What Shade of Brown?by John Brady McDonaldPublished by Radiant PressReview by Toby A. Welch  $20.00 ISBN 9781998926282 What Shade of Brown? is what I call a ‘pocket book’ as it’s small enough to tuck into your bag or pocket. It’s seventy-eight pages long so it’s not very thick. But wow, does it ever pack a punch!  This book of poetry is made up of thirty-five poems. Each and every one of them is dynamic. The poems delve into the struggles McDonald has lived through as a light skinned person who toggles between two groups; undermined by the settler-colonial society and not accepted as an Indigenous person in lands that feel strange to him. The poems are unforgettable – readers are immersed in the struggles that are McDonald’s reality. The poems cover a wide range of topics from mourning a misspent youth, the joys of rain, admitting you drink too much coffee, the early days of Covid, struggles with insomnia, concepts of race, and dozens more. I especially enjoyed the poems that are nature focused as I strongly believe, like McDonald does, that nature is an impressive beast. It’s hard for me to pick a favourite poem – that’s like asking which of…

The Glass Lodge: 20th Anniversary Editionby John Brady McDonaldPublished by Shadowpaw Press RepriseReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$34.99 ISBN 9781998273119 As the name suggests, Shadowpaw Press Reprise is in the business of publishing previously-released books, often with edits and other improvements. The Glass Lodge: 20th Anniversary Edition, a holds-no-punches poetry collection by Saskatchewan writer John Brady McDonald is one such book. First published in 2004 by Kegedonce Press, the Néhiyawak-Métis writer/artist/actor/musician/historian—yes, he has a lot going on—from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and the Mistawasis Nehiyawak has given the new hardcover edition a spit-shine, with “frank, fascinating insight[s]” into the poems’ angsty geneses, and several images of the initial handwritten pieces. McDonald’s been recognized for both his writing and artwork. His nonfiction book Carrying it Forward: ESSAYS FROM KISTAHPINÂNIHK garnered two Saskatchewan Books Awards in 2024, and his art’s been shown internationally. This multi-talented, Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal awardee (Saskatchewan), has had an extraordinarily diverse life, ranging from promiscuity and addiction issues to studying at England’s University of Cambridge and presenting his work in Australia. The book’s told chronologically in four parts—“Emergence,” “Eros,” “Kuskitew Peyesis” and “Renaissance,” and includes a “Denouement.” The poems reach back to McDonald’s difficult teenage years: the first…