This Hole Called January

From Superman to James Bond, from childhood’s imaginings to life’s darkest moments, Paula Remlinger explores identity and depression with humour and empathy. The collection moves from innocent beginnings to the starkness of the Canadian winter and its profound effects on the psyche. The final section expands into a playful juxtaposition of popular culture and an adult awareness of the inevitable cycles of life. Winter on the prairies brings a barren sense of isolation, as well as an uncanny beauty. These poems explore the duality of winter – confinement in an infinite landscape, the hopeful longing for an out of reach springtime. Remlinger writes of the beginning and end of things, the balance between life and death, and the spaces we live in between. With humour and elegance, these poems will speak to everyone who has felt the dark days of winter closing in, physically and metaphorically. - 20181027