A Poet’s Nanaimo
Calling the Circle
Wherever our ancestors lived, they gathered in circles around a fire. Through the years we’ve gathered in circles in various ways such as quilting, for prayer, women’s consciousness raising, for self-help and for honouring the changing seasons. A poem by Danusha...
Black Bears in the Carrot Field
Isn’t that a great title for a poetry collection? Black Bears in the Carrot Field is Linda K. Thompson’s debut poetry collection, published in July 2021 by Mother Tongue Publishing on Salt Spring Island B.C. The title comes from Linda's poem “Saying Goodbye”: My...
The Writing Life
I wonder if it’s “the” writing life or “a" writing life? I suppose it’s “my” writing life I’m about to describe as while all writers write, each of us approaches our practice differently. Annie Dillard called her book The Writing Life and I rather like that title so...
The Poetry of Presence
I begin my day by journaling about my dreams and whatever those reflections lead to. Poems can begin that way too. It's a beautiful threshold space, in between dreaming and waking. When I offer a writing circle via Zoom on Thursday, June 3rd we’ll begin with a poem by...
Gold in the Shadow
Diana Hayes new book of poetry, GOLD IN THE SHADOW: TWENTY-TWO GHAZALS AND A CENTO for Phyllis Webb (Rainbow Publishing, 2021), is exquisite in every detail: the design by Pat Walker Design and the papers used; the purple and gold of the cover; the size of the book;...
The Listening Path
Julia Cameron has written a new book, The Listening Path: The Creative Art of Attention (St. Martin’s Essentials, 2021), which she describes as a 6-week Artist’s Way Program. Do you remember reading The Artist’s Way which helped many of us enter a “creative recovery”...