A Gift of the Prairie

18 December 2014

A Gift of the Prairie: Writing from the Southern Shores of Last Mountain Lake
Edited by Bernadette Wagner
Published by Last Mountain Lake Cultural Centre
Review by Courtney Bates-Hardy
$20.00 ISBN 978-0-9937215-0-2

A Gift of the Prairie combines all of the best things a poetry anthology can be: it’s short, focused, and includes a variety of work and writers.

The anthology was the brain child of Bernadette Wagner, who served as the literary artist-in-residence at the Last Mountain Lake Cultural Centre in Regina Beach, Saskatchewan. Wagner worked quite closely with the community and wanted to showcase their work, so she sent out a call for writing about the Last Mountain Lake area. According to her foreword, she wasn’t sure at first that there would be enough of a response from local writers to create the anthology. However, as she states, the community came together and soon offered up their memories and writings about the area.

A Gift of the Prairie is a short and satisfying read at a slim 71 pages. It starts off strong, with four beautifully minimalist poems from Jillian Bell and ends on an equally strong note with poetry from Paul Wilson, whose most recent book of poetry, Invisible Library, won three Saskatchewan Book Awards last year. The anthology also includes a short story from romance author, Annette Bower, an amusing excerpt from Robert A. Smith on swimming cramps, and a few disarmingly funny poems from local elementary school classes. The funniest poem, titled “Unicorn God/dess of Awesome” displays their keen understanding of popular culture, including references to Skittles commercials and a recent earworm called, “What Does the Fox Say?”. It’s encouraging to know that these young students had an opportunity to write poetry and contribute to this anthology about community.

The poem from which the title is derived encapsulates the spirit of the anthology. June Mitchell’s “Prairie Song” reminds the reader that the gift of the prairie includes “curses, and prayers, and hope that rises with the melting of the snow.” The paradox of the prairie lies in its alternately fertile and frozen landscape. However, it is community that keeps its’ people going with “lunches in the field, and counters lined with cakes and pies.”

A Gift of the Prairie is an enjoyable read that conveys the best ideals of the prairies: personal warmth and community.

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM WWW.SKBOOKS.COM

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