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18 Brian Brett
Brian Brett’s stranger than fiction early life is best understood by
reading Uproar’s Your Only Music, his 2005 half-memoir,
half-poetry diptych. Despite the challenges of his youth, Brett went on to
co-found a publishing company, chair the Writers’ Union of Canada, and
write 11 books. Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life (Greystone
Books), his 2009 Writers’ Trust Prize-winner, allows readers an intimate
look at his life on the Saltspring Island farm where he has lived with his
family for the past 18 years. Farming is not for the faint of heart or
anyone averse to long days and hard work, but the rewards include a close
connection to the land and nature, and a guaranteed supply of real food.
Although he bemoans the sorry state of modern factory farming and the
artificial, nutrition-free food that is its consequence, Brian Brett
remains remarkably optimistic. Trauma Farm was a finalist in three
categories for the BC Book Prizes.
Photo: Michael Schoenholtz
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