Aeolus House launched JC’s new book of poetry, Life, after life—from epitaph to epilogue, on Sunday, November 3, at the Free Times Café in Toronto. The book is published under JC’s pen name, A. Garnett Weiss.
The event celebrated how JC turned words and phrases found in obituaries published in the Globe and Mail into over 60, five-line, memorable poems.
JC explained that reading obituaries was uplifting, not a ‘down’ experience. “I read them all—for the stories, for what they say about life rather than about death.” She likened the poems to an epilogue or afterword in the way each poem rounds out conclusions she drew from the prose articles and notices.
Keys at the end of the collection provide the given names of each person about whom JC learned. “Listing the names reflects my wish to honour the memory of each person about whom I read while respecting their privacy. The keys also acknowledge obituary articles to which I referred,” JC added.
The evening featured guest poets Donna Langevin and Kate Rogers reading from their own body of work in response to poems in Life, after life.
“I was honoured to appear on the same program with Kate and Donna. They chose their own poems with such care and attention and picked up on themes in the four poems from Life, after life that they read aloud. I am most grateful to them.”
Copies of Life, after life are available through this website, in Toronto at Book City in the Beach, in Ottawa at Perfect Books and at Octopus Books, in Picton at Books & Company.
COMING UP NEXT:
A book launch and reading in Ottawa at Perfect Books on Elgin Street at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, featuring JC and Toronto poet Allan Briesmaster.
The Prince Edward County interactive launch for Life, after life on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 2:30 PM, in the Travel Room of the Picton Branch of the Library on Main Street. With refreshments. And perhaps a chance to read a poem from the collection aloud.
LIFE, AFTER LIFE–FROM EPITAPH TO EPILOGUE launched in Toronto
Aeolus House launched JC’s new book of poetry, Life, after life—from epitaph to epilogue, on Sunday, November 3, at the Free Times Café in Toronto. The book is published under JC’s pen name, A. Garnett Weiss.
The event celebrated how JC turned words and phrases found in obituaries published in the Globe and Mail into over 60, five-line, memorable poems.
JC explained that reading obituaries was uplifting, not a ‘down’ experience. “I read them all—for the stories, for what they say about life rather than about death.” She likened the poems to an epilogue or afterword in the way each poem rounds out conclusions she drew from the prose articles and notices.
Keys at the end of the collection provide the given names of each person about whom JC learned. “Listing the names reflects my wish to honour the memory of each person about whom I read while respecting their privacy. The keys also acknowledge obituary articles to which I referred,” JC added.
The evening featured guest poets Donna Langevin and Kate Rogers reading from their own body of work in response to poems in Life, after life.
“I was honoured to appear on the same program with Kate and Donna. They chose their own poems with such care and attention and picked up on themes in the four poems from Life, after life that they read aloud. I am most grateful to them.”
Copies of Life, after life are available through this website, in Toronto at Book City in the Beach, in Ottawa at Perfect Books and at Octopus Books, in Picton at Books & Company.
COMING UP NEXT:
A book launch and reading in Ottawa at Perfect Books on Elgin Street at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, featuring JC and Toronto poet Allan Briesmaster.
The Prince Edward County interactive launch for Life, after life on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 2:30 PM, in the Travel Room of the Picton Branch of the Library on Main Street. With refreshments. And perhaps a chance to read a poem from the collection aloud.
Share this: