Serpentine Loop

From Margaret Atwood's poem “Woman Skating” to Alice Munro's short story “The Moon in the Orange Street Skating Rink”, skating has long been a cherished subject of the writing of Canada's most gifted writers. With her 2016 book “Serpentine Loop”, Elee Kraljii Gardiner adds her name to that esteemed list.

In “Scribe”, the very first poem in the collection, Gardiner establishes a firm connection to and respect for skating history: “I was on the ice before I could walk. // In the womb then in her arms.” She refers to her mother, Olympic Gold Medallist, World, North American and U.S. Champion Tenley Albright. History is everywhere in this book. From an 1849 rescue of a drowning skater on the frozen Schuylkill River to the sombre meditation of school figures, Gardiner takes you along on a journey through time. If you close your eyes, you can almost smell the ice and hear the sound of a loop being patiently carved.

People, places and things from skating history jump out at every (three) turn: Charlotte, Maribel Vinson Owen, Henning Grenander, the Skating Club Of Boston, the Mercury Scud. The stories in this gem of a book give skating history new life.