Few Canadian poets have had as long or as productive a career as Moose Jaw's Robert Currie. Currie was in Humboldt on Tuesday, February. 19th for a reading at the Reid-Thompson Library. Much of the work presented was from his most recent collection, 'One-Way Ticket', released in 2018. 

Currie is a self-professed storyteller. Having written novels and short prose, Currie finds his voice and his characters, many of whom are reflections of his time as a high-school English teacher at Central Collegiate, emerge best through poetry. His reading touched on childhood hockey players, families of Japanese internees, and retired farmers to name a few. Currie draws inspiration from the works of other writers and pays tribute to many in his poems that draw on their works. 

Currie confesses, "I haven't written fiction for a long time, but the urge toward story in me is so strong that many of my poems turn into stories." Currie's latest collection of poems followed closely on the heels of his previous publication. Following his reading, Currie conducted a question and answer session, drawing insights from the large audience. He acknowledges that while Moose Jaw inspires part of the writing, it's the people and their lives that drive his work.