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!
My chapter is called “Flurries of Stardust.” I wrote about how grief fuelled my poetry, and how writing helped me heal my heart after my Josephine’s stillbirth. My best friend Monique Leblanc and her husband Ryan wrote with honesty and grace about how their faith helped them through the experience of losing their son half way through pregnancy. We contributed to our first book, Love Rebel:Reclaiming Motherhood together years ago, shortly after losing our babies.
Now our words are together between the covers again! Here’s an excerpt the back of Never-ending Love:
“In this long-awaited resource, a range of voices offer their perspective on how faith can be a source of support, hope and healing for those grieving the loss of a child before, during or soon after birth.
Words of experience and wisdom from various perspectives – several women, a married couple, a medical doctor, a pastor, a theologian, a team of liturgists offering rituals to mark the loss, and approaches parishes and dioceses can take – are complemented by prayers and resources for working with grieving couples.
St. Paul tells us that “Love never ends” (1 Corinthians 13:8). As a Christian community, we can help couples express and remember their never-ending love for their beloved child, who will always have a cherished place in their hearts and their lives.”
Never-ending Love will be a helpful companion for families who have lost babies, as well as friends and pastors who’d like tools, ideas, and prayers to support them better. Here is the link:
Earlier today I was talking to a mom friend about books, when she said the following: “There’s tons of kids’ books about Christmas, but so few about Lent and Easter. That’s what I’d like to find more of.”
I knew exactly which book to recommend her: my writing friend Megan Saben’s Something Better Coming. This beautifully illustrated children’s picture book is about the hope that sustains us through the trials of life—and especially death—the hope of the resurrection. Rather than being an escape from this life, the belief that we are all destined for eternal life is an affirmation of the unique preciousness of each human being—each one worthy of love, protection and respect—each one worthy of the miracle of God’s tender love.
Sensitive and refined, the text of Something Better Coming fits well with the subtle illustrations, which show the various resurrection miracles in the Gospels, culminating in the Easter miracle of Christ’s resurrection. I find the illustration style so fitting for the wondrous truths the book is trying to convey—the message is not dumbed down for children or accompanied by ugly, cartoonish illustrations, as I find too many bible story books for kids are. Having beautiful text and illustrations respects the intellect of children, rather than assuming they will only be attracted by gaudy or outlandish drawings.
Our faith reveals a layer of deeper meaning in life, and adds a great dimension of hope, despite all suffering on this earth. For this reason, it makes sense to express this for children as well as adults, in order to equip them with the spiritual tools they will need, possibly sooner than we would like, to face the death of a loved one. Sometimes when we adults are grieving ourselves, it’s hard to have the right words of encouragement to give.
Megan Saben’s book offers the gift of these words of hope, and would be a perfect Easter present for your children, grandchildren, or godchildren, or any adult in your life who loves picture books. You can order just one copy, or team up with friends or your church community to order in bulk. Megan offers various discounts for orders of 5 and 10 copies, and while she is in the US, is willing to ship to Canada. You can find her book here https://somethingbettercoming.com/. I’ll be placing a bulk order myself for anyone nearby who would like one! Let me know in the comments or email me. Thanks!
Maybe they’re crazy, and maybe more snow will come to cover them, but I’m so glad my flower bulbs are reaching for the sun! Let’s grab every bit of hope we can!
Just East Of Crazy Land 