Burning Sage

On the day that Lytton, BC, burned to the ground, Meghan Fandrich ran from the flames. She saw the village turn into a black pillar of smoke, and went home after a month-long evacuation to its ashes. Her house, on the edge of the fire, was saved; her community and her small business were not. Life as she knew it was gone, and somehow, in spite of the trauma and the ongoing onslaught of natural disasters, she had to keep going. Living. Surviving. Burning Sage shares Meghan's deeply personal story of the fire, the ensuing trauma, and the path out of it. But it is also a human story, a universal story, of loneliness, fragility and beauty. The poems follow the arc of shock, fear, and anger, and the impossibility of single parenting in a burned-up town. They tell of a connection, a love, and the way that feeling understood can help us understand ourselves. The poems in Burning Sage share a vivid portrait of grief and heartbreak and, ultimately, of healing.

About the Author :
Meghan Fandrich lives with her young daughter on the edge of Lytton, BC, the village that was destroyed by wildfire in 2021. She spent her childhood and much of her adult life there, in Nlaka'pamux Territory, where two rivers meet and sagebrush-covered hills reach up into mountains. For the past decade, she ran Klowa Art Café, a beloved and vibrant part of the community; Klowa was lost to the flames. Burning Sage is Meghan's debut poetry collection.

Review :
"Meghan Fandrich describes the devastation and loss in Lytton in the form that works best—poetry. These poems remind us that the best of small communities comes from hospitality and conversation and mutual support and love, and how even when a physical town disappears, that remains. But the pain of the loss and the depth of the damage goes deep, deep. We need to know this place of hurt, Meghan takes us to the heart of it." -- Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament for Saanich and the Islands, and co-Leader of the Green Party of Canada "This debut collection about the devastating fire in Lytton pushes the reader into the flames. Beyond photographs and news clips, beyond anyone's reporting, Meghan Fandrich's poems make the nightmare palpable. Hers is an insider's story told with passion and skill, not one word wasted. I feel privileged to have gone on this journey with her." -- Lorna Crozier, author of Through the Garden: A Love Story (with Cats) and After That "Meghan Fandrich distills the moments, extracts the essence from flame and ash and from the gentle touch of a small child. If you want to know what it felt like to be in Lytton during and after the fire of 2021, I highly recommend this debut collection of poems."  -- Claudia Cornwall, author of British Columbia in Flames "Burning Sage offers intimate insight into a terrifying experience—living through the Lytton fire—and Meghan's personal journey afterwards, one of discovery, surrender and, ultimately, acceptance. The awareness that community is resilience shines through." -- Dr. Sarika Cullis-Suzuki, The Nature of Things