THE POEMS

You fell asleep on the tiles,
a translucent peacock loomed,
your sex opened and let out
a very blue, very high flame.

Silent, nailed to her chair, the seated woman writes. She cracks. The poems fidget, slip their fingers: they seek to enter. Perched on her shoulder, the poems whisper in her ear. She captures their messages: "I love the sacred contortions you offer me." The poems protest: "You're squeezing us too hard: careful, pet."

More than descriptors, the words behave as commands or moves in a game—and the voice of the seated woman rises to play. (From House of Anansi Press)

The Seated Woman is available in March 2025.

Clémence Dumas-Côté is the author of the novel Glu and poetry books L'alphabet du don and La femme assise. She studied acting at the National Theatre School of Canada and holds a master's degree in creative writing. She was born in Montreal.

E.S. Taillon is a queer and neurodivergent writer whose writing has appeared in publications such as déraciné, filling Station and Agur Magazine. Their first literary translation, Scenes from the Underground, was shortlisted for the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers. They are the former managing editor of Prism International magazine and holds a master's degree in French literature from the University of Toronto, as well as an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia.