Spotlight to Shine on Norma West Linder, James Deahl and Four New Books

Friday, June 29, 2012 - 8:00pm

Lawrence House Centre for the Arts
127 Christina Street South
Sarnia, ON
N7T 2M8

Well-known Ontario writers Norma West Linder and James Deahl will share glimpses from four new poetry books, during the last Spoken Word event in the 2011-2012 season, Friday, June 29 starting at 8 p.m. at the Lawrence House Centre for the Arts, 127 Christina Street South in Sarnia, Ontario. Their spotlight presentation will be followed by an open mic for others to share their work or the work of another author. This month’s optional theme is Fairy Tales and Happy Endings. Everyone is welcome to read or just watch. Admission is free.
 
The official Sarnia launch of these new books by Linder and Deahl will take place during the literary and cultural event ‘Books and Biscotti” hosted by the Association of Italian Canadian Writers (AICW), the Dante Club Literary Committee and other local organizations, Sunday, August 19 at the Dante Club. Additional details will be announced shortly.
 
“We are so fortunate to have these two professional writers living in our community,” said Spoken Word co-hosts and local writers Debbie Okun Hill and Ryan Gibbs. “Linder has been part of Sarnia’s writing community for over 45 years and has been a mentor to so many emerging writers. Deahl, who recently moved to the area from Hamilton, has been part of the Canadian poetry scene for over 40 years and was a dear friend of such poetic icons as Al Purdy and Milton Acorn. As a co-founder of the publishing company Mekler & Deahl, he launched and built the writing careers of many new and established writers.”
 
The four spotlighted books include:
 
Adder’s-tongues: A Choice of Norma West Linder’s Poems, 1969- 2011 (Aeolus House) written by Norma West Linder and edited by James Deahl (According to her publisher and Canadian poet Allan Briesmaster, Linder “writes with admirable economyand clarity, and the poems are genuinely touching and moving. The ones about musicians and singers are a treat to read, and those with outdoor settings have been sketched with a beautiful precision. Altogether a very substantial, consistently high-quality selection of work.")
 
In A Springtime Instant: The Selected Poems of Milton Acorn 1950 -1986 (Mosaic Press) edited by James Deahl, Acorn’s long-time friend and roommate (Considered to be an insider’s look at the legacy of Canada’s Peoples’ Poet Milton Acorn, this 248-page book includes an eclectic range of controversial, political, love and nature poems written by one of the most important Canadian poets of the 20th century.)
 
North of Belleville (Hidden Brook Press) written by James Deahl with photography, layout and design by Richard M. Grove (According to Chris Faiers in an April 2012 review in The Envoy , this 57-page book is “no less a deeply affectionate homage, in haiku verse, to several distinctive regions in Ontario…such as Red Hill Valley and McMaster Trail.”)
 
Rooms the Wind Makes (Guernica Editions) by James Deahl (According to the publisher, this 160-page collection “continues Deahl’s exploration of the natural world around him in language that is precise and startling, tinged with nostalgia but bravely facing the realities with an eye on the larger picture.”)
 
This autumn, both Deahl and Linder will go on a book tour with readings expected in several Ontario cities, the east coast and in the US. Dates are still being confirmed.
 
Spoken Word was first introduced over 12 years ago and is held on the last Friday of every month, except July, August and December. The 13th season of Spoken Word will be launched in September. For further information about Sarnia’s Spoken Word, e-mail spoken-w@hotmail.com or call the Lawrence House at (519) 337-0507.