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My Métis Family Story: A Video for Students
June is Indigenous History Month in Canada. To acknowledge and celebrate with my students this year, I created a video to share my family’s story.
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Light in My Eyes
For the subscribers of Poetry Present and all our friends we have put together an eChapbook to celebrate Earth Day and National Poetry Month.
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Sunshine on Port Hope Beach in Winter
What a beautiful Family Day long weekend! A friend and I took advantage of the sunshine and went to Port Hope for a walk along Lake Ontario. Finding a sculpture family and seeing a swan was a wonderful surprise! I haven’t used my camera since the Fall so it was nice to take it out to play.
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In Winter: A Poem for Eric Winter
In Winter
In Winter the sun winked
from over the lake
welcoming our voices to
wind Cat to King.
We meet poetry in kindness
as he sips sweetly
hugging our words
as we share poetry.
We taste his twelve ways
of graceful inspiration
his voice inviting creation,
offering spaces for all of us to raise
a community of poetic relations.
A story of a witty
Laureate unwilling
to live flatly
on the page…
He sways and he sings
verses outside of time
building ballad opera
among habitats
for laughter and sanity
a legacy of shelter,
a town of poetry:
In Winter, the sun winked…
By Jessica Outram
Written in honour of Eric Winter: February 4, 1923 – December 21, 2019.“Eric Winter was appointed as the 1st Poet Laureate July 21, 1997. He continued in the role until August 24, 2009. Eric was made the inaugural Laureate in anticipation of and as part of the 1998 year-long Heritage Celebration to mark the 200th anniversary of the first settlements that now make up the municipality. Eric held the post for 12 years, 1 month and 3 days.”
James Pickersgill
Sept 19, 2019. In this photo is me, Ted Amsden (Poet Laureate Emeritus of Cobourg), and Jason Heroux (Poet Laureate of Kingston), plus our first Poet Laureate Emeritus of the Town of Cobourg, Eric Winter. Eric Winter was featured in Poetry Present twice.
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Hometown Hockey
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Autumn Leaves: Poetry, Photography, and Song
I loved the song ‘Autumn Leaves’ from the first time I heard it. I love the energy of the song and the way I feel singing it. I have spent hours with this song, singing this song just for the sheer pleasure like I did as a teenager.
At Thanksgiving this year it rained most of the weekend, but there were occasional short breaks. Dad and I went out on Sunday afternoon to take pictures along the Britt road (otherwise known as Riverside Drive). On Monday, driving home I continued to pull over and take pictures. Since the sky was so grey it made the colours pop.
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What the Bay Saw: Poetry and Photography Video
Even though we knew this project was happening, it caught us by surprise this summer to see the new wind farm at Henvey Inlet First Nation. I’ve spent my summers among these islands my whole life. Our family picnics were in this area. The photo at the top of this post is taken just across the water from the lighthouse where my grandfather lived as a child.
