About the Book

There are more immigrant voices added daily to our conversation on the environment and climate change in this country, and yet, there are lots more to add. Editor Angel Mota has expertly curated each of the pieces in this anthology, into a compelling whole about the authors’ connection to natural spaces through olfactory experiences. Most of the contributors of Beyond the Park are immigrant settlers, with their own mother tongues, embracing either English or French, depending on where they settled. The untranslated pieces, written in English or French, Canada’s two official languages, complicate the cultural and linguistic idea of the “Two Solitudes.”

We are very thankful to our community partners at the Art Gallery of Alberta who invited children aged 4 to 7 years old to submit a piece of art on the subject of “The Park.” The winning entry, a sparkling collage of shapes in green and yellow suns and trees by Dominic Godbout, age six, an ardent Edmonton Oilers fan, served as the inspiration for our designer Cecilia Salcedo to give this anthology its bold cover design. The original work is inside the pages of this anthology, carrying the spirit of collaboration, hope for the future, and inclusion throughout.

Editor Bio

Né au Mexique, Angel Mota a un Doctorat en littérature comparée, Université de Montréal. Il a été chroniqueur à la radio et à la télévision hispaniques à Montréal. Angel a co-édité les revues Enfasis, Hélios, Vice-Versa et Apostles Review (Montréal). Il est éditeur invité à la maison d’édition Laberinto Press. Commissaire littéraire de la Fondation LatinArte et organisateur des tables rondes, des événements littéraires, des conférences et des lectures. Ses poèmes et nouvelles ont été publiés dans des magazines et des livres collectifs au Canada, en Espagne, aux États-Unis, au Mexique, en Italie, en France et au Chili.

Born in Mexico, Angel Mota has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Montreal. He was a columnist on Hispanic radio and television in Montreal. Angel has co-edited Enfasis, Hélios, Vice-Versa and Apostles Review (Montreal). Angel is guest editor at publishing house Laberinto Press. He is literary curator of the LatinArte Foundation, where he organizes round tables, literary events, conferences, and readings. His poems and short stories have been published in magazines and collections in Canada, Spain, the United States, Mexico, Italy, France and Chile.

« Voyons là un credo pour la sauvegarde et le respect de la Terre et de l’infinie diversité de toutes les formes du vivant qui l’habitent.»

— Jean Pierre Pelletier

“From the beaches of Haida Gwaii to the ice-covered parks of Montréal, Beyond the Park: An Anthology of Ecological Experiences takes us through green spaces urban and rural, guided by the fragrances that stir our memories. This evocative bilingual anthology uses scent as a doorway into the landscapes of our lives that are always with us. Through scent, the eleven authors in this anthology speak volumes about the nuanced histories, environmental complexities, and enduring narratives of the places we call home.”

— Jenna Butler, author of Revery, a Year of Bees.