Vanessa Shields's Blog, page 23

Poem 294 – Ghosts Among Us

Ghosts Among Us
after ‘Ghost Cat’ by Molly Peacock

Ghosts among us will show themselves
bulge a curtain
drop a tea cup
bang a portrait to the floor

Turn a blue sky to maddening grey –
why wouldn’t they?

Gift glimpses to remind us of our mortality
to shake the space between the living and the dead
the silky divider of here and beyond
is meant to be breached

A light flicker
A timid knock
A black spot on the edge of your vision

Ghosts among us will show themselves…
Oh! How Love persists!

*This poem was inspired by a writing prompt during this morning’s Yin Writing, whereby I read the poem ‘Ghost Cat’ by Molly Peacock in her collection ‘The Second Blush.’

SPECIAL POST! Interview with Canada’s Queen of Ghost Stories, Charis Cotter

Newfoundland writer, Charis (pronounced Care-iss like Ferris) Cotter is celebrating the release of her fourth novel, The Dollhouse (Tundra, 2021). Before its August release, The Dollhouse was already receiving acclaim by being chosen as a Gold Standard Selection by the Junior Library Guild. Charis has done interviews on the radio and virtually, and is ‘live’ in Toronto this weekend and next to sign books and celebrate her latest ghostly masterpiece. I sent Charis (who is also my writing partner!) some questions in an effort to acquaint you with her latest middle-grade novel, to help promote this fine spooky story, and to, quite honestly, share her awesomeness! At the end of this interview, there are details for her upcoming events as well as links to her socials so you can ‘like’, ‘subscribe’, ‘follow’ and ‘review’ her work. (That’s so important for writers!)

This is me, on the beach, voraciously reading my advanced copy of Charis’ new book, The Dollhouse. I couldn’t put it down! (I’m not naked. I have a bathing suit on.)

VS:  So, The Dollhouse was released on August 31! Yahoo! Kirkus reviews says it’s: “A time-traveling mystery that will keep readers involved and guessing up to the very end.” Also, it’s already won some recognition, being chosen as a Gold Standard Selection by the Junior Library Guild in the States. How does it feel to be nearing the release of a book that ALREADY so fabulously well-received?

CC: It’s very exciting. I’ve lived with this book now for about six years, from the original idea to the release, and it’s so much fun to know that this world that’s been in my head for so long will soon be experienced by others. I’m looking forward to getting responses from readers, especially the kids. I’ve been promising this book for a few years now to hundreds of students in my school visits.

VS: How/where did you get the idea for The Dollhouse? How did knowing a real woman and a real mansion with a real attic that the story is based on affect your storytelling? 

CC: A few years ago, I made friends with a woman who lives in a beautiful Georgian mansion. As soon as I walked in, I fell head over heels in love with the house. It captured my imagination so completely that I had to write about it. I had several ideas swirling in my head and finally one coalesced. The house in The Dollhouse is almost exactly the house I fell in love with, but Mrs. Bishop is not based on my friend’s character, although they do have a few things in common, including a dollhouse. It was really useful, as well as inspiring, to go to the house while I was writing, because it was like walking into my book. I could feel the characters whispering to me when I was in the house. I didn’t have to invent the setting, and that helped with the descriptions.  The attic was especially inspiring, because it was so large and empty and atmospheric, and the attic became very important in the story.

VS: Can you talk a bit about the importance of research when writing a novel? 

CC: I have a push-pull relationship with research. I’d rather write the story than do research, but when I do get down to it, the research I do informs the story, and I get lots of ideas from it. While working on The Dollhouse, I enjoyed doing research on Queen Mary’s dollhouse in Windsor Castle, and dollhouses in general, as well as fashion and popular culture in the 1920s. I need to get the facts right so the world of the novel is believable, and then I can play with shifting realities. Research will often fuel my imagination, but I have to admit I’m always a little reluctant. I used to write non-fiction, and that was all about the research and getting the facts right, so I have a healthy respect for research. If anything doesn’t ring true in the factual part of my novels, it will distract from the story. I want to create a world that is completely believable, and then I can take the reader along with me into the magical part of the story.

VS:  Tell us about your writing life: what’s a day-in-the-life-of-Charis-Cotter-kids-book-writer like? 

CC: It seems like there’s always things pulling at my time that take me away from my writing, things that need to be done and that I enjoy, like school presentations, storytelling, and mentoring other writers, but it gets harder and harder to dedicate weeks at a time to writing. I’m always juggling projects!

My work day is about the same no matter what I’m doing: I try to get up early, meditate, have breakfast, go for a walk, do some stretches and then settle down at my desk for two or three hours before lunch. Morning is my best time for both exercise and writing, so I try to do my creative work then. After lunch I usually do some housework, have a nap, and then get back to my desk for a couple of hours before it’s time to make supper. I’m lucky enough to live in a beautiful spot at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, so the walk is a treat, when the weather permits. I often use the walk to get my mind going and characters and plot questions come in and out of my consciousness. My walks really set me up for inspiration. Where I live I’m surrounded by a lot of sky, ocean and meadows—big open spaces and not very many people—and that kind of emptiness and silence really feeds my writing and helps me focus.

VS: When was the last time you were frightened by something ghostly?

CC: One morning recently, when I was walking on the boardwalk by the ocean in the fog I heard a noise that I couldn’t identify: a kind of metallic thump. It sounded like it was a couple of hundred feet behind me. Now you have to picture this boardwalk: it goes along the side of a hill and then into some barrens, with the ocean on two sides, and you can see a very long way and at that time in the morning there is seldom anyone there. I looked around nervously, but there was no one in sight. In the distance the fog softened everything with white. With my particular kind of imagination, I felt a shiver down my spine and hurried along my way. I often wonder if there are ghosts from years gone by along that bit of shoreline. People used to have their vegetable gardens here and fish just off the shore, and there was an old lighthouse at the point. I half-expect to see someone digging in their garden or hauling up a dory on the beach… but I haven’t. Not yet, anyway!

This kind of thing happens to me every couple of days. I live in a pretty spooky part of the world, with fog and water and sounds that are magnified. My imagination takes flight very easily!

VS: How has the pandemic affected your writing life? 

CC: It’s strange, because my day-to-day life hasn’t changed that much, since I work at home anyway and I always spend a lot of time alone. I’ve missed seeing friends, but I keep up with phone calls. I did spend five months away from home at the beginning of the pandemic, and that slowed me down a bit. I found my focus wasn’t as clear, and the underlying worry about family members and the state of the world took its toll on me, as it did on everyone. I have a writing project that did get bogged down during this time, and I’m still struggling to get it back on track. I had two books released during the pandemic, and I had virtual book launches. That was challenging and fun, but book sales were down. I think the pandemic has just worn everyone out. Life was challenging enough before, but with the pandemic this danger seems to be lurking just under our every day life, and it has been so stressful. 

VS: You have many great videos on your website. What’s it like making a video and doing virtual events? 

CC: This is where the pandemic had a bit of a silver lining for me. I ended up doing virtual school visits to places in Newfoundland and Labrador I would not be able to get to in person. I learned a lot about virtual events and did a few videos and webinars. I have a background as an actor, and I’m pretty comfortable in front of the camera, but all the experience during the pandemic really helped me relax even more. I would rather be there in person, especially with the kids, but virtual is easier in a way, because I just have to walk into my office and turn on the camera, instead of driving hours to get somewhere. It still takes a lot of energy. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, and I write and rehearse anything I present for days before I do it. I have to admit it’s hard to look at myself sometimes, so I try to avoid that when the camera is on in Zoom presentations. 

VS: How can you tell when you have a ‘good’ idea for a story? 

CC: I get so many ideas. They come and go. I could never write all the stories that are in my head. If it resonates, and I keep thinking about it, often I’ll get this shiver go through me, and I then know it’s a good one and I need to follow it up.

VS: Do you have writer friends? What does ‘community’ mean to you as a writer?

CC: I don’t have a lot of writer friends, which makes it hard sometimes, because writing is such a solitary occupation, and it’s often hard for my other friends to understand exactly what I do with my time. Hard to explain that staring out the window and then clutching my head is actually working! But I do have one bosom buddy who is a writer and that’s made all the difference to my writing life in the last few years. She really understands the process and the frustrations and the joys involved, and we run ideas past each other and do writing retreats and spend a lot of time together on FaceTime, each of us doing our own work, but knowing the other is there. On a larger scale, I do belong to writing associations such as the Writers’ Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador, The Writers’ Union of Canada, and CANSCAIP, and that makes me feel part of the community of writers who support each other and work together to try to improve the writers’ lot, which is a difficult one. Writers have to do all kinds of work that isn’t actually writing to make their living, because only a handful of bestselling writers can actually support themselves through the royalties on their books. So the community of writers for me means these groups that provide mutual support and initiate political action.  

VS: What is your biggest writing dream that hasn’t yet come true? 

CC: I really want my books turned into films. I think the spooky, time-shifting nature of my books would make some very scary movies or TV series, and I would just love it if I could get a film producer interested in my books.

Canada’s Queen of Ghost Stories – Charis Cotter!

Charis will be signing books on Saturday, October 30, 2021 at Furby House Books in Port Hope, Ontario from 2pm – 4pm (COVID protocols in place).

To stay in the spooky loop of her ghostly book life, please visit her website: www.chariscotter.com

Instagram: @CharisCotter

Twitter: @CharisCotter

*If you’re a teacher, do contact Charis for a virtual visit like no other! chariscotter@gmail.com

Books make the *best* gifts!Yup, of course Charis loves dolls! She’s got a grand collection, and they all love to read her scary books!

For the living…or the dolls…why not gift any one of Charis’ incredible books this Halloween (or Christmas!) season! Here’s a list of her books – order copies from your favourite independent bookstore!

The Swallow – Middle-grade novel
The Painting – Middle-grade novel
The Ghost Road – Middle-grade novel
The Dollhouse – Middle-grade novel

Screech – Ghost Stories from Old Newfoundland
The Ferryland Visitor – A Mysterious tale – picture book
Footsteps in Bay De Verd – A Mysterious tale – picture book

Thank you, Charis! And super congratulations on another published novel! You’re amazing!

Poem 293 – Curious Incident with the Mirror Last Night

Curious Incident with the Mirror Last Night

I like the way I look when I’m wearing a tank top & I’m sitting on the edge of the single bed in front of the mirror & I put my hands behind my head
the way my armpit hair stands up & yells I’m so long & lush & curly I am feminist coverage black & bold & beautiful
how my bicep pulls tight a muscle ball rolling & kissing the thimble tattoo inked in memory of my dead grandmother & tree roots splay out of my wrist pulling down love as it rubs my ear lobe
this body in black tank breasts weeping sweat white hair in slow age brown eyes under glasses cheating sight & tired neck stretched under chin jutted out jaw in tense words hidden under my tongue
The whole thing is curious because the mirror & I are not friends because my brown eyes even at their most cheated & tired see me enlarged swollen & too much of everything somehow
I like the way certain parts look & the strength I see but have a hard time feeling

Poem 292 – Three More Words & Poetry at the Manor Tonight!

Three more words for Robin

In the eye of her storms
Love

Because she is resilient
Because she is fire
Because she is strong
Because she is earth
Because she is capable
Because she is wind
Because she is powerful
Because she is water

She is all the weather & the landscape it kisses
Because she knows the wrath of pain & the bodies it destroys
Because in her eyes loss is sparkling wisdom – electric
Because love’s eyes storm her soul

Cleanse
Wreck
Heal
Repeat

*This poem was inspired by Robin Michelle, who gave me three words: eye, love, because.

TONIGHT AT 7PM! POETRY AT THE MANOR VOL. 9

Visit the LINK on youtube at 7pm to view the event!

Windsor’s Poets Laureate Welcome Special Guest Poets from across Canada for Poetry at the Manor Virtual ReadingCity of Windsor Poet Laureate Emeritus Marty Gervais and Poet Laureate Mary Ann Mulhern are hosting five poets laureate from across Canada for a special virtual edition of the popular annual Poetry at the Manor. As we also celebrate the 10th anniversary of Windsor’s Poet Laureate program, it is fitting that this year’s special guest poets include Louise Bernice Halfe-Sky Dancer (Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate), Albert Dumont (Ottawa’s English-Language Poet Laureate), Randell Adjei (Ontario’s Poet Laureate), Victoria Butler (Barrie’s Poet Laureate), and Alexei Ungurenaşu (Windsor’s Youth Poet Laureate).

HOW TO WATCH: The poets will participate in the unique reading and discussion in an online video format as pandemic restrictions continue to impact this initiative. The virtual reading will be broadcast Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. on YouTube, and shared on Facebook pages for Mayor Drew Dilkens, the City of Windsor, Museum Windsor, and Black Moss Press.

In addition to the poets, special guests include Mayor Drew Dilkens with introductory and welcome remarks, Councillor Jo-Anne Gignac with a message to mark the 10th anniversary of Windsor’s Poet Laureate program, Michelle Staadegaard for the City’s Community Services Division, Nadine Deleury with a cello performance filmed outside of Willistead Manor, and Crissi Cochrane with a special musical performance. Willistead Manor is the usual setting for this event, with the switch to virtual continuing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Links to booksellers for the poets’ works will be promoted during the broadcast.Poetry at the Manor – Vol. 9 is presented by the City of Windsor, through the Culture & Events department, and in partnership with the Office of Mayor Drew Dilkens, the League of Canadian Poets, Willistead Manor, Black Moss Press, and Biblioasis.

Poem 291 – The Ordinary & Last Day to Register for ‘Harvesting Time’ Virtual Workshop

The Ordinary

It is true
these ordinary things
the desk lamp
the folding table
the mismatched cutlery
heave home into my every day

I may not take them with me
but their constant being gives me comfort

These ordinary things…
the brown roof
the molting porch
the tired front door
embrace me like shared skin
it is true

The extra in ordinary is the way it
holds my hand like a child –
trusting curious playful
following the whims of fancy & freedom

Let this day be a living in the warm holding
of the ordinary

*This poem was inspired by the poem ‘Ode to the desk lamp’ by Billy Collins.

Register Today! Start Harvesting Your Time in Your Beautiful Creativity!

CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION INFO!

Poem 289 & 290 – The Curve & Three Words

The Curve

sometimes a safe space
is in the curve of a silent smile

it is not a room or a tower

it is in the tangible serenity of shared community
unmeasurable – uncomplicated
basking beyond language

it is good here
to be held this way

Three words – For Jim

Did you know that pumpernickel translates in German to ‘the devil’s fart’?
Did you know that Mary (Wollstonecraft Godwin) Shelley began writing ‘Frankenstein’ after she’d lost her first child?
Did you know that 1.5 million people have died from tuberculosis?

Ask a poet to write a poem and give her three words to include…
She just might deliver
It may not be hopeful or kind thrilling or spiritual

Or maybe it will be all of these things

Such a fine line of language connects us –
Devils deaths & the dance of discovery

oof. yup. yesterday, i forgot.

I mean, I wrote poem 289 yesterday. I really did! I just didn’t get to posting it. I remembered around 10:30pm when I had just snuggled into bed. It hit me like a blast of cold air – your poem, vee! you forgot to post your poem! And like a blast of cold air that no one wants to get out of bed and feel…I let it pass…closed my eyes and went to dreamland. I slept so hard. I slept in this morning….and now I’m catching up. And it’s okay.

Yesterday felt like three days so filled it was! And I just couldn’t get to everything. It is okay.

Today…is feeling like two days in one. The band of headache around my skull is stretching toward the bed…but not yet…not yet.

Thank yous first!

Thank you to the BookFest/Literary Arts Windsor family for another superb BookFest! Twenty years and counting! It was an honour to be part of the Portraits in Poetry panel with Marty Gervais and Roxanna Bennett, and moderated by the fabulous Dorothy Mahoney! Alexei Ungurenasu also shared their smiling face and kind words introducing Dorothy. Yay to all and to poetry!

Thank you to Christine Paris and Justine and the MHADFEST/Serenity Song Community Association for their hard work and wellness ‘wow’ at Lanspeary Park this weekend! We were grateful to share space with so many lovely folks, and to continue to learn about different ways to be well. (The wind gave us a good whipping, didn’t it?!)

Thank you to you, dear follower/reader/friend for sticking with me. Two hundred and ninety poems?! What?

I’ve been thinking about what I’m gonna do next year…should I keep writing a poem a day? Goodness…can’t think that far ahead!

Poem 288 – Nothing

Nothing

This is a poem about nothing
Because nothing is all I can give
This is a poem about giving
Because nothing is something
This is a poem about something
Because something is a gift
This is a poem about gifting
Because poetry is a gift

Poem 287 – I want to tell you

I want to tell you

I want to tell you, it’s gonna be okay. I know you need to hear these words. I know you don’t believe them, most of the time. I know you let them fall to your feet into a puddle of muddy weather leftovers you avoid. Did you know you used to love muddy puddles? Jumping in them. Stomping in them. Diving your fingers into them, your nails like summer cottages for dirt.
Two days ago when I was driving, I saw a little boy. He was maybe two, and he plopped right down in a muddy puddle – yellow rain boots gleaming, smile bigger than the galaxy, shrieks of joy climbing in my car window. He was more than okay. Just like you can be. Childhood isn’t a phase, it’s a choice…a place to roll in, a muddy puddle to get dirty in again and again…a park to crawl or stroll into filled with memory lanes. I know these words are difficult to receive when they’re made of water and you’re covered in waterproofing. But I’m saying them anyway. I know you need to hear them. I want to tell you, it’s gonna be okay.

This poem was inspired by an ‘entry line’ in the book, The True Secret of Writing by Natalie Goldberg. This morning, in the dark before the sun slipped her shoulders over the horizon, we writers gathered on zoom and wrote together. We wrote in response to four different prompts. ‘Write using this line: I want to tell you’ was the prompt I used for today’s poem. If you’d like to join us next Thursday morning, stay tuned for the Zoom link that will be posted here next week. I post the link on Wednesdays. This is called Yin Writing, and we write from 6am – 6:30am!

Poem 286 Grand Central Stomach – & This Week’s Many Literary Events!

Grand Central Stomach

my stomach is grand central station
trains of worry or elation or exhaustion or fear or joy
zipping in & out – steam screaming up into my lung ceiling
fuel dripping deep into my gutty rail lines

loco – motion of today’s to-dos & the conductor is on break
stepped onto cloud nine on the last flight out off the V line
oh goodness! the whistle’s a blowin’!
root those feet, travellers! Step steady!
we’ll get there.

we’ll get there.

ZOOM LINK FOR TOMORROW’S YIN WRITING

Vanessa Shields is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: YIN WRITING WITH VANESSA
Time: Oct 14, 2021 06:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83029366401?pwd=aWowSUhiSjFscU1NaXdmLzRzaE1NZz09

Meeting ID: 830 2936 6401
Passcode: 520762

LAST DAY TO REGISTER!

Sunday, October 17, 2021

1pm – 4pm

Cost: $30

Family-friendly!

REGISTER HERE!

BOOKFEST WINDSOR 20th Anniversary Virtual Extravaganza STARTS TOMORROW!

For all the incredible details & to register: CLICK HERE!

Join me, Marty Gervais and Roxanna Bennett for our panel on Portraits in Poetry on Saturday, October 16, 2021 from 2pm – 3pm.

WELLNESS IN THE PARK!

Join a whole community of wellness providers this entire weekend at Lanspeary park for yoga, discussions, markets, activities – and poetry on demand from yours truly (Saturday morning!)! Donations are welcome upon entrance.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

RAIN OR SHINE! BRING YOUR MATS/DRUMS/CREATIVITY!

Self-Guided Retreats at Gertrude’s Writing Room!

UNZOOM, friends! Unwind, unwrap, undo in the comfort of Gertrude’s Writing Room!

FOR HOURLY RATES, CLICK HERE.

FOR DAILY RATES, CLICK HERE.

FOR WEEKEND RATES, CLICK HERE.

*This is a unique space for book clubs, writers groups, meetings and gatherings!

Poem 273 – untitled

untitled

I am sorry, she said

& she listened to 
the past thrum
on her palm

& she heard
the present weep
on the chin 
of a mighty wind

& she observed
the dust of souls
collect & rise
uniting into an 
extraordinary

sunrise

Observation: the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses.

Listen, learn, reflect, respond.

LINKS:

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1450124405592/1529106060525

Indigenous Poetry: https://www.poetryinvoice.com/search/all/indigenous