Allostatic Load

Auteur

Junie Désil, born to Haitian immigrant parents in Montréal and raised in Winnipeg, has devoted over two decades to empowering communities made marginalized. With a background in supporting women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Junie's work spans human resources, leadership, and community engagement.

An accomplished poet, her debut collection, *eat salt | gaze at the ocean* (2020), was a finalist for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and explores themes of Black sovereignty and the Haitian diaspora. Currently residing on the Traditional Territories of the Homalco, Tla'amin, and Klahoose, Junie is the Manager of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation at Vancity.

Junie's second poetry collection, allostatic load, delves into personal and collective experiences of stress, coping mechanisms, and the journey towards healing. She mentors emerging writers at Simon Fraser University's The Writer's Studio. Beyond her professional life, Junie enjoys writing, coaching, consulting, and raising goats.

Texte du rabat

A follow-up collection from the author of the astonishing long poem *eat salt | gaze at the ocean (Talonbooks, 2020), *Allostatic Load chronicles the lived experiences of a Black woman in a tumultuous year marked by global racial tensions. Interweaving personal narratives with collective struggles, the poems delve into themes of identity, ancestral trauma, and the relentless pursuit of social justice. Through poignant exploration, Désil unveils the interplay of chronic wear and tear allostatic load and the burden of systemic injustice and neglect, inviting readers to witness the vulnerability and resilience required to navigate the complexities of healing.