The critically acclaimed and bestselling author and poet katherena vermette discusses her new poetry collection Procession (House of Anansi Press, 2025), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Procession

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

katherena vermette joins me now. The award-winning writer and poet is out today with her third collection of poetry, Procession. The poems are heartfelt, cognisant of the past and the present, with an eye to the future. She explores the connections we have with one another, whether they’re friends, families or Nations. She lovingly remembers those she loved and those that loved her. The collection also focuses the reader on how finite our time is, and ours aren’t the only lives; for example, we’re part of something bigger, something that’s gone on long before, and hopefully will go on long after we’ve left. I found the collection thoughtful as well as fun. When she looks back at thoughts or writing from when she was a child, there’s often a laugh, a lot of wisdom and something thought provoking. She’s taken that insightful disposition into her more contemporary works as we think about what we see when we see photographs, especially how they shape memory more often than we’d like to concede. I enjoyed being amongst her poetry in Procession, because I was seeing the parade of memories as I read, of all the people I’ve encountered, good and bad, but mainly good. Though as you’ll hear us discuss, there are some people who might even warrant a good, “fuck you.” katherena vermette received the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry for her first book, North End Love Songs. Her novel The Break won many awards and was a bestseller. She holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia. She is a Red River Métis (Michif) writer from Treaty 1 territory. Her father’s roots run deep in this land, dating back over two centuries, and her mother’s side is Mennonite. This new collection is from House of Anansi Press. She joined me from Winnipeg two and a half weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, katherena vermette; Dr. vermette, good morning.

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