Poets in a Strange Land

Join acclaimed author Camilla Gibb and former Kingston Poet Laureate Jason Heroux as they discuss their new collections. Blending Gibb’s profound anthropological insight with Heroux’s signature "surrealism of the everyday," this compelling session celebrates two distinct, powerful voices.

Camilla Gibb is the author of five internationally acclaimed novels: Mouthing the Words, The Petty Details of So-and-so’s Life, Sweetness in the Belly, The Beauty of Humanity Movement, and most recently, The Relatives, as well as a memoir, This Is Happy. Her first collection of poetry, I Used to Be a Pisces, will be available April 1, 2026. Camilla has been the recipient of the Trillium Book Award, the City of Toronto Book Award and the CBC Canadian Literary Award and has been shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the RBC Taylor Prize.

Jason Heroux lives in Kingston, Ontario, with his wife, Soheir, and their two cats, Pablo and Neruda. He is the author of five books of poetry, most recently Hard Work Cheering Up Sad Machines and Like a Trophy from the Sun, which was listed on CBC’s “44 Canadian poetry collections to watch for in fall 2024.” His short story collection, Survivors of the Hive (2023), also appeared on many “best” lists, including on The Miramichi Reader and 49th Shelf. Translated into French, Italian, and Arabic, Jason’s poetry has been featured in several anthologies, including Breathing Fire 2: Canada’s New Poets and Best Canadian Poetry in English 2008, 2011, and 2016, as well as The Best of the Best Canadian Poetry in English. His poems have appeared in magazines and journals in Canada, the U.S, Belgium, France, and Italy. He was the Poet Laureate for the City of Kingston from 2019 to 2022.Laundromat was shortlisted for the 2011 ReLit Awards,[11] and his poetry collection Natural Capital was shortlisted for the 2013 ReLit Awards.[12]