Katherine Lawrence Reads to Regina City Council

Katherine Lawrence,
with Regina's mayor, Michael Fougere

As part of the 2014 Mayor's Poetry City Challenge, Regina poet Katherine Lawrence read to city council on Monday.

Katherine's poems were likely the finest words they've heard all year from that public presentations table.

(I used to cover city hall, a long time ago, for a newspaper in a city far from here, and I certainly never heard anything as powerful as Katherine's three poems during my watch.)

Thanks, Katherine Lawrence, for bringing your words and good wishes to the City of Regina.

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The Mayor's Poetry City Challenge was started in Regina in 2012 (or thereabouts...), with a challenge issued by Regina's mayor to his colleagues in cities across Canada to have a local poet read a poem at the opening of a council meeting in March or April. This year, about 40 cities and municipalities took part.

Katherine Lawrence reading to Regina City Council

The challenge celebrates UNESCO's World Poetry Day (March 21) and National Poetry Month (April). It also celebrates the work of local writers, publishers and libraries, and the work of mayors and towns to promote the arts, culture, literacy and reading.

The Canada-wide event is supported by the The League of Canadian Poets and the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, in partnership with the City of Regina.

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Poet Ian Stephen: From the Outer Hebrides to Regina, SK

Ian Stephen

It's always a treat to meet and listen to writers from other places, and it was great this weekend to hear Ian Stephen, a writer, artist, storyteller and sailor who was visiting from Scotland's Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.

Stephen, who is in Canada as part of the Commonwealth Poets United tour, read at the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild office in Regina, along with Regina poet Bernadette Wagner.

And now my list of books to read and blogs to surf has grown again.

For example, the awesome Scottish Poetry Library.

And the beautiful collaborative site run by Stephen and visual artist Christine Morrison, Stephen | Morrison.

The readings were great and I'm now floating in a wake of inspiration. (That's meant to be a sailing/sea image, okay? Not a funereal one.) Loved the voices, the images, the words, and the trust in sharing in-progress pieces...

And as for the tour — what a concept! Six Scottish poets are visiting Commonwealth countries: Canada, India, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nigeria and South Africa, and six poets from those countries — including former Saskatchewan Poet Laureate Louise Halfe, whose Cree name is Sky Dancer — will in turn visit Scotland. It's related in some way to the Commonwealth Games being held this year in Glasgow, but the idea of celebrating that with poetry seems too good to be true! How wonderful!

For more on the tour, and to read reflections and in-progress works from the poets involved, visit http://commonwealthpoetsunited.com/.

Bruce Rice (MC for the reading), Bernadette Wagner, and Ian Stephen 

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Bruce Rice: The Trouble with Beauty — Regina, SK, Launch

The cover of The Trouble with Beauty, by Bruce Rice

Congrats (again) to Regina poet Bruce Rice — this time, for his wonderful new poetry collection, The Trouble with Beauty (Coteau Books)! 

The Regina launch was held this week at the Slate Fine Art Gallery, with a capacity crowd in attendance. (I'd never been to this new gallery before — it's a fine place for an event like this. Space for a great reading circle of chairs, signing and food tables, and a cash bar.)

Bruce has written a stunning collection, with evocative, story-telling poems about this prairie landscape we love. The poems are accompanied by black and white images by photographer Dennis J. Evans — and I really like the landscape format of The Trouble with Beauty because of the play this allows for both of their work.

A sample of The Trouble with Beauty is available on the publisher's website. Seven poems and a few images. Visit. Read! (Buy?)

Bruce Rice reading (primarily...) from The Trouble with Beauty 

Photographer Dennis J Evans
and poet Bruce Rice 

Coteau publisher Nik Burton
encouraging all to buy the book. 

Thanks to all for a great evening! 

(I'm looking forward to spending more time with The Trouble with Beauty.) 

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Trevor Herriot: The Road is How — Regina Launch

Because Trevor Herriot sent me a poster for the May 15th Regina launch of his new book The Road is How (HarperCollins)...

Because I was oh-so-fortunate to read a draft of The Road is How...

Because I love books about nature and walking (there is a whole sub-genre of Camino books in my basement)...

Because, yes, I really enjoyed this great book! ...

Here is the invite to the launch of Trevor Herriot's The Road is How, at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Thursday May 15. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; the event starts at 7:30 p.m. and features a reading by Trevor, photos by Dennis Evans, and a discussion between them about walking and the human spirit.

Regina launch of Trevor Herriot's new book, The Road is How 

Trevor explains that this, his latest book, 

"traces a three-day walk down one of my favourite prairie roads leading away from Regina, blending observations of the ordinary and the extraordinary with conversations at roadside and in memory. Along the way, the stories weave together history, ecology, and spirituality as I try to listen more deeply to the birds and other living things I encounter. There are many side-trips, but the narrative returns always to the straight road and its questions about desire and the bonds of love, family, community, and place."  

Book sales and signing to follow. Cash bar hosted by Friends of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. Yes, should be fun. 

(And look! A Margaret Atwood comment on the poster! Atwood's Ode To No, about denying blurb requests, has been making the social media rounds lately. For more background on the Ode, see Question 2 in the FAQs on MargaretAtwood.ca.)

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David Carpenter: Vol 2: Literary History of Saskatchewan

Volume 2 of David Carpenter's Literary History of Saskatchewan was launched in Regina at the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild's recent Talking Fresh 12 Festival — and it's available through Coteau Books.

Subtitled, Progressions, this book builds on Volume 1 (Literary History of Saskatchewan: Beginning) with a second series of essays and tributes to Saskatchewan writers.

At the launch held at the University of Regina, Carpenter announced that Volume 3 will soon be underway — under the direction of a new editor, Kelly-Anne Reiss.

Congrats to you both, editors Carp and Reiss!

Dave Carpenter, Editor of Volumes 1 & 2,
Literary History of Saskatchewan  

Kelly-Anne Reiss, who will be undertaking Volume 3,
Literary History of Saskatchewan. 

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