Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterloo Express | 1973 | Paulette Jiles | Buy |
| 2 | Celestial Navigation | 1984 | Paulette Jiles | Buy |
| 3 | The Jesse James Poems | 1988 | Paulette Jiles | Buy |
| 4 | Blackwater | 1988 | Paulette Jiles | Buy |
| 5 | Song to the Rising Sun | 1989 | Paulette Jiles | Buy |
| 6 | Flying Lesson | 1995 | Paulette Jiles | Buy |
Paulette Jiles published six poetry collections between 1973 and 1995, long before she became known as a novelist. Her debut, Waterloo Express (1973), appeared when she was living in Canada and working as a journalist and writing instructor. Celestial Navigation (1984) won the Governor General’s Literary Award and established her reputation as a poet. The book draws heavily on imagery from the Canadian north, where Jiles spent years living in remote communities.
The Jesse James Poems (1988) took a different approach, reimagining the outlaw Jesse James through verse. Blackwater (1988) and Song to the Rising Sun (1989) followed in quick succession. Flying Lesson (1995) was her last poetry collection before she turned her focus to prose fiction. Her poetry is marked by sharp, concrete images and a plainspoken voice that avoids the abstract in favor of the physical and geographic.