An anthology that refracts the experience of writers, new and established, who have been part of Vancouver's notorious Downtown Eastside in some way. Their work reappropriates the coding of the area and recasts the neighborhood as a site of creative energy and human dignity.

Foreword by Gary Geddesx Acknowledgments1 Introduction 15 Phoenix Winter, Savour the Taste 17 Anne Hopkinson, The Eight-Year-Olds22 Brenda Prince, Dance Lightly 24 Madeleine Thien, The Fire Before 32 Stephen Lytton, A Child's Plea33 John Barry, Distant Traffic in Postcards39 Don Macdonald, An Old Spook and His Coyote42 Muriel Marjorie, 1644 Cathleen With, Super Phat Angel Baby 52 Antonette Rea, High-track, Low-track 55 Don Larson, Disposable 58 Elisabeth Buchanan, Evolution59 Daggar Earnshaw, Wine and Doorbells61 Jonina Kirton, immaterial; unbroken chain; velvet 68 Sen Yi, Painter and Lover 85 Angela Gallant, Elementals 87 Rachel Rose, I Might Be Nothing89 Elaine Woo, Ma; Ride Along East Hastings from the Patricia Hotel to Woodward's95 Lorren Stewart, A Little Girl Fight97 James McLean, Breakfast With Wordsworth; Creative Thinking99 Kevin Spenst, Stapler 101 Robyn Livingstone, Compass102 Gisele LeMire, Clear 103 Lora McElhinney, Disappearing Act110 Patrick Foley, Watermelon; I Know That Sound 114 Wayde Compton, Seven Routes to Hogan's Alley: 2. A Home120 Irit Shimrat, Milonoa 122 Albert Flett, Poem #1 123 Henry Doyle, Death Isn't Lonely; Laundry Day with Charles Bukowski; Broken Key 128 Michael Turner, 441 Powell 132 Daniel Zomparelli, GTL or Gym Tan Laundry; Vancouver Sunrise 135 My Name Is Scot, Skid Road (Establishing Footage)140 Credits142 About the Contributors 149 About the Editors