Lorne Daniel, "What Is Broken Binds Us" (U Calgary Press, 2025)

Nov 3, 2025

Lorne Daniel, a Canadian poet and non-fiction writer, delves into his collection, exploring themes of family trauma, addiction, and hidden histories. He shares the evolution of his work from personal journals to poignant poems, emphasizing the importance of ethical writing about loved ones. Daniel reveals how a significant accident reshaped his understanding of pain and disability, while maintaining a calm, observant tone in his writing. He also discusses the influence of clear language and metaphor, and hints at his next project focused on the layered histories of Western Alberta.

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ADVICE

Turn Journals Into Poems Deliberately

Edit journal entries to increase impact and clarity before turning them into poems.
Focus on concise language and strong imagery to make personal material resonate with readers.

ADVICE

Prefer Clarity And Resonant Metaphor

Aim for clear, concentrated language in poetry that gives maximum impact with few words.
Use metaphor and shared imagery so specific experiences become universally relatable.

ADVICE

Handle Family Subjects Ethically

Protect others' privacy: compress incidents, avoid identifying details, and consult family before publishing.
Share manuscripts with involved family members and be prepared to revise if they object.

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In this NBN episode, host Hollay Ghadery interviews poet Lorne Daniel about his poetry collection, What is Broken Binds Us (University of Calgary Press, 2025).

What is Broken Binds Us is a collection of poems of the disruptions and emotional tremors that shape us: enslaved families broken and dispersed, histories hidden, addiction and estrangement, and the shocks of bodily trauma.

What is Broken Binds Us shares stories of loss, absence, acceptance, and hope. Returning to the page after a long absence, poet Lorne Daniel provides a unique perspective on crisis that balances raw emotion with vulnerability, thoughtfulness, and care.

In seven sections, Daniel braids the stories of empire, personal traumas, addiction and family estrangement, shifting emergencies, and the wisdom of elders and the natural world. Lessons in Emergency Preparedness traces accident, injury and recovery, facing the trauma of a sudden loss of physical competence through the metaphorical and literal breaks of a shattered body and the slow movement towards mending. When the Tributaries Ran Rich unravels empire and a five-century narrative of hard-working immigrants with the discovery of enslavement in family records, forcing a deep reconsideration of the truth of the past. Episodic Tremor & Slip speaks of the tectonic shifts in family life that occur when facing substance abuse, addiction, and mental health struggles, of the pain of estrangement and the love that continues. In the Family Name is a reflection on time, on people, and on the natural world that revisits and turns over all that came before, exploring it from new angles.

Lorne Daniel writes with calm, conversational assurance. These poems are accessible and evocative, speaking from their specificity to the many people who have faced injury, estrangement, struggle, and pain, and must carry it—and carry on.

About Lorne Daniel:

Lorne Daniel is a Canadian poet and non-fiction writer. He has been deeply engaged in the literary community, including the emergence of a Canadian prairie poetry scene in the 1970s. He has publsihed four books of poetry, edited anthologies and literary journals, and written freelance journalism. His work has been published in dozens of anthologies, journals, newspapers and magazines in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. Lorne lives on the traditional territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən people in Victoria, BC.

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