Yellow Pears - by Michelle Porter (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the bestselling author of A Grandmother Begins the Story comes a luminous exploration of grief, family, and the enduring connections between kinship and land.

Against the backdrop of global crises that have become everyday events, the poems in this stunning and hopeful collection bring the readers to the edge of everything and ask, "What are you doing Saturday, while you wait for the world to end?"

These poems explore what comes before, during, and after the end: a grandmother leaving her knowledge in an old clunker by the roadside for her descendants to rediscover, yellow pears as a balm for starvation and grief, two sisters vaulting fences in search of their uncertain futures, a brother pacing the halls of a psychiatric ward, a mother transforming into a tree as a daughter considers how to bury her father in one, bison gifting themselves to hunters, and a woman interpreting the language of dirt. Through these vivid vignettes, the collection celebrates the quiet moments that emerge amid endings and departures. It reminds us of the enduring brightness of yellow pears and the joy that persists in the world.

Intimate and evocative, Yellow Pears considers how grief and survival intertwine. It reveals where the pain of loss yields to moments of unexpected beauty and collective belonging.

About the Author

A descendant of Métis storytellers from the prairie homeland, MICHELLE PORTER is a dynamic voice in Canadian literature. Her debut novel, A Grandmother Begins the Story, was a national bestseller, won the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, and was a finalist for the Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Award. In addition to her acclaimed fiction, she is the author of two nonfiction works (Scratching River and Approaching Fire) and a debut poetry collection (Inquiries), which was shortlisted for the 2021 Pat Lowther Memorial Award and the E.J. Pratt Poetry Award. Her poetry has also been recognized by the Montreal International Poetry Prize in 2020, 2022, and 2024. Michelle teaches creative writing and Métis literature at Memorial University.