More than 400,000 people, more than 14,000 earthquakes. 5 years. People talked about quake brain, but the Canterbury earthquakes, despite of, because of this, generated amazing bursts of creativity. Leaving the Red Zone is a rich and wide-ranging collection showcasing much of the best poetry: 148 poems from 87 poets. Here are sorrow, resignation, defiance, stoicism, humour black and wry, and everything in between. Other books will tell of the earthquakes from the point of view of the geologist, the historian, or photographer; Leaving the Red Zone tells of the Canterbury earthquakes from the point of view of the human heart.