12dresses by Laura Kelsey

Written in a Duncan forest, each poem in 12dresses is based on a particular dress I owned; and the feelings and experiences that went with wearing it, including themes of feminine anger, general betrayal and the struggle of navigating an obscured path.

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Each corresponding photo is raw and unedited, taken in and around Nanaimo, B.C. One photo was taken at an earthquake fissure called The Abyss, where my partner and I carefully lowered smoke bombs into the giant crevasse for the shot (which were safely retrieved afterward). 

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The book was released online with hopes those downloading it would donate clothes, funds or needed goods to women's shelters across the province in return. Most of the dresses in the photos have also been donated including one to the Cinderella Project, which connects high school students who face obstacles to graduation with special gowns and outfits for prom events: http://thecinderellaproject.com