I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.
Month: December 2019
Few of us now pay attention, or
acknowledge any documented
evidence of a mind struggling to
understand life, or love, or any
element thereof.
Not in the ways we once did, or
society did, at one time,
when we believed in
whatever the poets may say.
Another time, another way,
we go on living despite
what the poets say. Substance
and message today nothing more
than words on a page.
We will not heed the warnings,
simply trying to live, as poets
once did. Or as some now try.
My current read, Dear Evelyn, reminds me how good verse will stick with you in times of strife, in days of love, in spite of life, as it happens.
The book was the 2018 winner of the Rogers Writers Trust Fiction prize.
Author Kathy Page is a lover of literature; it shows in her style, obviously, but she has awarded the novel’s main characters a similar fascination and appreciation for the written word.
To call Dear Evelyn a wartime love story only hints of this book’s magnificence.
12/16/2019 j.g.l.
Posted on December 15, 2019 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment
I think every government should have one, and Ontario now does; a Poet Laureate.
A private members bill was passed last Thursday, and while the position itself is significant, its dedication is heartwarming.
The Poet Laureate of Ontario Act In Memory of Gord Downie; the bill was named after The Tragically Hip singer and lyricist.
Downie died in 2017 after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and following a coast-to-coast Canadian tour that seemed to reunite the country.
The Hip, after 33 years on the road, had come to be known as Canada’s house band.
Everyone seemed to have a favorite song, or lyrics that spoke loudly, or took them back to a where and when.
Downie’s lyrics were layered with Canadian landmarks and landscapes. The references were not always obvious, but you could taste a nationality. Downie was a wordsmith, true and whole. He took what surrounded him, captured the essence of the environment, and turned out daring (occasionally oblique) lyrics with a twisted and torrential rhyme and reason.
Yes, without the music, it read well as poetry. There was some beautiful stuff.
The Poet Laureate of Ontario will raise the profile of the province’s poetry and poets.
That is a beautiful thing.
12/15/2019 j.g.l.
Posted on December 14, 2019 by j.g.lewis // 4 Comments
A journal is a personal statement of where you are, a reflection of where you have been, and often an indication of where you are going.
Within our journals lay scattered thoughts, random scrabble, unanswered questions, potential solutions, unsatisfactory results, deliberate intentions, and living proof of the life we are leading.
The scratchy handwriting is more than perception; it is our personal history as it happens; mindful expression of where we are in the moment.
As we progress, as we evolve, our thoughts may change and our minds may move in different directions, but through it all we maintain a tactile, permanent record of our achievements and adventures.
The longer you keep a journal, the further you will go.
It takes commitment, yes, but the dedication is solely to your self.
Couldn’t we all do with a little more time to ourselves?
Next year is 2020…how inspiring. A new decade: what a great time to begin, or refresh, a journaling practice. soultalk is offering a FREE online program to kick start your commitment.
20 prompts over 20 days in a forum open only to participants, you don’t have to share, but this is a sharing community. More details on this page, or sign up by email
soultalk@mythosandmarginalia.com
The new program, and the new decade, begins January 1
Come and join us.
