This book was inspired, in part, by the Mile Jump of Ken Carter, the Mad Canadian. This sad story is beautifully told in Robert Fortier’s 1981 NFB film, The Devil at Your Heels. I could not have written this book the way I did without having watched it many, many times.
Thank you to my family (especially Peter Shmelzer) for encouragement. Thank you, Andrew Steinmetz, for your help. Thanks to the Banff Centre for peace and quiet. Thank you, Susan Renouf of ECW, for your investment in this story and your skilled guidance. And thank you, Laura Pastore, for your attention to detail.
Finally, I would like to thank Michael V. Smith, who was gracious and kind (and even helpful) when I told him I had written a book with the same title as his excellent collection of poems. Michael: you are a nice person.