tori grant welhouse

“The poet Matthew Arnold said of brevity, “Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret.” Poet Tori Grant Welhouse not only embodies that rare economy of language, her imagery is often startling, getting at the painful ‘aha’ moments of life deftly. I truly enjoyed this book from cover to cover. ”

“It feels wrong to say I had a blast reading these poems about partings but these are not your typical elegies; yes, there is illness, death and children growing away, but the language is meaty and memorable, and as much about salvaging the best of the departed as it is about the send-off. Add to the mix a farewell of leaky canoes, cake, crappy managers, an ocean in the rearview mirror and you’ve got a gem of a first book. Canned is whiplash of words: tight-lipped yet curvaceous, somber yet sarcastic, poised but occasionally pissy. A genuine delight!”