The Seated Woman by Clémence Dumas-Côté, translated by E.S. Taillon
THE POEMS
You fell asleep on the tiles,
a translucent peacock loomed,
your sex opened and let out
a very blue, very high flame.
You wore a split veil, that morning.
Silent, nailed to her chair, the seated woman writes. She cracks. The poems fidget, slip their fingers: they seek to enter. Perched on her shoulder, the poems whisper in her ear. She captures their messages: "I love the sacred contortions you offer me." The poems protest: "You're squeezing us too hard: careful, pet."
More than descriptors, the words behave as commands or moves in a game—and the voice of the seated woman rises to play. (From House of Anansi Press)
The Seated Woman is available in March 2025.
Clémence Dumas-Côté is the author of the novel Glu and poetry books L'alphabet du don and La femme assise. She studied acting at the National Theatre School of Canada and holds a master's degree in creative writing. She was born in Montreal.
E.S. Taillon is a queer and neurodivergent writer whose writing has appeared in publications such as déraciné, filling Station and Agur Magazine. Their first literary translation, Scenes from the Underground, was shortlisted for the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers. They are the former managing editor of Prism International magazine and holds a master's degree in French literature from the University of Toronto, as well as an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Flowers, confetti, cheers as Guillaume Côté takes last bow with National Ballet
TORONTO – Ballet star Guillaume Côté has taken his last bow with the National Ballet of Canada. The celebrated principal dancer brought his palms to his heart and smiled as confetti and flowers rained onto the stage following a farewell show Thursday. Côté was saluted with an eight-minute standing ovation after the career celebration, which included his multimedia piece 'Grand Mirage' and a restaging of 'Bolero.' The Quebec-born dancer wraps a 26-year career with the Toronto company that saw him star in most of the biggest classical and contemporary roles including Romeo, Prince Charming and Prince Siegfried. He became a principal dancer in 2004 and has performed as a guest artist for major ballet companies in cities including Milan, London, New York, St. Petersburg and Hamburg. Also a choreographer, musician and composer, Côté now focuses on his dance company Côté Danse, which brings its show 'Burn Baby, Burn' to Toronto's Bluma Appel Theatre this weekend and Germany in July. He founded the company in 2021 and is also artistic director of a summer dance festival in Quebec known as Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur. – With files from Angelina Havaris This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
CBC
08-04-2025
- CBC
The Seated Woman by Clémence Dumas-Côté, translated by E.S. Taillon
THE POEMS You fell asleep on the tiles, a translucent peacock loomed, your sex opened and let out a very blue, very high flame. You wore a split veil, that morning. Silent, nailed to her chair, the seated woman writes. She cracks. The poems fidget, slip their fingers: they seek to enter. Perched on her shoulder, the poems whisper in her ear. She captures their messages: "I love the sacred contortions you offer me." The poems protest: "You're squeezing us too hard: careful, pet." More than descriptors, the words behave as commands or moves in a game—and the voice of the seated woman rises to play. (From House of Anansi Press) The Seated Woman is available in March 2025. Clémence Dumas-Côté is the author of the novel Glu and poetry books L'alphabet du don and La femme assise. She studied acting at the National Theatre School of Canada and holds a master's degree in creative writing. She was born in Montreal. E.S. Taillon is a queer and neurodivergent writer whose writing has appeared in publications such as déraciné, filling Station and Agur Magazine. Their first literary translation, Scenes from the Underground, was shortlisted for the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers. They are the former managing editor of Prism International magazine and holds a master's degree in French literature from the University of Toronto, as well as an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia.
CBC
08-04-2025
- CBC
Myth by Terese Mason Pierre
Myth, the much-anticipated debut collection from the multi-talented Terese Mason Pierre, weaves between worlds ('real' and 'imaginary') unearthing the unsettling: our jaded and joyful relationships to land, ancestry, trauma, self, and future. In three movements and two interludes, the poems in Myth move symphonically from tropical islands to barren cities, from lucid dreams to the mysteries of reality, from the sea to the cosmos. A dynamic mix of speculative poetry and ecstatic lyricism, the otherworldly and the sublime, Pierre's poems never stray too long or too far from the spell of unspoiled nature: "The palm trees nod / at the ocean / the ocean does / what it always does / trusts the moon completely." Friends 'with benefits' tour the wonders of Grenada's landscapes; extraterrestrials visit the Caribbean and the locals don't seem phased; red birds "saunter airily like tourists," La Diablesse lures helpless suitors to their dooms. This collection asks: How can myths manifest themselves in our daily lives? What do we actually mean when we say we love ourselves and others? And how do we pursue/create futures that honour our truths, histories and legacies? (From House of Anansi Press) Myth is available in April 2025.
