Additional information
by Michelle Poirier Brown (Author)
You Might Be Sorry You Read This is a stunning debut, revealing how breaking silences and reconciling identity can refine anger into something both useful and beautiful. A poetic memoir that looks unflinchingly at childhood trauma (both incestuous rape and surviving exposure in extreme cold), it also tells the story of coming to terms with a hidden Indigenous identity when the poet discovered her Métis heritage at age 38. This collection is a journey of pain, belonging, hope, and resilience. The confessional poems are polished yet unpretentious, often edgy but humorous; they explore trauma yet prioritize the poet's story. Honouring the complexities of Indigenous identity and the raw experiences of womanhood, mental illness, and queer selfhood, these narratives carry weight. They tell us "You need / only be the simple / expression of the divine / intent / that is your life." There is a lifetime in these poems.
About the Book:
- You Might Be Sorry You Read This is a stunning debut, revealing how breaking silences and reconciling identity can refine anger into something both useful and beautiful.
- A poetic memoir that looks unflinchingly at childhood trauma and the writer's experience of PTSD.
- It also tells the story of coming to terms with a hidden Indigenous identity; the poet discovered her Métis heritage at age 38.
- This collection is a journey of pain, belonging, hope, and resilience.
- The confessional poems are polished yet unpretentious, often edgy but humorous; they explore trauma yet prioritize the poet's story.
- Honouring the complexities of Indigenous identity and the raw experiences of womanhood, mental illness, and queer selfhood, these narratives carry weight.
- There is a lifetime in these poems.
- Author website: www.michellepoirierbrown.ca
This book fits with confessional and trauma writing. The most obvious market is the literary community and readers, particularly people who read Indigenous poetry. The accessible style will appeal to people who don't usually read poetry, and the book can be expected to generate a readership among Métis people, among settlers who have an interest in deepening their understanding of Indigenous experience, and feminists and people who identify as queer. Another key market is university instructors teaching Literature, Creative Writing, Gender Studies, Women's Studies, and Indigenous Studies. About the Poet:
Michelle Poirier Brown is an internationally-published poet, performer, and photographer. She is nêhiýaw-iskwêw and a citizen of the Métis Nation. A feminist activist and retired federal treaty negotiator, Poirier Brown now lives in Lekwungen territory (Victoria, BC).
Author Biography
Michelle Poirier Brown is an internationally published poet, performer, and photographer. She is nêhiýaw-iskwêw and a citizen of the Métis Nation. A feminist activist, now retired from careers as a speech writer, conflict analyst, and federal treaty negotiator, she writes full-time and has taken up birdwatching. She lives on unceded syilx territory in Vernon, BC.
