezes
over exactly why she wanted to go to a friend’s cottage where he was
offering a weekend of “shamanic journeying” except to say she was
“prepared to try it.” Simpson saves the exploration and elaboration for
the walks. Though the brevity, or omission, distracts, these aren’t,
after all, personal essays.
This article appears in Oct 22-28, 2009.
