Poems from the Lytton fire
Burning Sage
On the day that Lytton burned to the ground, I ran from the flames. I saw our village turn into a black pillar of smoke, and came home after a month-long evacuation to its ashes. My house, on the edge of the fire, was saved; my community and my small business were not. Life as I knew it was gone, and somehow, in spite of the trauma and the ongoing onslaught of natural disasters, I had to keep going. Living. Surviving.
Burning Sage shares my story of the fire, the ensuing trauma, and the path out of it. It is my deeply personal story but it is also a human story, a universal story, about the fragile beauty of life.
Purchase a signed copy directly from me here, or find the book at commercial retailers.
On the day that Lytton burned to the ground, I ran from the flames. I saw our village turn into a black pillar of smoke, and came home after a month-long evacuation to its ashes. My house, on the edge of the fire, was saved; my community and my small business were not. Life as I knew it was gone, and somehow, in spite of the trauma and the ongoing onslaught of natural disasters, I had to keep going. Living. Surviving.
Burning Sage shares my story of the fire, the ensuing trauma, and the path out of it. It is a deeply personal story but it is also a human story, a universal story, about the fragile beauty of life.
Signed by the author.
“Fandrich’s is a poetry of intimacy, of sensitivity, of nerves vibrating on the outside of one’s body.”
— Richard Pickard, Book Addiction
Reviewed in BC History Magazine, Vancouver Sun, and elsewhere.
Featured on reading lists by CBC Books, The Tyee, Sierra Club BC, and more.
Interviews about the book
In conversation
A few thoughtful pieces about Burning Sage and my story of the Lytton fire.
Q with Tom Power (CBC)
A reading and conversation with Tom Power about the unexpected path to writing Burning Sage, the role of love and community in the book, and what it means to share deeply personal work with readers.
Listen to the show on Apple Podcasts or CBC→
Becoming More Visible (Read Local BC)
Poet Rob Taylor and I discuss how the poems emerged from trauma, why Burning Sage is ultimately a love story, and the experience of becoming visible through writing and being read.
The Fire and the Poet (Fraser Valley Current)
Journalist Tyler Olsen traces the story of Burning Sage from the Lytton fire to publication, exploring loss, resilience, and the long journey between surviving a disaster and finding language for it.
“This remarkable little book contains far more than disaster reportage, although the vividly rendered sensory detail that laces through each poem does make for powerful reporting.”
— Tom Sandborn, Vancouver Sun
Commercial retailers
Where to order
Option #1 – Order a signed copy directly from me. (Thank you!)
Option #2 – Ask at your local independent bookstore, or order online through these retailers:
Canada
All Lit Up (with link to shop local)
