What is the role of poetry in times of crisis? That’s a central question for author and poet Sean Arthur Joyce, who is appearing at a series of readings in Cariboo Regional District Library branches this April, which is national Poetry Month in Canada.
Joyce is launching his 11th book, Blue Communion, and will be at the Williams Lake Library, Friday, April 21, at 3 p.m.
“I’ve always said poetry is the most spiritual of the arts,” said Joyce. “In times of crisis, often it’s poetry people turn to for comfort or clarity, much as they do to their faith.”
It was reported during the height of the pandemic that young people were seeking out books of poetry in record numbers, he said.
This might seem odd when so many other forms of media exist to distract people from their troubles. But lockdowns led to soaring rates of depression and substance abuse, and sometimes mere distraction isn’t enough to fill the void.
Blue Communion shifts perspective from the pandemic to our troubled relationship with the environment in an attempt to bridge the gap between humans and our wild animal cousins, to see the world through their eyes.
Joyce’s natural starting point is empathy, imagining the post-climate change world from the perspective not only of bears, hummingbirds, crows and sparrows, but of our less glamorous cousins in nature such as insects. He celebrates the creative visionaries among us that keep beauty and hope alive while keeping a vigilant eye on political corruption.
Joyce is also the author of three books on Western Canadian history, a recent collection of essays, Words from the Dead: Relevant Readings in the Covid Age, and a novel, Mountain Blues.
“Joyce has already distinguished himself as a poet of great range, brilliant technique and musical qualities. His poetry is always striking, structured and memorable,” said Roger Lewis, Professor Emeritus of English Literature, Acadia University.
Blue Communion is published by Ekstasis Editions of Victoria, B.C.
monica.lamb-yorski@wltribune.com
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