Filling Station
Filling Station is indeed a spot to rest and replenish your weary, literature-plagued mind. The train-theme photos (CP Ottawa and Caboose Installation 8) by Jennifer Books remind me vaguely of freight-hopping hobos; quiet representations of life in stark grey-scaled glory. Their excessive whiteness left the impression of pain, still winter, and heavy cracks in the skin. Anar Ali’s “Jelly Jar Fly” is a well-crafted, highly-scented tale of curry, lemon chutney, childhood and good angels who get squashed by chapati rolls, seen through the eyes of a boy named Champa-Bai. The side-by-side Spanish and English poetry by Coral Bracho is an intriguing idea, but the content didn’t especially grab me. There’s so much more here worth mentioning, that I haven’t even begun to describe. Aieee… The price is kinda steep, but so is the quality. (EPW)