At a time when commentators on the nightly news talk almost calmly about the renewed threat of nuclear war, one of the necessary responses is to think again about what we hold dear, and about those things we would preserve. These include not only life itself, but those endeavours, including the sciences and the fine arts, that feed our minds and give extra value to our lives. I think that adhering to poetry right now is not risky in itself — at least not here in Canada — but rather a heartening response to the grave risks inherent in our time. A sense of beauty and of perspective, visions and ideals, music and thought, are what poetry offers in so many diverse voices.

Author Roo Borson is appearing at the 2017 Whistler Writers Festival at reading event Speaking Our Silence – The Poetry of Courage, Sat. Oct. 14, 11:30am – 1pm at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.