Award-winning author Mary Barnes has written a beautiful book of poetry that allows her audience to make connections to the narrative. Barnes's style of writing is easy to read and draws the readers in as though they have experienced the description themselves. Some of Barnes’s poems were inspired by texts read in her past, and she acknowledges these works in her book. She writes many forms of poetry, including glosa and haibuns (a combination of prose and haiku created in Japan). This is Barnes's second book of poetry, following her 2019 release of What Fox Knew, where the poems often present recollections from her past. Anyone looking to relax and reconnect with a book will enjoy this gentle read.

Other End Matter: Content page, Ojibwe Glossary
Contributor Affiliation: Mary Barnes (Ojibwe)
Bibliography: Yes
Index: No

Source: Books BC - Indigenous Books for Schools

Mary Barnes is of Ojibwa descent. She is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and a winner of the Tom York Award for short fiction. She has written book reviews for The Antigonish Review and currently writes for Prairiefire. Her poetry has appeared in literary journals such as the Prairie Journal, Tower Poetry Society, and Voicings. Inspirations for her writing come from the landscape of her youth and everyday encounters. Her first collection of poetry What Fox Knew was released 2019 by At Bay Press and received two award nominations; The League of Canadian Poets Pat Lowther Award and the Manuela Dias Award. Born in Parry Sound, she now lives in Wasaga Beach with her husband Bob and writes, gardens, and talks to the birds.

Mary Barnes' profile page

"Mary Barnes’ second poetry collection, 'Moving Upstream', masterfully blends the profound questions of our existence with hard facts of the realities and mandates of our quantified world. Her poetic language, deeply rooted in her Ojibwe ancestry, is a thought-provoking and vast treasury that reveals symbol-and-meaning working together to a lasting and powerful effect.." —Bianca Lakoseljac, author of 'Stone Woman'

“Moving Upstream personifies how Ojibwe ways of knowing continue to persevere, nurturing the individual identities of each generation alongside colonial infrastructures now sharing the water.” —Scott Mainprize