If, When

The poems in If, When link the author’s contemporary experiences while living in Squamish, British Columbia, with those of her great-grandparents, who lived in the nearby mining town of Britannia a century earlier. Exploring the complex layers of relationship that make up a place—the many interactions and negotiations that transpire as different people live and work together within a specific environment—Bren Simmers offers a fresh and empathetic take on the inevitable tensions between land stewardship and economic development, finding, ultimately, much potential for connection and community.