Abstract

A Taxonomy of Ghosts is a collection of poems based on the journals of Archibald Menzies (1754-1842), Scottish surgeon, botanist and naturalist outfitted to the exploration voyage of the HMS Discovery and Chatham, under the command of Captain George Vancouver from 1791 to 1795. Using kernels of the original journal text as a point of departure, these poems employ a variety of techniques to intervene and expand them outward; they venture into the less documented territory of Menzies’ domestic life, turning the botanist’s keen observational gaze toward matters of the heart—love, loss and longing. The second segment of the book is the poet-as-speaker’s reflection on her encountering both the Vancouver voyage and the coastal landscape that bears its imprint. In dialogue with both the original journals and other historical and literary representations of the Vancouver voyage, A Taxonomy of Ghosts is a meditation on the powerful force of names and naming, the representation of history and one’s own personal connection to the past.