There are many ways to lose your home: fires, floods, and earthquakes change lives overnight. Then, there’s “The Market.” Our 60-year land lease has protected us from the market so far. The greedy glass eyes of developers and the city are now burning holes of worry in our neighbourhood.… Every morning I wake up to the shadows the downtown towers throw. How many sit empty? How many are remotely adequate or affordable for families? Homes are not little boxes to park people in. Lots slated for affordable housing have sat empty for 30 years. Why go after our buildings?
Bio:
Daniela Elza’s latest poetry collections are the broken boat (2020) and slow erosions (a 2020 chapbook written in collaboration with poet Arlene Ang). Her essays have appeared in Riddle Fence, Grain, Motherwell, Queen’s Quarterly, About Place Journal, and subTerrain. She is a founding member of the Place Mattering Matters Collective and is currently working with her community on protecting affordable housing in Vancouver. She is a writing instructor, poetry editor, writer, and mentor.