Through the Cities and the Woods

by Thomas Doerksen

Overview

In his debut poetry collection Through the Cities and the Woods, Thomas Doerksen paints scenes that juxtapose images from the natural world with those of postindustrial dystopia; where he shows some-who make the daunting attempt to derive an identity, and to make connections, in the face of crushing daily overwhelm-and others-who live automatically and unquestioningly, unconcerned with, or incapable of, imagination and wonder; and where he describes the sparks interspersed among the rhythms and images of routine, which help recuperate us from entropy and show us the world we can make within the world that we have.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781738062614
Publisher:	JLRB Press
Publication date:	04/14/2025
Pages:	62
Product dimensions:	4.00(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.15(d)

About the Author

Thomas Doerksen is a poet, philosopher, and scientist based in Victoria, British Columbia. He was born in Langley, BC, and grew up travelling between Canadian provinces, meeting new people and leaving behind friends on the Pacific coast and in the prairies.

Thomas began his studies with chemistry at The King’s University and then the University of Victoria, defending an M.Sc. thesis and publishing papers on biochemistry, molecular biology, and pharmacology. After a hiatus, he immersed himself in the exploration of metaphysics and meditative practices, seeking a language for the many aspects of nature and being. Thomas returned to studying philosophy at University of Guelph, defending his M.A. thesis On Becoming a Nomad Scientist. He studied theory and criticism at Western University, defending his Ph.D. dissertation The Forgetting of Fire: An Archæology of Technics.

It was while grappling with the idea of expressing reality that Thomas began to work in the medium of poetry. From an early age, he has been obsessed with the sharp contrast between urban society and the natural elements outside of it. Some of Thomas’s poems that explore these themes have appeared in Holes: An Anthology of Poems about Depths, Darkness, and Desire (released by JLRB Press in 2024). Over time, the concepts of artifice and element have crystallized into a series of observations that found their way into his debut poetry collection Through the Cities and the Woods.

Thomas likes to explores embodiment through dance and movement. He enjoys bicycling, swimming in the Pacific Ocean, and city walks. Thomas enjoys street photography and making watercolour paintings and pen drawings. He has a strong interest in environmental and regulatory law.

Editorial Reviews

Doerksen is a well-practiced thinker with many varied and advanced degrees, maybe even one in dragons and magic spells. He leaves just enough room for tents, baked beans, crotches, pigeons, hamburgers, and buses. He doesn't simply enjoy language; he loves it enough to trust it and trusts it enough to shave each utterance down to what it can do. Every syllable registers a skilled and deliberate sparseness that is generous, generative, and overflowing with love.

Advance Review - Karen Houle