REVIEW | By Patricia Anne McGoldrick 

» Who are you? 

Ian Williams, with an emphasis on the “I”, asserts in his premier poetry volume title that You Know Who You Are. Encased in a shiny slim volume covered with watery blue translucent cubes, the youngish Professor Williams shares a collage of life in an urban pop culture context. William presents a trilogy of experiences. 

The first of three sections is entitled Look at You, a snap-shot of life in Toronto and Boston – relationships and encounters and perceptions. 

Williams juxtaposes a wide range of images: in “Open” (p.28) the details of ramen noodles with the biblical Daniel; in his “Special” poem, (p.31) “doo-wop nostalgia” and a classroom television on the morning of 9.11; A glimpse into communication or lack thereof is portrayed in “Not Answering” (p. 20) and in the Walton-esque grandparents of the poem “Except You.” (p.29) Vividly, in the title poem “You Know Who You Are” (P.35) the poet outlines the formative daily events that mould a person, bringing a close to this first portion of the book.

Williams’ words intensify in the middle section Emergency Codes. (p.39) This section begs to be story-boarded into a mini-series about Dre the central character of this section. In an indictment of urban policing, shades of a Law & Order episode, “Emergency Codes”, draws in the reader as Willliams starts his poem with a question: 

“Is this anything that couldn’t wait? the police will say.”

I read it aloud for the full impact  – it works! This brief but tense poem is followed by a spectrum of dramatic, rainbow-coded poems, ranging from pink to orange, each the focus of crisis. The reality of teenage pregnancy, cultural misunderstandings, killing, emergency rooms are portrayed while processing the incongruity of pop cultural representations such as Dr. Huxtable.

In Williams’ third and final section, I Mean I, poems trace a jolting composite of family, growing up and surviving in the urban context. It is not a warm cozy environment of many television sitcoms of a few years ago: Adolescent mistreatment by a father figure in “What Remains of Us” (p.63-66); reflection on coming home and observing the aging of a mother with the perspective of “Returning Home” (p.59); Chopin, Jesus, arrivals and departures, race and religion – all are part of I’s coming to terms with himself and life. In his last poem “Now’s the Wrong Time” (p.77), the poet reaches out, grasping for hope but facing down an all-too real fear.

Ian Williams’ poetry collection is not a light read. Images and connections that he makes in his words stand out, visually, like the one fiery-toned cube on the front cover of his book. After reading this collection, You Know Who You Are, possibly better than before you discovered these poems!

• You Know Who You Are, by Ian Williams, published by Wolsak and Wynn, 2010; Price: C$17; 80 pages.

Patricia Anne McGoldrick is a Canadian poet, writer, and reviewer.