Jonina Kirton - Poetry Corey Levine – Non Fiction Antonia Levi – Fiction The 2013 Write On! Contest First Place Winners
Jonina Kirton a Métis/Icelandic poet lives in New Westminster, BC with her husband and editor Garry Ward. Her writing, which is often dark and delicate, has been featured in between earth and sky anthology, V6A: Writing from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Anthology, home & away (an Anthology Chapbook), Enlightening Times UK, Other Tongues: Mixed - Race Women Speak Out Anthology, Pagan Edge, First Nations Drum, Toronto Quarterly, Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine, New Breed Magazine, emerge and a number of online journals. Her first collection of poetry and lyric prose, page as bone – ink as blood, will be released in the Fall of 2015 with Talon Books.
Antonia Levi is best known for her non-fiction on Japanese animation, and is now in the process of reinventing herself as a fictionista. In that process, she has experimented with a wide variety of opportunities within the writing community, from the year-long, intensive Writer's Studio at SFU to more casual groups that include potluck suppers along with critiquing. She also participated as a curriculum designer and mentor for SFU's Southbank Writers Program. She has published three books of nonfiction, numerous articles, a column, and several short stories. She is currently working on two novels and a short story collection.
After 20 years of human rights work in conflict zones around the world, Corey Levine now hangs her hat in Victoria B.C. where she contemplates the state of the world on daily walks at the beach with her cousin’s dog. Her writing credentials include The Globe and Mail and Ottawa Citizen newspapers, and This, Embassy and Peace Magazines.
Keep updated on the LitFest New West schedule here: http://artscouncilnewwest.org/litfest/
LitFest New West Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/774763385872276/?fref=ts
RCLAS WRITER OF THE MONTH
Enrico Renz
Enrico Renz is a poet, singer/songwriter and teacher who after a lengthy hiatus has returned to performance. In the eighties he participated in the local music scene, most notably as writer and lead singer for the Vancouver art-rock band, Red Herring with whom he has recently begun playing around town again. Today he also does solo and ensemble shows which include spoken word, original songs and impromptu compositions on guitar and piano. Along with Lawren Nemeth, Enrico also plays guitar for the mesmerizing spoken word artist Lilija Valis in “Lilija Valis and the Secret Messengers�. He and Lawren also cohost RCLAS's weekly Songwriters' Open Mic every Sunday night at the Heritage Grill in New Westminster. Enrico has featured at Poetic Justice, Renaissance Books, Surrey Muse, The Act, Takin'Turns, Joyfest, Bowen Island Art's Council and World Poetry Reading Series, World Poetry Radio, and Wax Poetic. https://soundcloud.com/enrico-renz/tracks
WEST COAST SUNSET
Š Enrico Renz
West coast sunset the ships in English Bay as still as stones The heron with his hollow bones is staring out to sea And we sitting on this bench put here by someone Who loved someone who once loved this spot Just like you and me The hotdog vendor is from Russia He says he's travelled all around the world to end up here When no one's buying he's humming something sweet and staring out to sea And we sitting on this bench put here by someone Who loved someone who once loved this spot Just like you and me This beach is filled with languages we'll never understand Little dogs and bicycles, bare feet in the sand The lapping of the water, the traffic on the street The hint of coolness in the air, the summer in retreat September 1, 2013
PLASTIC FLOWERS Š Enrico Renz
Every day when I drive home from work I see this little shrine with plastic flowers A name is written on the cross but somehow I can never make it out The radio's playing something I once loved but can't remember It's raining and I'm back to wondering what life is all about
The books I read when I was young have faded into nothing more than shadows The teachers I once idolized are merely ghostly whispers in my ear The cars on either side of me paint the street with break lights It's raining and I'm back to wondering why all of us are here
Plastic flowers, plastic flowers Pretty plastic flowers from family and friends Plastic flowers, plastic flowers Will you bring me plastic flowers when my journey ends?
An ambulance comes wailing by and everyone pulls over like they're s'pposed to I notice that this incident has stopped me just a stone's throw from the shrine I still can't read the name but then I spot a weathered photograph It's raining and this face looks just like mine
September 29, 2013
WHEN MY HEART BROKE OPEN WIDE Š Enrico Renz They were born in World War Two It's Liverpool where up they grew They made me fall in love with you dear Prudence, what you put me through! Crossing the street to get to the other side My bare feet in a woman's stride The sun was shining when you cried The darkest night when my heart broke open wide Who knew in 1962 What a man could misconstrue Needed a real good talking to What wisdom in that brew! And even if you know what Lucy did If you were that kind of awkward kid You talk to Jude; he's on the grid No never mind; God forbid If they boo you, and you think they're right Or if they boo you and you know they're wrong If only the band keeps playing tight It's such a different song They were born in World War Two It's Liverpool where up they grew They made me fall in love with you dear Prudence, what you put me through! Crossing the street to get to the other side My bare feet in a woman's stride The sun was shining when you cried The darkest night when my heart broke open wide
January 3, 2013
RCLAS WRITER OF THE MONTH
Lawren Nemeth
Lawren Nemeth grew up on Vancouver Island on the left coast. Coming from a small island town music was always being played somewhere. Lawren is not professionally trained he simply would sit down and play with whoever seemed to be about and would always learn something new. He has been writing music for about 10 years always leaning towards the why's of the world when it comes to his topics. Recently he has taken the role of Co-Host for the RCLAS Songwriter’s Open Mic with Enrico Renz. Currently Lawren is collaborating with the amazing poet, Lilija Valis and Enrico Renz to form a musical group of spoken word.
Bleeding out © Lawren Nemeth I know emotions are sharp and that they change like the seasons, I don’t understand your thoughts but I’m sure you got your reasons. Things can overwhelm your heart if you don’t learn to cope dear. I know what I’m talking about been living twenty years in fear. Cause I just can’t keep it in when you’re bleeding out. You’re not just hurting yourself you’re hurting the loved ones around. Wanna help save your soul but you won’t talk it out. Tell me what you need to get your feet on solid ground. I know you feel like the only one who really knows this They only way to escape is if you cut out your secrets. How long will this wash away all the things that you can’t deal with? You don’t have the strength alone don’t you know that we see this. Cause I can’t keep it in when you’re bleeding out I’ sorry I scream when you won’t put it down. I’ sorry I stay when you won’t no one around. But I can’t stand to see you bleeding out Link to Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM3_HsZgXUc
Little Things © Lawren Nemeth (V) Watch the words coming out of your fast talking mouth Seems like everyone else but yourself has you put out Try to remember what you said, while you were trying to get ahead, hope that this all goes smooth in the end Not the clothes that you wear or your style of hair or the way you look You see it’s all a game and we’re all the same and we read like a book And if you read between the lines, look closely and you will find, it not the clothes you wear that get you through in life. (V) Can’t seem to relax or get work off your back cause it follows you home Get stuck in your fears you been stuck there for years it won’t leave you alone And you wish that you could change, but you’re worried bout your raise, in the end is it worth what you’re getting paid. Cause this is a joke you’re looking for hope cause you can’t pay the bills Do you pay the heat or get something to eat the decision is real Going to work till knuckles bleed, just to get the things you need, while others worry bout the kicks flips on their feet. (V) In god we all trust it’s like riding a bus that consumes all our souls Even though you might try, in a blink of an eye you’re regretful and old Don’t have to be this way, could smell the roses every day , Going die young if you forget to play Cause the world don’t need no anymore sheep, we got enough Got to question our minds and open our eyes I know be tough Cause the being sheep is the easy run , Remember where you’re coming from, quit worrying bout your end and remember where it begun You going to run when you needed to walk where you need to go Think you need it fats but the feeling won’t last baby go slow Cause the best things in life always seem more right when you take your time Remember all your little things in life Remember all the little things in life
Link to Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3WGnT1nliM
PLASTIC CHRISTMAS Š Lawren Nemeth Lyrics This might be the last of the Christmas's I have where Santa's Letters will reach his front door. He'll have to go find a Super box cause there ain't postal service in the north We killed it for Planes to protect the coast, forgotten the meaning of our holy ghosts
This solstice, season, we've lost the reason to gather with family and friends, Not iPads or fake things it's the loving that together brings, the hope to those who are already spent. I hate plastic Christmas ( x2) So let's deck the halls with all our good deeds, we could be living in peace, If we just believe Believe Believe
Well ain't it a shame that what we want most is made by a slave 1000 miles from our homes My Plastic Christmas(x2) This solstice, season , we've lost the reason to gather with Family and friends, Not iPads or fake things it's the loving that together brings , the hope to those who are already spent. I hate plastic Christmas (x2) The only white of my Christmas is the white on my lid of my holiday drink from Starbucks and I can't smell the pine of my own Christmas tree, cause I store it all year in a box We have enough space but not enough sense that we could supply everyone who needs beds we've made a choice and we choose to spend on toys that won't matter when we get to the end . My plastic Christmas ( x2)
Link to Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlTVJ gMdZi0
Coffee warms the throat In the rain soaked morning light The cold night deposed © Candice James Brown head, nose held high deer's dark eyes watchful as I leave shrunken apples © Bernice Lever
Joy to my eyes on blue horizon’s vastness caiques plastered © Manolis orange leaf large as a plate maple © Franci Louann
Seasons Fade Winter slowly fades; glistening, gleaming sunshine breaking through the ice. © Deborah L. Kelly A great canoe - stuck in a paddock fence - a swayback nays its sorrowful cry. © Max Tell a.k.a. Robert Stelmach A winter garden warms nude roots beneath the drifts. Abed, our thighs graze. © Kyle McKillop Mist on mountains high Bellbirds sing through valleys green Breathtaking beauty © David J Delaney Niagara escarpment— blaze across the province © Franci Louann Air was blowing hard Between the trees in the woods Where canaries played © George Chris Michas Smiles so wide Giggles bursting forth. A joyous time. © Jaz Gill
Winter wet snowflakes Cling together as they fall. Are they too so cold? © Valerie Parks Twin fawns freeze mid-road in car light glare, wide-eyed awaiting Mom's orders © Bernice Lever A stone mermaid pulls the tide across her bronze breast A tan towel shakes - sand flies. © Max Tell a.k.a. Robert Stelmach Rosy cheeks exposed children’s laughter still resounds as winter winds blow. © David J Delaney Contemplation Resists thus Persists So New Year's Resolution Accept not Expect! © Hélène Levasseur Old Man Winter Mountain rivers run filled with winter’s frosted breath. Old Man Winter sleeps. © Deborah L. Kelly
The Last Plane by Robert Hirzer was recently published and is available in both paperback (soft cover) and ebook formats. The author was born in Waterloo County, Ontario. After studying medicine at the University of Western Ontario, he moved to British Columbia where he continues to work as a family physician. The Last Plane is his first novel. He lives with his wife in New Westminster, BC.
Here’s a brief synopsis of the book:
The discovery of a cache of old letters belonging to his father prompts a grieving physician to revisit the past. His journey of discovery leads him to an entirely new view of his parents’ lives and also sets off a reexamination of his own. The story follows an impoverished family of five children growing up in post-World-War-I Austria and continues through the upheaval of World War II and beyond. Spanning three generations and two continents, this compelling saga interweaves historical romance, adventure yarn, memoir and mystery. Whether on the brutal battlefields of Russia, in a quaint Irish fishing village or by a small collection of German graves in southern Ontario, a common theme emerges: history, the narrator learns, is never what it seems, and the search for a better future is often hindered by the haunting grip of the past. The paperback (soft cover) book is now available (with a sample preview) at amazon.com. Ebook versions are now available at amazon.ca (Kindle) and kobobooks.com (Kobo). Date and location of the book’s official launch to be announced soon.
“On The Beat” with Lilija Valis
RCLAS SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC, January 5, 2014 The always-helpful staff at Heritage Grill had their much deserved holiday celebration, so no food was available; our room was cold; one regular member was out sick; two others left when one of them took ill. The remaining group of five formed a tight circle with the electric heater and we let music take over. It created warmth and connections. Musical knowledge was shared. Laughter is good bonding material and we had plenty of it. Chris Horne sang a protest against the Not In My Back Yard attitude; Janene White read a poem about a cat fight a let’sget-along Sheltie broke up; Abby Schwarz created a lovely melody to go with words suggesting more acceptable ways to leave your lover; Enrico Renz sang a memorable new song about colours falling in love and creating other colours; Lilija Valis about an orphan finding her way home; and Lawren Nemeth showed us "how to get your feet on solid ground" and "save your soul"! And that's just a small portion of what went on…
Lilija Valis January 2014
RCLAS SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC, January 12, 2014 We had a couple of angels perform at Songwriters. They sang "I am an angel." If you knew their story and heard them sing, you would not dispute this claim. Synn Kune Loh and his wife, Dawn, walked in one night, liked what they saw and heard, and have been coming back since. Other songwriters and poets added to the spiritual, or at least adventurous, experience, from which humour was not excluded. Enrico Renz took us to "the middle of the labyrinth.... feel free, these walls are you and me"; Lawren Nemeth went on his "lonesome road'; Lavana La Brey defended her house and her heart, and made us laugh at love gone wrong; Max Tell: "I'm shipping off to Mars and I won't be heading back"; Janene White told us about the comfort of friendship when "running from pain-filled events"; and Lilija Valis freed words from the dictionary and let them flow like water, carrying life... Synn Kune took us to the forest to reveal the emerald, and wished us joy, a free mind, prosperity and love. Not a bad way to end a Sunday night!
Below: ENRICO RENZ , with STEVE LAZIN, at The Prophouse CafĂŠ, January 14, 2013. The musical conversation promised (piano, drums and guitar) did get heated at times, drawing in audience members who participated with dance moves. Everybody present became family.
Photos By Lilija Valis
Songwriter’s Open Mic
Lawren Nemeth & Friends at The Heritage Grill
AUTHORS IN OUR MIDST, Richmond Public Library, January 21, 2014 Features: Candice James and Alan Hill Open Mic with Ashok K. Bhargava You who didn't make it to Richmond Public Library for one reason or another missed hearing what no one has heard before: Alan SING as he read from his latest book, The Broken Word. (He did warn the audience before he did so.) A sympathetic reading, Alan, of life's difficulties in poetic form. Great reading, as usual, by a relaxed and glamorous Candice James. She offered us villanelles, sonnets and her favorite poems. - Lilija Valis
January 26.2014 Candice James and Ken Ader dropped into Songwriter Night for a while, on their way to another engagement. (I know they were at Poetic Justice earlier in the afternoon. Is there another Poet Laureate who works as hard as Candice or a videographer/photographer as Ken?!) Candice improvised on the "stranger" theme, accompanied by Enrico. We had four new musicians join us, two of whom performed. The theme was "stranger" and the songs and poems presented ranged from the strangeness of humanity, the romance and fear of strangers, the recognition of our connection to each other, the wisdom of crows, facing obstacles, working to save others, starting life anew and reassuring ourselves we'll be O.K... There was walking in the star field, extending a hand to each other (I'm using bits and pieces from the songs). – Lilija Valis
FEBRUARY 2014 @ POETIC JUSTICE View Calendar and Bios at www.poeticjustice.ca
HERITAGE GRILL, BACK ROOM 3-5 pm Sunday Afternoons—three features and open mic 447 Columbia St, New Westminster, near the Columbia Skytrain Station CO-FOUNDER & BOOKING MANAGER—Franci Louann flouann@telus.net Website & Facebook Manager, Photographer—Janet Kvammen janetkvammen@rclas.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/poeticjusticenewwest/
February 2 Sunday 3-5pm Poetic Justice Featuring Kyle Hawke/Eileen Kernaghan/Calvin Wharton Host: Candice James
February 9 Sunday 3-5pm Closed for Family Day Weekend
February 16 Sunday 3-5pm Poetic Justice Featuring Candice James/Dennis Bolen/Brad Cran Host: Sho Wiley
February 23 Sunday 3-5pm Poetic Justice Featuring Manolis/ Kyle McKillop/Lilija Valis Host: Sonja Grgar
TO YOU I GIVE MY HEART Š KB Nelson To you I give my heart My pulse My vital pump It pushes life to my fingertips, to my guts. I could give you my brain My dreams My great expectations I could give you my kidney Purifier Balancer of my living waters. I could give you my gallbladder Or my pancreas. But not my appendix (some surgeon got that.)
Clouds
Š Michael Wayne Holland
There was a shift somewhere in the night, a pause, where I melted into you, coffee kissing caramel, and for just one moment, a slight hesitation transpired: I swear I could hear the clouds.
I was wrapped in your stealthy embrace, hand clasping hand, the gentle caress of two pulses synchronized, conjoined, and it dawned on me for the first time in many cranberry moons and sweltering summers, that I felt safe, appreciated, joyful – could it be that I felt loved? – and, as we lay, I prayed and forgave sullen secrets and betrayals ago, transgressions that feasted on blanketed fear and palpable pain.
I forgave me, you, irony, and destiny, established faith in feeling human, whole,
for all its riches, glories, and pratfalls. I saw that little boy, that sweet soul, and rather than cover my eyes blind, or bend an ear towards self-loathing, I completed him, just as I felt the wind rush past sticky lies, just as I heard sparrows strum in sycamore trees. The clouds, the clouds: I swear I could hear the clouds, feel your breath, allowing the tension in swollen muscles and cynical bones to finally relax. I have no illusions that there will be eternal sunshine in silken shadows, but there is no doubt I have been changed, transformed, and if tonight delays tomorrow, if yesterday yearns to haunt, there will be an unspoken truth that will forever remain in just three words, foolish words perhaps, but words I desperately seek, nourish, and covet: What about today?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Š Michael Wayne Holland
FEEDBACK & e-ZINE SUBMISSIONS Drop us a line Janet Kvammen: RCLAS Director/ Newsletter Editor & Design janetkvammen@rclas.com Deborah Kelly secretary@rclas.com
Open Call for Submissions - RCLAS Members Only Poems, Short Stories, Book Excerpts & Songs are welcome for submission to future issues of Wordplay at work. To RCLAS Members: Please send us your latest news, feedback on our newsletter and any ideas/suggestions that you may have. If you would like to write a feature, a review or an article for the newsletter do feel free to submit your ideas VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Volunteer Coordinator Website Design/Maintenance. Event Volunteers – Janet Kvammen
February 2014
Wordplay at work
ISSN 22914269
RCLAS – Royal City Literary Arts Society Box #5 - 720 – Sixth Street, New Westminster, BC V3L 3C5 For further information Email – secretary@rclas.com SPONSORS • • • • • • • •
Arts Council of New Westminster Wayne Wright Chuck Puchmayr The Heritage Grill Poetic Justice Poetry In The Park Saddlestone International Silver Bow Publishing
Contact: RCLAS Director/ Wordplay at work Editor & Design janetkvammen@rclas.com