The Meaning of Leaving

The Meaning of Leaving lies in the pain of staying, and the frequent reality of being driven out-by force and violence, or by one's own recognition that a hope has been betrayed. This can be out of a parental home, the dream of affection, a marriage, a city (Toronto, Hong Kong), or the human-insulted loveliness of the earth. Rogers's agile narrow-gauge free verse flashes from song to description, to narrations that always fascinate, whether with exquisitely phrased details of beauty or scenes of pain etched in sharp brief strokes.

-A. F. Moritz



These powerful poems grip the heart. The poet writes about intimate partner violence (a late husband whose fist was "a shadow puppet on the wall") with bravery, vulnerability and strength. The poet bears witness, too, to other forms of violence including political oppression in Hong Kong and China and homelessness in Canada. This inspiring collection also sparks hope and joy, as rich in imagery as "a field of white ginger lilies." with the cosmopolitan insight of a Canadian who has spent over two decades living in Asia.

-Marsha Barber



Leaving in these poems is not only leaving your country of birth but leaving the old self that did not have the confidence to leave. Leaving is power, to be wielded towards wisdom and liberation.

In the face of all struggles-personal, cultural, and political- the poet like..."a sparrow, wingtips / meeting in prayer, / drags the dark robe / of twilight / across the pavement."

- Bänoo Zan



Kate Rogers' poetry and critical writing have appeared in many literary journals and anthologies both in Canada and abroad, including The Montreal International Poetry Prize Anthology (Véhicule Press), Looking Back at Hong Kong (CUHK Press), subTerrain, ARC, PRISM, and many others. Her most recent poetry collection is Out of Place (Aeolus House/Quattro Books 2017.) She is a co-director of the Art Bar Poetry Reading Series in Toronto.