this stranger turned neighbour turned
friend points out antelope brush and grey
sage unwavering in summer heat
spear grass pierces our skin
as we wade through lamb’s quarters
pulsing the want of seeds
through tufted vetch and shepherd’s
purse capped with rounded clusters
while red-tailed hawks scratch the clouds
into the valley marked by bloodlines
where dreams were swallowed whole
we skirt ponds that give life
to horned grebes, wigeons, and buffleheads
spot a lone merganser and a common loon
too early for blue heron to break
the glazed surface
si’ulq, her mother would say pānī, my mother would say
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Room get started?
Room was started in 1975 by a Vancouver collective of women who wanted to create a forum for female voices in the Canadian literary landscape. The magazine was originally called
Room of One’s Own, in honour of Virginia Woolf’s assertion that, “[for a woman] it is necessary to have five hundred [pounds] a year and a room with a lock on the door if you are to write fiction or poetry.”
When the magazine began 40 years ago,
Room originally supported primarily cisgender women writers. We have been and are continually growing and changing, and now envision