Eat Salt Gaze at the Ocean - by Junie Désil (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

eat salt gaze at the ocean explores the themes of Black sovereignty, Haitian sovereignty, and Black lives, using the Haitian (original) zombie as a metaphor for the condition and treatment of Black bodies. Interspersed with information about zombies, Haiti, and policies is the author's personal narrative of growing up Black and Haitian of immigrant parents on stolen land. The collection is divided into two sections: the first half focusses on zombies, while the second focusses on the ocean/water and the violent crossing experienced by enslaved folks. The book's title refers to the "cure" for reversing the process of becoming a zombie.

Review Quotes

"Poignant."
--BC Booklook

"Désil intersperses her personal story of growing up Black and Haitian in Canada with snippets from fictions, newspaper articles, dictionaries and judicial papers, creating a multi-layered exploration that is as political as it is personal."
--Tyee

"[Désil] ... tell[s] not only her story but the story of millions before her ... Racism is ALIVE. It is time to sink or swim for survival, and this collection is swimming lessons on dry land as we absorb them during lockdown."
--Ormsby Review

About the Author

Junie Désil is a Haitian Canadian poet. Born of immigrant parents on the traditional territories of the Kanien'kehá ka in the island known as Tiotia: ke (Montréal), raised in Treaty 1 territories (Winnipeg). Junie has performed at various literary events and festivals. Her work has appeared in Room Magazine, PRISM International, The Capilano Review, and CV 2. A recovering academic, a UBC alum, and most recently an alumni of SFU's The Writer's Studio, Junie currently works in the Downtown Eastside, on the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (unceded and Ancestral Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Territories) and lives on Qayqayt Territory (New Westminster), juggling writing and life.