Paperbacks and fresh maple syrup

Local farmers were out selling fresh maple syrup at St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market. The place was packed with people, mostly families out enjoying a sunny March Break day. Located 1.5 hours west of Toronto, this is the largest year-round farmers’ market in Canada. Along with some wonderful ready-to-eat foods like perogies, souvlaki, and apple fritters, you can find everything from handmade quilts to used…

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

I spent the day researching how to write historical fiction. But before that, we went to a local pub to celebrate. My husband’s family is originally from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. Some interesting reads about today: St Patrick’s Day: Who was Saint Patrick and how did Ireland’s patron saint go global? Famous Irish Writers St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Toronto, Canada Guide to…

Today’s Sonnet

I had no idea that the sonnet was alive and thriving today. In some cases, the traditional form has been reinvented so much that the only identifiable factor is the sonnet’s fourteen-line length. For class, I need to write two sonnets this week – a traditional one and a contemporary one. I’m not sure which one will be easier to pen. Examples of contemporary…

Contemporary Poetry

In Thirteen Ways of Looking for a Poem: A Guide to Writing Poetry, Wendy Bishop states that “contemporary poets prefer rhyme that doesn’t call attention to itself; concrete, particular images; and conversational… language.” Since starting a course in contemporary poetry, I’ve been intrigued by Billy Collins’ poems. They epitomize the “unexpected phrases and strong sensory details” that Bishop includes in her characteristics of contemporary poetry….

Seamus Heaney, 1939-2013

I had never heard of Seamus Heaney until I visited Northern Ireland, my husband’s family of origin, in 2004. We were visiting with a cousin in County Tyrone when I picked up a book on the coffee table and asked a room full of family: “Who’s Seamus Heaney?” I heard a gasp, followed by silence, then quiet mumbling. It became the family’s mission: Educate…

Dream, set goals, celebrate

June and July – the months of graduations, commencements and convocations. Over the years, I’ve attended them as a student, as a teacher, and most recently as a parent and as a guest. This year, I have had the honour of speaking at two ceremonies. The following thoughts highlight the key messages I was trying to convey. Do take the time to celebrate. Like the…

Two books

I have a tendency of reading more than one book at a time. Right now, Chang-Rae Lee’s A Gesture Life is sitting on my nightstand. It’s what I’m reading at home. Judy Fong Bates’ Midnight at the Dragon Café is in my bag. It gets read everywhere else, especially in my car as I wait for my daughter during her piano lessons and band…

The boy ate an apple

One of my goals this year was to read books by writers of Asian heritage, or to read more stories with protagonists of diverse backgrounds. I regret that growing up and all through these years, I haven’t made it a priority to expose myself to stories told in multicultural voices. Through high school, university, and college curriculums, I have been exposed to a wealth…

April Poems

Emily Dickinson said, “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” Organized and sponsored by the League of Canadian Poets, Canada has acknowledged April as National Poetry Month since 1999. The United States introduced the idea in 1996. Great Britain celebrates October as their National Poetry Month. Sometimes I struggle through a poem,…

St. Paul’s Square or St. Pauls Square?

Wow – there really is an organization called the Apostrophe Protection Society.  It exists in England and thanks to its founder, John Richards, the apostrophe that had been banned from local street signs in Mid Devon, England, has been lifted. Apparently the apostrophe debate has been ongoing for years there (see here). Town Council had argued in favour of removing the apostrophe. They stated that…