Rik Emmett's second poetry collection arose during the dark COVID-19 limbo of 2021-22. Sixty-five offerings are divided into five parts, ranging from autofiction to observations on the modern world, then move inside out--and outside in. Eventually, Leaning Into It looks beyond. Emmett (who moonlights as a musician getting to play rock star) leans into the prevailing chaos of narcissistic, egotistical, patrimonial powermongering: digging in, getting down and dirty, summoning up some courage to bring a good fight to these printed pages. Leaning Into It favours the balatrones, jesters, fools, poets, comedians and atheists in our midst and often defaults to the balanced values of a sense of humour and good-natured humility. Maybe a little lean at the right time gets us a tiny bit closer to overhearing the wisdom of truth: maybe it gets us a tiny bit closer to the sound of hope. After a dozen platinum LPs with Triumph, Rik Emmett released over twenty-five solo projects ranging across stylistic genres. Six decades in the music biz landed him in six Halls and two Walks of Fame, with some Best Guitarist awards along the way.

His debut poetry collection, Reinvention , was published in 2021. He followed that with his memoir, Lay It On The Line (2023), and 2024's Ten Telecaster Tales . In 2025, he released Measured Moments , a powerful and well-received acoustic guitar duo EP (with Alan Shoesmith); the same year also marked the surprise rebirth of Triumph as a 2026 touring entity. The biggest news, of course, is the publication of his second poetry collection, Leaning Into It . Rik was a guitar magazine columnist for over a dozen years and taught on the Humber College music faculty. The avowed family man (grandfather to five, who the kids call Bubba, celebrating his fiftieth anniversary with Jeannette, who deserves most of the credit for everything) currently lives the dream in Burlington, Ontario, and is happily enjoying a creative resurgence. The third act's (apparently) a charm!.