Carly Straker says writing poetry became a form of medicine for her.
The born-and-raised Yellowknifer, who said she has been writing poems her whole life, is releasing her first book, Things the Trees Taught Me. The poetry collection touches on themes of grief, loss, healing, nature, divine femininity, love and joy.
“It was a lot related to some of the personal challenges and heartaches and things that I was going through at the time,” Straker told Cabin Radio.
“I started sharing them with friends and family who were maybe going through similar things and it kind-of became a book, all these different pieces from different times in my life over the last few years.”
Straker said she is “really excited” to share her work more broadly but is also “a little bit nervous” as it is “a really vulnerable, personal” book.
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The title of the book is inspired by Straker’s connection to nature and what she has learned from it. She gave the example of how trees have taught her about feeling rooted as well as letting go.
“Trees lose their leaves and let things go and they kind-of help to form new life or nursing trees,” she said.
“All throughout my life I felt very connected to living things in nature or the water.”
Straker hopes other people will also be able to connect with her poems.
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“When we’re experiencing different things in life – whether they’re beautiful, joyous things or really challenging, heart-wrenching things – I think sometimes it’s hard to find the words for what we’re going through,” she said.
“I think so much in the world we feel isolated or alone or unseen, and I hope this is a way to kind-of break through some of that.”
Straker is celebrating the release of her book with an event at Sundog Trading Post on Thursday from 6-8pm. It will feature music by Indio Saravanja and a short reading of selected poems. Books will be available for purchase.
Things the Trees Taught Me will also be among the titles available for sale at NorthWords’ northern book fair at Centre Square Mall on Saturday from 10am-3pm and is being sold on Amazon. In the near future, it will be available at Yellowknife Books.
