A "kunik" is a traditional Inuit greeting, often given to loved ones, in which a person places their nose on another's cheek and breathes them in. Where the Sea Kuniks the Land extends that gesture of love to the Arctic landscape, in a suite of poems that celebrates the interconnectedness of people and place, past and present.

The importance of land, culture, and identity play key roles in these poems, and the collection will move readers to think deeply about colonization, intergenerational trauma, and grief.

This collection paints beautiful pictures of Arctic landscapes, love stories, and growth. It will take readers on a journey through the seasons, from fierce snowstorms to a warm field of Labrador tea flowers.

A stunning collection of poetry from an Inuk writer.

About the Author
Ashley Qilavaq-Savard is an Inuk writer, artist, and emerging filmmaker born and raised in Iqaluit, Nunavut. She writes poetry about decolonizing narratives, healing from intergenerational trauma, and love of the land and culture. She has published two short stories relating to her Inuit culture, "My Very First Ulu" with Nipiit magazine and "Miki and the Aqsarniit" with Chirp magazine. Since attending the Vancouver Film School, Ashley has led acting and storytelling workshops for children and youth with the Qaggiavuut Performing Arts Society and the Labrador Creative Arts Festival. Ashley also creates sealskin and beaded jewellery, and is a dedicated student of Inuktitut.

Reviews

"Ashley Qilavaq-Savard is writing poetry that should be written, must be written"-The Fiddlhead

"This collection widens the horizon and expands the world, transporting to places foreign, inhabiting its full complexity-to feel it deep within you, its joys, sorrows, and beauty. With a voice of sheer authenticity, the poet is clear-eyed sincere. She invites you to dance with her as the wind and snow dance in a blizzard, to feel the warm Arctic summer sun, to see her world through the eyes of her grandmother and great grandmother. The blue of her world, the sky and the ice and the sea will become yours."-The Eric Hoffer Award

Within this collection of poetry, Ashley Qilavaq- Savard affectionately shares her love and connections to the land and waters. Kuniks are Inuit greetings that involve the placing of one's nose on another's cheek and then breathing them in. Qilavaq-Savard expresses through her poetic voice and mastery of metaphor and symbolism the way this breathing in of a loved one can not only be between people, but between oneself and all things, and between all things. This collection contains connections to land, culture, identity, colonization, trauma, grief, resiliency, and growth. The author takes the reader mentally, emotionally, and spiritually through the seasons within the Arctic land and water that she holds dear to her heart.

* Books BC - Indigenous Books for Schools *


Awards
Commended for Grand Prize 2023. Long-listed for First Horizon Award 2023. Nominated for Indigenous Voices Award - English Poetry 2023.



Book Information
ISBN 9781772274448
Author Ashley Qilavaq-Savard
Format Paperback
Page Count 80
Imprint Inhabit Media Inc
Publisher Inhabit Media Inc
Weight(grams) 420g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 178mm * 25mm