"In The Forest of My Mind, poet Heidi Sander takes the reader on a heartfelt journey of recovery from grief. Her voice threads the labyrinthine forests of the soul in search of a clarity that only great suffering and emergence can bring. The book echoes the organic and marvelous structure of a pine tree, beginning with the roots buried in a profound sense of loss and ending in the redemptive recognition of highest boughs and needles that reach for the light. These poems are memorable and exquisitely crafted."
--Bruce Meyer, award-winning poet and author Grace of Falling Stars and Toast Soldiers
"I am deeply touched by this piece. The language is fluid, impactful, and spare and the attention to sensory detail is divine. The voice is genuine and absolutely breaks my heart. I found myself haunted by it, returning again and again to the sanctuary of that sacred kitchen.Thank you again for bringing this piece into the world. I am grateful for your voice."
-Stacy R. Nigliazzo, award-winning poet, Sky the Oar and Scissored Moon
"serene and thoughtful..."
-Tiny Seed Literary Journal
"I think it's very timely for the era that we are living through right now...There is a healing power in poetry and in the arts in general. It soothes our soul in ways that a lot of other mediums can't."
-Jess Brady, Let's Talk London radio
"Your poetry is diverse and roaming; the energy is strong and the feeling is evoked in the imagery and word choices that reveal the many layers and tensions beneath your experience of loss and grief. I also love how you ask many questions, which adds to the voice by giving space for both the reader and speaker to process. Your words not only honor those who have been lost, but quite literally summon them into your body of poems. The collection has a sense of vulnerability that feels universal and easy for readers to trust and embrace. At times you move away from the self/personal/human perspective to expand your scope towards the natural world and what it can reveal about hope, growth, and healing, as well. In terms of form, your acrostic poem is brilliant, which is very hard to achieve with such a level of coherence and meaning. Keep on sharing your work with the world!"
-Alan Chazaro, Lawrence Ferlinghetti Fellow and poet of Piñata Theory and This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album
"It explores the strength of connection through generations: the persistent hope carried during war and immigration, the traditions that bind pain and beauty, and love that overrides everything."
-Blair Adams, Kitchener Today
"I loved how I saw that as well in terms of the renewal part because grief and loss is horribly painful but there is that light at the end of the tunnel."
-Peter Maranger, Rogers
"There were submissions from 19 countries and all 50 states for the award, but Sander's poem stood out for its authenticity and uniqueness."
-Scott Miller, CTV News
"How We Live On, the award-winning poem written by Stratford's Heidi Sander is part of a larger poetry collection she's called The Forest of My Mind, comprising poems that feature themes of family, generational history, memory, loss, hope and nature.
-Galen Simmons, Stratford Beacon Herald
