I’ll be hosting and reading poetry at this lovely evening of poets responding to paintings tomorrow evening!
Hope to see you there for this enjoyable event! What better thing to do on a chilly winters night than enjoy some company and come culture! Plus there will be snacks…
Free and everyone welcome!
My sequel poetry book, Velvet Flame : the poetry in life after loss , came out in November and I’ll have the pleasure of reading from it alongside the lovely Christina Myers on January 13th. She has wonderful books on midlife, Half-Way Home , and also on postpartum depression, Beyond Blue , as well as a very funny romance novel, The List of Last Chances . Her honest and hilarious reflections on growing up in the 80’s and 90’s brought tears to my eyes at her last reading.
Our readings take place at a wonderful little treasure-trove of a bookstore called Albany Books in Tsawwassen, as part of a monthly local author reading series hosted by the Delta Literary Arts Society. I’m thrilled to be one of the guests this time!
My poetry will touch on themes such a the bittersweet arrival of rainbow babies, the messy struggle of family life, hope and the power of female friendship.
Come join us for a fun evening of literature and laughter, and enjoy having tea and snacks together! Hope to see you there!
I’m so happy to announce that my new poetry book has finally flown the coop and is available on Amazon! I’ve started writing some of the poems in it a decade ago…while I was pregnant with my first rainbow baby, who is about to turn 10!!
It’s a crazy endeavour writing and editing a poetry book while in the midst of kid chaos, but I gathered poetry in the cracks, and have finally found the time and tech support to get my book launched.
You can expect poems about:
Today I went for a celebratory launch-lunch with my husband and toddlers…and plan to have some book launch get togethers in the future for those close by. I’ll keep you posted. Let me know if I should save you a copy of my book!
And for everyone…here’s the Amazon link so you can take a look!
velvet flame: the poetry in life after loss
Thanks for all your love and support!!
Anna ☺️
Celebrate Story and Short Films with us at
the COMPOSED Festival of Writing and Film this Thursday, Friday and Saturday! June 26–28, 2025
Join us for a vibrant weekend of literary and cinematic celebration at the 2025 COMPOSED Festival of Writing and Film. Saturday offers workshops in the daytime and the evening the COMPOSED Short Film Festival both at the beautiful North Delta Centre for the Arts.
This three-day community festival offers something for everyone—and all events are completely free! I’ll be teaching a poetry workshop, and my son Isidore has a stop-motion short film in the festival Saturday evening! Come see! Register for workshops and the film festival at http://www.dlas.ca.
Thursday, June 26 — Words on Fire: Festival Edition
6:00 PM | Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre, Ladner
We launch the festival with a special edition of our beloved open mic series, Words on Fire. Enjoy refreshments and conversation following the readings.
Friday, June 27 — Poetry Slam Competition
6:00 PM | Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre, Ladner
Hosted by Delta’s own spoken word artist Linden Chow
Saturday, June 28 DAYTIME — Workshops
All events at North Delta Centre for the Arts (11425 84 Ave.)
Register at www.dlas.ca to secure your spot—workshop spaces are filling up
11 AM
Choosing Your Book Publishing Path 11am
with Debra Purdy-Kong
A Journey Of Identity: reconnecting to your roots, culture, and heritage
with Ladonna Hindmarch
12pm
Songwriting 101
with Shelley Stevens
Writing Under Pressure: finding poetry in your messy, crazy life. 12pm
with Anna Eastland
1 PM
Secrets of the 7-Day Screenplay
with Jordan Stratford
Discovering Poetry
with Marc Perez
Microphone Technique for Spoken Word
with Lory White
2 PM
The Social Aspect of Writing and Performing
with Marlo Browne
The Flaw: writing toward your light
with Jude Neale
3 PM
Painting Words with Light and Shadow 3pm
with Steven Kirby-Schwartz
Historical Fiction Hacks
with Jordan Stratford
Live Performances – Saturday Afternoon
12:00 PM – The Boy Who Faked Kung Fu
A bold, theatrical solo performance by Kagan Goh—this autobiographical tale is full of humour, pathos, and punch.
1:00 PM – Water Forgets Its Own Name
Poet Jude Neale shares her poetic responses to the paintings of Nicholas Jennings, drawn from their collaboration exploring the beauty of Bowen Island. An immersive, interactive event.
2:30 PM – Spoken Word + Comedy with Kagan Goh
Kagan returns for a spoken word performance of Disco Ball Mandala, followed by two stand-up comedy sets that explore mental health, identity, and resilience with humour and insight.
7:00 PM — COMPOSED Short Film Festival Screening
Cap off the festival with an evening of poetic and literary short films—each under 10 minutes. Vote for the audience favourite! Red Carpet photos, free popcorn, cash bar and concession.
Reserve your free seats now at www.dlas.ca or via Eventbrite—seating is limited.
Don’t miss this popular yearly literary event!!! Hope to see you there! Bring a friend or two…
Excited to see my daughter Mary perform in this iconic musical this weekend at the Genesis Theatre in Ladner!
Experience gifts are the best–wanna bring your mama?
Disney’s NEWSIES The Musical Tickets | Smash Theatre Company
— Read on www.simpletix.com/e/disney-s-newsies-the-musical-tickets-211554
Happy to share that a poem of mine was recently published on Vessels of Light. It was inspired by reading the poignant poetry of my friend Megan Huwa.
Please check it out below!
Incandescence — Vessels of Light
— Read on alexisragan.com/lithouse/twrhbjn57wjamhzwhhwn5zx36w7k3j
I’m so excited to be part of this amazing project—to compile almost 200 poems for children from over 60 poets and present them in a gorgeous, fully illustrated keepsake anthology!
Here are some sample spreads to give you an idea what the book is like. I have three poems in the book, and many others are written by talented and lovely friends of mine from my online poetry group and writing classes at The Habit.
We are really honoured to have our poems illustrated by the talented Emily J. Person, whose work you see above. It’s really magical to have one’s poetry illustrated!
To produce this quality of work takes a fair investment, so we are running a kickstarter to support the project, and are almost there!! We need to reach our goal by Tuesday, March 11th for this book to come alive; if we don’t no one will be charged as the project work go ahead. If we do, it will be published on time for Christmas this year!
If any of you would like to support the project from Canada, but prefer to avoid shipping, you can get an ebook version. I think it will still be delightful on a tablet or computer.
Here’s the link to our Kickstarter if you’d like to get yourself a copy or even just to spread word about the project in these final days of fundraising. Thank you! 🙂 🥰
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bandersnatchbooks/illustrated-childrens-poetry-anthology
Hi Everyone,
I’m so excited to announce the inaugural Words on Fire Open Mic and Social for writers starting this Thursday, January 30th from 6-7:30 pm! I’ll be hosting this event on behalf of the Delta Literary Arts Society, at the Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre in Ladner.
My friend Rosemary and I were brainstorming about ways we could make more community-building events for writers, we we could all feel more connected and encouraged in our creative work. We thought a spoken word open mic would be perfect! All forms of writing are welcome, from poetry and fiction to memoir and essay—the mic is yours for five minutes!
This event is free for anyone to share their writing and connect with other local writers. Speakers can register at the door. Listeners are also most welcome! We will have time for snacks and socializing after the performances so we can have a chance to chat.
I’ve been reading poetry at the North Delta Centre for the Arts Open Mic for about two years and it’s been such a wonderful and confidence-building experience. I’m so happy to now be able to encourage others to share their creative writing! The world is a more beautiful place with all our voices in it!
While all the world is twinkling with joy, here’s a poem for those who are sick right now at Christmas. A nasty flu ripped through our house last week, and here’s a rather delirious poem I wrote while recovering myself. I hope this ‘ode to the toilet bowl’ makes you laugh!
White Knight Fever
I am ravaged
Wrecked
Sleepless
Heat rises in my chest
And I’m drawn to you
I throw myself on my knees
Before you
Reveal everything
All the worst of me
Wrenched from my guts
Exposed to your calm gaze
Received with silent acceptance
Then washed away
My secrets are safe with you
The fever is gone
And I lay upon the cold tile floor
Relived but shivering
Then crawl back into bed
Still sleepless
Tossing and turning
Writhing and churning
Until the heat rises again
And I run to your cool embrace
Powerless to resist
Your openness to all the dark things
Hidden within me
It’s Monday morning
🌅
Insecurities come rushing
out of my mind
like bats from a cave
🦇🦇🦇
Despite their speed
they don’t disappear
on the horizon
🌅
They dip and spin and swirl about,
nearly getting tangled in my hair
as I dip and dodge them,
waving my hands frantically
to no avail
🦇🦇🦇
They keep swirling
around my head:
a black storm
with flashing eyes
🌪
Their shrieks resound in my chest—
my heart pounds
slapped with the flaps of little bats,
waiting to brave the bright air
💔
I am suffocated but lonely
💔
How can I be steady
and where is my hope
with these liquid wings of darkness
painting my morning sky
with sinister storms?
🌪
A still, small voice pipes up:
☕️
Maybe it’s too much dark brew, sweetie…
How about a cheese croissant
to go with all that coffee??
🥐
Just East Of Crazy Land 