In my life I have only written one fan letter that began: “I have never written a fan letter before.” It was addressed to Shane Rhodes, and I wrote it after reading his poetry collections Holding Pattern (NeWest Press) and The Wireless Room (NeWest Press). What struck me about the work was that the lines begged to be read out loud: to be repeated, to be chanted, to be heard. In his most recent book of poetry, The Bindery (NeWest Press), Rhodes sets out on a journey of place and style. Beginning with “The Sea,” which gently but persistently washes over the reader like a tide, he moves to a series of short travel poems, set mainly in Mexico, that make you feel as though you are in motion, then on to long poems about the Canadian landscape. Rhodes describes a scene or an emotion using clear, simple language— “the fish market counters piled high with calico orange snapper” or “they eat until they are ready to die from it”—allowing me to experience place through literature in a way that reminds me of how I felt reading The Sun Also Rises. In short, Shane Rhodes is a national treasure, and all we have to do is name the fan club. The Rhododendrons? The Rhodents? The Long and Winding Rhodes? The Rhodas?