Navigating through tragedy with sincere inquiry, Learning to Love a River explores unlikely existences in and of Thunder Bay, a small northern Ontario city which is rife with stereotype and misconception. With its insider’s perspective, this collection offers a sympathetic but frank accounting for these misconceptions, challenging facile assumptions about race and class. Deep down, the poems are asking important epistemological and ontological questions. But, they are also reminding us to try and move forward with a light heart, while looking for the best in others.