I’m always trying to find more literature from queer writers, so I was thrilled to read Toronto-based writer Natalie Wee’s new collection of poetry, Beast at Every Threshold.
The collection of poems touches on Wee’s experiences as a woman, as a queer person, and as an immigrant. She does a magnificent job of exploring the concept of what it means to be “other” through the use of folklore and myth.
Wee’s poems have a distinctly youthful feeling that I really appreciate. In “Inside Joke,” she uses text slang and incorporates the often-overlooked complexity of memes to convey how many young people communicate today. I love that she uses methods like this not to mock our increasingly technology-centred culture but to show the true human connections that exist within our online presences. It’s details like this that make me feel truly connected to the poems, as they reflect the real world that I live in.
The theme of time is pervasive throughout Wee’s poems, of how past and present aren’t as well-defined as we often think they are. She beautifully and honestly weaves into her work how trauma from generations past can continue to impact generations in the present.
Beyond just the words themselves, the presentation of the poems feels fresh and creative. Wee uses the physical layout of her poems to visualize borders, the circularity of time, and flow charts that invite the reader to think deeper about the meaning of the poem at hand.
While I was reading, one poem in particular really caught my attention. In “Sayang,” Wee intentionally blocks out an individual’s name. Just that simple change to the poem made me think harder about who this person is to her and how the message behind the poem shifts when their name is erased.
I found Wee’s Beast at Every Threshold unapologetically youthful and thought-provoking. I would quite gladly read it several times over and I’m sure I would find new and interesting details each time. She did an amazing job of portraying what it means on a personal level to be seen as “other.”
The raw emotion and truth throughout her poems were a pleasure to read, both visually and intellectually.
I would invite everyone, young and old, to read this book.