I'm a homeschooling mom of 8 and write at "Just East of Crazy Land: Adventures in Parenting." My younger daughters share their art and writing at "The Passionate Pencil" and the older ones at "The Writing Sisters." Enjoy! :)
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!
A picture of the wonderful reading by Keay Francis last month, hosted by my dear friend Geneviève Wynand.
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:
Rainbow babies
Nature
Family Life
Struggle
Friendship
Travel
Contemplation
Writing and Work
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!
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.
Angela Rebrec, fantastic president of the Delta Literary Arts Society, and her faithful sidekick, me, the V.P.
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
My lovely friend Tiffany braving the mic to share a new poem!
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
The fabulous Kagan Goh
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
Some of the judges pre-screening films to make our selections. My son Isidore was not allowed to vote—as he has a film being shown! Congrats, honey!
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.
Thank you to our generous sponsors and volunteers!
Don’t miss this popular yearly literary event!!! Hope to see you there! Bring a friend or two…
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! 🙂 🥰
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
There are some special clubs you never want to join, no matter how amazing the members are, no matter what mysteries you will learn about, or how much you’ll grow. There are some ways that one wants to be stretched.
There are elite clubs whose admission fee is far too high, whose membership demands more than an arm and a leg, more than all your stored-up savings, more than all your saved-up strength. There are some which require having your very heart ripped open and then sewn back together to make it bigger.
There are some clubs that will change you more than you ever thought possible—that will transform you into an instrument of healing for others. You will be able to reach people more deeply than ever before, for by your wounds they shall be healed.
These clubs are full of the most courageous, generous people you’ve ever met, who have become more than friends, who are now your sisters, who are family. And yet, like most families, you were born into it by the shedding of blood.
The wisdom gained by suffering is so hard-won.
Oh, would that I were foolish and innocent again! That the world was simple and safe, and heartbreak was but a thing in songs, and not present in the echos of my own heartbeat.
But you cannot return to life before, just as a snake can’t crawl back into its old skin. Your heart has been carved by caverns of sorrow—it will not return to its former shape. This is you now—forever transformed by losing a child. Their very DNA is forever etched into your bloodstream, their silent existence is always in your living breath. You would not have it otherwise—the numbness of forgetting your child would be worse than feeling the pain of a love that never stops reaching for your little lost one.
You see them in the outline of a fallen leaf, in the delicate curve of a snowdrop, in the twinkle of stars between cherry blossoms on a spring night, in the misty face of the harvest moon, distant and ethereal, yet bathing the whole world in its light.
It’s been ten years since my little darling died in labour and I joined the sisterhood of bereaved mothers.
We have no special uniforms or club member pins, come from all social classes and backgrounds and generally walk through the crowds unnoticed. But perhaps you’ll see those extra wrinkles around our eyes because we have laughed and cried so deeply.
Perhaps you’ve felt the sincere warmth of our hugs after you’ve shared your worries with us, and the roaring power of our prayers when you were in labour. Because we know. We know. And we love you enough to wish that you will never join us.
There are enough of us already, and once a member, always a member. No need for yearly dues; your heart, once broken, is payment enough.
Just East Of Crazy Land 