from the Introduction
by Sean Johnston
Judith Pond has been publishing sharp, perfectly rendered lyrics for years — her book, Lovers and Other Monsters, is a beautiful exploration of the difficulty of negotiating the boundaries of self while remaining open to the people we are closest to.
The multiple voices and allegiances that are contained in every single person are represented formally in Pond’s story by its constant movement between speech, thought, textual references, and parenthetical asides. We feel the uneasy insinuation of Grace into her quirky new family.
What makes “Endangered Species” exceptional is Pond’s affection for each character. Though the young woman, Grace, is the protagonist, each character is generously drawn in this short story. Somehow, in this short space, we know them all, though Grace remains the centre, and we secretly hope she’s not tamed.
Available on Issuu here: https://issuu.com/okanagan/docs/ryga001pond, courtesy of the Okanagan Institute (on mobile, easier to read in the Issuu app)