The image in the mirror
In a sophomore poetry collection—that’s “a triumph”—set primarily in a psychiatric ward, an author examines their past and envisions an integrated future. The account of a “tremendous and ongoing struggle to heal” is both technically accomplished and visceral. —Joanna Streetly reviews Pitiful, by Brandi Bird (Toronto: House of Anansi, 2026) $22.99 / 9781487014087