Books by Kate Braid

"Usually, we take for granted or plain ignore the Earth we walk on, the Sky above, the Water we drink and bathe in or that falls as rain, the Fire we assume for heat, and the Wood that makes up our landscape and building materials. But over fifteen years as a construction carpenter, Kate Braid began to pay more attention to the materials she worked with and depended upon. Out of these she has crafted an intimate picture of what it is like to be wholly engaged with the elemental materials of earth, sky, water, fire and wood that we depend upon every day. Elemental is a poignant, intelligent collection that asks us to look more closely at ourselves and the details that construct our rich and delicate world."--

"First published 1995 by Polestar Book Publishers"--Title page verso.

This is an exploration of loose correspondence between one of Canada''s greatest musicians, Glenn Gould, and "K", an admiring fan. Braid weaves an intimate dynamic as K struggles with the loss of her hearing in one ear, finding her greatest comfort in Gould''s music -- particularly when he plays Bach. Gould''s poems don''t directly reply, but they do echo a response as he struggles with his own difficult life; his family, his health, his strong beliefs in how music should be presented and his personal habits considered "eccentric" by an ever-watchful press. K starts to accept her changing world, just as Gould begins a downward spiral into disintegration. In his final reflection, Gould acknowledges that in spite of his personal trials, his music now circles the world in the spacecraft Voyager as Earth''s example to other possible life forms of what is most beautiful in this civilisation. This is a striking and masterful volume of poems that does justice to Gould''s brilliance, offering insights into his personal life and art, even as it showcases Braid''s own virtuosity.