Blue thinks itself within me by Kim Trainor

In her new book, Blue thinks itself within me: Lyric poetry, ecology, and lichenous form, Kim Trainor invites readers to follow an intriguing and urgently relevant network of insights. Full of a variety of works of art and poetry, slices of history, theories, and anecdotes of Trainor’s activism, all sections weave source material and personal experience back to the pulsing questions Trainor poses: what can artists do in the face of climate disaster, and more specifically how can activism be informed and impacted by ecopoetry? The messages Trainor shares are rich, complexly layered, and surprisingly hopeful. 

Trainor’s reflection of the climate crisis and her time participating in the Ada’itsx/ Fairy Creek logging blockade in Vancouver Island’s old-growth forests provide important scaffolding for each section and context for Trainor’s questions. Simultaneously, Trainor explores the process and the impact writing lyrical ecopoetry can have on climate activism. She takes her time relaying her search for insight from the old-growth specklebelly lichen that has existed for hundreds of years in these forests, and contemplates how her poetry may be informed by this species:

“I am still waiting to hear what oldgrowth specklebelly lichen might say to me, to see what it might reveal to me, if I can make space within myself to receive it.”

The structure of this book mirrors the complex, evolutionary process of lichen – with chapters that work in systems, each part relies on the others and the external influences to function and establish a full picture.

By role-modeling curiosity and openness to unconventional answers, Trainor implores us to question our individual and collective roles and identities in the larger scope of existence. I did not expect to come away from this book feeling connected and hopeful, given the bleak reality of the climate crisis this work is tethered to, but I’m grateful I did. Through consulting and building upon numerous theories, sourcing from Indigenous artists and academics and traditions, philosophers, and poets, Trainor reaffirms the concept that all matter is essential and of equal worth and encourages readers to decentralize the human experience in order to allow space for new forms of thoughts and fresh perspectives to flourish and inspire actions. Layers of realization and possibilities evolve in real time with each chapter. Lichen are complicated systems, and so are we. It is difficult to put that all into a single, linear thread. Rather, Trainor succeeds at blending this synergetic amalgamation of theses. It is beautiful in its leisurely viscosity and its imperative and passionate tone.

Blue thinks itself within me is unlike anything I have read, for leisure or study. I learned a great deal, and feel certain I would learn and feel a lot more that I likely missed upon a second read. While dense with source material, fragments of lived experience, and aptly lyrical prose and poetry, it is not inaccessible and does not require prior knowledge of any of the topics, theories, or conclusions Trainor presents and unpacks. Diving into this intricate multi-genred work is rewarding. If you care about the impact of poetry, our planet and the climate crisis, and all that encompasses, then this book, along with Trainor’s other works, are valuable resources to be revisited and discussed with consideration and curiosity for the times we are in and the times to come.

Hannah Briggs

Hannah Briggs (she/her) is a writer and reader settled on Treaty 6 land in London, Ontario. Themes of social justice and equity, mental wellness, and queer identities and relationships motivate her most deeply. She enjoys reading by the water, people-watching at the market, and being a "guncle" to her roommates’ mischievous cats.