Sarnia’s Bluewater Reading Series is gearing up for another great year. As temperatures dip and nip fingertips, howling winds play havoc on icy and snow covered roads. Venturing outdoors can be a challenge; travelling great distances to participate in an out-of-town reading seems like such a gamble.
Last November, speaking in front of a full audience: emcee Lynn Tait (Sarnia), fiction writer Diana Koch (Sarnia), Poet Laureate of Brantford John B. Lee (Port Dover), author of Laughing Through a Second Pregnancy Vanessa Shields (Windsor) and poet Grace Vermeer (Sarnia
However, despite the temptation to escape to a warmer climate or to hibernate in a snowbank, plans are indeed moving forward for the committee’s next two offerings: a special April is National Poetry Month event scheduled for Saturday, April 11, 2015 and a fiction/poetry reading set for Saturday, May 9, 2015. Both literary events will be held during the afternoon at John’s Restaurant on the outskirts of Sarnia, Ontario.
According to committee member and prolific Canadian poet James Deahl, “seven out of town guests have already agreed to participate in this spring’s program; five of whom have never visited or read in this area of Ontario before. We are working on posters and media releases. A formal announcement will be made soon.”
To date, the Bluewater Reading Series committee has already organized three successful readings. Previous out-town guest readers (in alphabetical order) included: Allan Briesmaster, Clara Blackwood, Andreas Gripp, John B. Lee, Carol Malyon, Vanessa Shields, and John Wing Jr.
Selected work by Port Dover poet/editor John B. Lee
If you missed the November 2014 event, below are some of the highlights. Photos courtesy: Lorraine Kraayenbrink Photography. Additional details about the autumn event can be found here.
Prolific award-winning poet John B. Lee reads his poem “Jimi Hendrix in the Company of Cows”.
Award-winning fiction writer Diana Koch reads from her new manuscript
Vanessa Shields shares a story from her book Laughing Through a Second Pregnancy (Black Moss Press)
Sarnia poet Grace Vermeer shares some of her award-winning poems.
Selected work by Windsor writer/editor Vanessa Shields
Follow this blog for future updates on the Bluewater Reading Series and other literary events, reviews and profiles.
For upcoming January, February, and March activities in southwestern Ontario, Canada, check out the events page on this blog.
Kites Without Strings 