A chapbook of poems embodies “the sounds, characters, and themes” of inner city Edmonton. It illuminates how city gentrification and revitalization try to conceal or even erase truth. However, the “pulse” and “spirit” of humanity continues to thrive as it lives on through local artists and writers. As part of the 2016 Edmonton Poetry Festival, professional and aspiring poets came together to share the human stories of their city’s central neighbourhoods. Their “throbbing rhythms, hard knocks, and divine hammers” are embedded in the poetry that fills the pages of Inner City Beat.