Inventory is a collection of 58 object poems. Taking as a starting point the reciprocal relation between subjects and objects, the book explores the unique way that objects appear in an individual consciousness. Each object in this Inventory exists on its own and also reflects the author’s experience, from the mundane stapler and tea bag, to the mysterious, extinct dodo bird, to entities that blur the line between person and thing.
In this way, the collection highlights the often hidden dimensions of the objects we encounter, including their temporal, political, locational and psychic aspects. It offers an opportunity for readers to reconsider their own investments in what, by dictionary definition, should be static categories.
Praise for Inventory:
“Inventory by Marguerite Pigeon examines life’s often forgotten elements. From her portrait of “meaning” to her idyllic details of a clothespin, Pigeon is a master of naked realism and organic descriptions of expression. Her first publication, lnventory, was short-listed for the 2010 Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. The book explores the lucid philosophy of simple pleasures – it’s a refreshing truth bound in a small package.
lnventory is a front-to-back read that meshes simplicity and intricacy in a witty and intelligent style. Pigeon’s work is a gem of purity in a complex world.”
—Poetry is Dead
Marguerite Pigeon is a writer of poetry and fiction. Since completing her MFA at the University of British Columbia in 2004, she has been working as an editor of academic publications while completing this collection of poems and her first novel. Her work has appeared in a variety of journals, including subTerrain, The Capilano Review, dANDelion, Grain, and Taddle Creek. Originally from Blind River, Northern Ontario. She currently lives in Vancouver.
