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you are only here
to learn from those who came before
and make space
for those who come after
Procession: a line of people moving in the same direction; a formal ceremony or celebration, as in a wedding, a funeral, a religious parade. Bestseller and Governor General's Award-winner katherena vermette's third collection presents a series of poems reaching into what it means to be at once a descendant and a future ancestor, exploring the connections we have with one another and ourselves, amongst friends, and within families and Nations.
In frank, heartfelt poems that move through body sovereignty and ancestral dreams, and from '80s childhood nostalgia to welcoming one's own babies, vermette unreels the story of a child, a parent, and soon, an elder, living in a prairie place that has always existed, though looks much different to her now. This book is about being one small part of a large genealogy. A lineage is a line, and the procession, whether in celebration or in mourning, is ongoing.
procession delves into what it means to make poems and to be an artist, to be born into a body, to carry it all, and, if you're very lucky, age.
be a good ancestor
be a good kid
About the author
KATHERENA VERMETTE (she/her) 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.
vermette received the Governor General's Literary Award for Poetry for her first book,
North End Love Songs, and wide acclaim for her second collection of poems,
river woman.
The Break, a novel, won many awards including the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, and was a bestseller in Canada. She holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia.
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, katherena lives with her family in a cranky old house within skipping distance of the temperamental Red River.
