Sans Nom Poets

I love to support local talent – whether it is musicians or visual performers, art shows or readings by writers.  It is important that we celebrate the creativity of people in our own community. I attend many concerts, art shows and readings and I am always amazed at the calibre and quality of our home-grown talent.

Tonight I attended a very special book launch.  The book called “Skating in the Exit Light” was released in celebration of the 20^th anniversary of the Sans Nom Poets.  Sans Nom is a group of poets who, over the years, have written together and supported each other as books were published or rejected,  as life-changing events occurred in their personal and professional  lives and who have helped each other make that poem just a little better.

Seventeen authors have contributed to the book.  All are very talented and several have had books published and/or their work published.  Two very special people to me are in that group and read their works that night: Veryl Coghill and Lynda Monahan.

Lynda is an amazing poet. Her words draw you into her world as she writes about the pain of losing her mother and her brother.  She wrote a poem for her sister who has severe health issues.  She read a poem which she wrote for a lifelong friend who passed away last year. She expressed regret that she did not write it for him when he was alive. An important lesson taught through her prose: make sure to tell the people you love how you feel. Don't wait until it is too late.  Lynda spins magic with her words and listening to her, one experiences the emotions she wraps around each of her poems. 

Veryl Coghill’s contribution to the book is a powerful tribute to her mother who passed away two years ago.  The typical complicated mother/daughter relationship that we all share is brought to life in Veryl’s poem.  Again there is the lesson to share your feelings and to tell those you love how much you care before it is too late.  Veryl uses the songs and stories of her childhood and intertwines them with her own words, creating a magical world in which when you read her poem you can hear the music of your own childhood in the background. 

All the poets who read their work that night have amazing stories to tell and are greatly talented. What a wonderful idea it was to have these amazing people with incredible poetic abilities join together for an evening to share their work with the public.  Their poetry is wonderful gift they share with all of us.  We are indeed fortunate to have such talent in our city. 

Enjoying the talents and work of people in our own community . . . it's a good thing!