NaPoMo poetry party.16

And my friend, Hillary Ross, here we are again…

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Hillary Ross’s energetic and enthusiastic spirit spills over into her creation of music, visual art, songwriting and poetry. Hillary splits her time between Kelowna, British Columbia and Redding, California, where she studies at the Bethel School of Ministry. Like many musicians during the time of COVID, Hillary is finding ways to share her music virtually.

One of your favourite quotes is this;

“You must do something to make the world more beautiful.” – Miss Rumphius

Let me just say you are doing this, Hillary! Last week I tuned in to a Facebook live concert you held with a friend and it was light-hearted, fantastical, and fun. You have a boundless number of ways of bringing beauty to the world, and I appreciate that about you.

Lesley-Anne: What is this quieter version of life teaching you, if in fact, it is quieter?

Hillary:The word that is ruminating over my spirit…

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A quick bounce back to Carmen Rempel…

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Carmen Rempel is here with us today, from Kelowna, British Columbia.

Hi, Carmen, and welcome to Buddy Breathing.  By the way, I’m enjoying your BLOG But I’m Brave so much. You have a way of tackling tough topics with authenticity and humour. I know you as a compelling public speaker, and I’m delighted to get to know you as a writer.

As you know we’ve been having a daily party for April – National Poetry Month, and I’m hosting a creative a day for a conversation based upon a handful of questions. And then most people share a poem, either one they wrote, or one that wrote them, or one that is meaningful to them. Let’s get started!

Lesley-Anne: We often say we wish we had more time for certain things. Are you spending your time differently in view of our current world challenges? If so, how?

Carmen:I’ve heard…

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It’s a wrap!

It’s a poetry party roundup folks. Here’s everyone again, in no particular order and all with my gratitude for being here, again.

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30 days
28 featured guests
485 party goers
Wasn’t that a party!!!

What a rich time this has been, one which has me realizing again what an incredible creative community (online and off) that I get to participate in. I’ve really enjoyed learning more about each one of you, and appreciate how candidly you’ve answered my questions. I can’t think of a better way to celebration National Poetry Month!

Below is our NaPoMo Poetry Party Featured Guest List, with links back to each guest’s post. So continue to enjoy and follow up with one another. Learn more about these incredible and unique creative beings who bring light to our needful world.

And if you find yourself mysteriously drawn to pick up a pen, or a paintbrush, or a camera, again for for the first time, I encourage to follow that inkling. Every art form is a gateway. Enter in…

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NaPoMo poetry party last call

Ah, my son, here we are again at the end of another National Poetry Month, where we’ve celebrated creative spirits, like yours. Thank you for sharing what inspires you to find and share beauty and light. Your photographs are extraordinary.

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The last day of April brings us to our final guest at my NaPoMo poetry party. If you’ve been following along each day (if not tomorrow’s wrap up will help you catch up), you’ll know our scope has widened a bit from strictly poets to meeting with a handful of visual storytellers – photographers. This morning we are joined by Malcolm Evans, a photographer and someone very dear to my heart; my son.

Tell us a little about yourself, Malcolm.

Malcolm: My name is Malcolm and I currently work as an Outreach Navigator with the Canadian Mental Health Association. In May I will begin working on my Master of Public Safety with Wilfrid Laurier University.

As all of you are also experiencing, my life is going through some unprecedented changes. Not only has COVID-19 changed where I live, how I work, and what I do in my…

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Such change between the me I was and the me I am, once year apart. Here it is only 2 pm and I’m finding it hard to keep my eyes open. Post covid is a thing, and I’m in it. But in case you have some energy to read what I said then, here I am once more. Welcome.

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Good morning good folk. A dear friend who was going to drop by and share some work today has had a family emergency. I pray all will be well with them and that they can return one day to be with us.

(I’ve been giving some thought to a regular poetry party here at Buddy Breathing; what do you think?)

I hope you’ve been enjoying the daily visits with so many beautiful and inspiring people? I’ve intentionally steered away from any sense of promotion as I wanted to honour each guest as a person, and to simply sit and spend a little time getting to know their hearts. Please jump in on the comments and let me know how it’s been for you. Let me know if you want to come by one day and share too.

You heard from me once before this month, and here we are…

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Oh, Amanda, I find myself once more longing to share poems with you. Thank you for allowing me to read you and your work.

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This morning’s guest is Amanda Kelly, a dear friend of mine. Amanda is currently studying Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna. Her poetry has been published in her debut chapbook Heartstrings, Room Magazine, UBCO’s Paper Shell and Camosun College’s Art-Poem-Art-Experiment. Amanda just finished 120 pages of her first draft of a novel exploring themes of how can queerness and faith co-exist and what that looks like in the face of religious rejection.

Check her out on Instagram: @amankelly @twoqueerbeans

Lesley-Anne: This photo of you makes me so happy, Amanda. Can you give us a little window into your life right now?

Amanda:I’m enjoying creating a sacred home with my partner, we have been moved in for five months now, and are both homebodies. She has her amassing collection of plants and I have my stack of to be read books that will last me…

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Jason Ramsay, editor in chief at Barren Magazine, and overall creative powerhouse. Thanks for sharing yourself and your work with us here.

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Jason D. Ramsey has a creative capacity and reach that is wide and unstoppable. I’ve been enriched by Jason’s generous friendship for many years through his online arts community Altarworks, and most recently through his literary initiative Barren Magazine. It’s amazing to me how connected you can feel to someone without ever meeting in person, and so it is with Jason.

Jason lives halfway between Detroit and Chicago, and serves as Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Barren Magazine. His essays and poems can be found in Parentheses Journal, Tilde Literary Journal, After the Pause, Isacoustic, and more. Jason is also a visual storyteller.

Thanks for making time in your full life to join our poetry party, Jason.

Lesley-Anne: We often say we wish we had more time for certain things. Are you spending your time differently in view of our current world challenges? If so, how?

Jason:  I…

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He’s my brother, image maker, creator.

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Joel Clements is a graphic designer, documentary photographer, and widely involved creative soul who lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario with his fabulous wife Andrea, and two adorable cats. I have witnessed the exceptional work of Joel’s hands in his woodworking, cabinetmaking, and renovating. His vintage canoe is one example of his loving and meticulous process of preserving things of beauty.

To have a creative conversation with Joel is best enjoyed with a cold craft brew in your hand and a good chunk of time to sit and wonder together. For now I’m just going to imagine the day that will happen again, and enjoy our virtual chat.

Joel is my brother, and my friend. Welcome to Buddy Breathing, JC. Your websites HERE and HERE are great resources for folk to dig in and find out more about you, and experience more of your work. Today you’ve brought us a poignant…

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I miss you Nygel. I imagine the ripples you’re gonna make on the Pacific rim!

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Nygel Metcalfe is someone I have come to know through collaboration and  friendship grown in creative and faith communities of Kelowna, British Columbia. Nygel is as comfortable bringing his slam poetry to the stage in fierce competition, as sitting down for a glass of Okanagan wine and a chat about philosophy, or personality types, or tigers.

The poem Nygel is bringing today is a favourite of mine. I can attest Harvest is equally captivating when Nygel performs it live, and you are in for a treat as both written text and video performance are shared here today. My heart is gladdened by being in Nygel’s presence, and yours. Welcome.

Lesley-Anne: We often say we wish we had more time for certain things. Are you spending your time differently in view of our current world challenges? If so, how?

Nygel: I suppose I am just as guilty as the next…

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Meet my poet friend, Deb. She’s fierce!

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Photo Credit: Victor Poirier

Good morning everyone, and welcome to our guest Deborah Lampitt-McConnachie. Deborah joins us from Kelowna, British Columbia, where she awaits the new post-covid world order along with her husband, Muddy the Whoodle, and Four the Burmese cat.

Deborah’s longtime blog is how we first met, and then again through a hip poetry party she threw at SOPA Gallery, Kelowna, a few years back. Deborah is a writer, stylist, editor, and performance poet who spent several years in fashion television in the UK (Planet Fashion (world wide cable); The Fashion Show (L!VE TV, UK); A LA Mode (UK Living) and Looking Good (BBC2)). Currently she writes and puts together the college magazine for Centre for Arts and Technology.

So good to have you here with us today, Deborah. As you know we’ve been looking at three questions with each of our guests this month, so let’s…

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