Welcoming the Sunshine

Dear friends, family and strangers;

I have a huge announcement to make. It feels like I've been waiting for this moment for so long that I don't know how to contain my excitement. This is a big deal and affects my entire life. So here it is:

ITS SPRING!

You thought it was going to be a pregnancy announcement or engagement didn't you? Sucker. But seriously, the sun is actually shining warmth all over the city, the snow is almost completely gone and I pulled my jean jacket out of the closet. I could not be happier to see the dreadful winter days leave. I've been sleeping with all my windows open for two days and smelling fresh air upon awakening is paramount to my sanity. I turned my heat off completely. And the best thing about all of this- bike season is here!

Okay, now on another exciting note. My new book of poetry and short stories is almost completely done, we finished the layout and editing yesterday. It's getting sent to the printer next week and in two or three weeks I will get a box of books at my doorstep. I haven't put together a book since 2010 and this one has alot more content than Sunsets for Daydreamers did. I included an exerpt from a novella I'm currently writing called Under The Blue Lights and there's a ton of poetry.

The book launch is going to happen at BBAM! Gallery (Lionel-Groux Metro) on Saturday April 27th. I'm hoping to book a couple of musicians I know and have a laid back party. I want to celebrate the people that continue to inspire me to write despite all of the pressure to stop and live a "normal" 9-5 life. It's a party to acknowledge the communities that keep us strong, that have kept me strong in the last two years. For those who know me, you know that I've been fighting a bit of an uphill battle with mental health and emotional sanity. I have been very tempted to stop writing completely, and I had given up at points. Becoming dissillusioned with poetry competition last fall left me not knowing what direction to take next. But I've discovered that although I love poetry and I will always write it, I also want to write fiction.

I took it as a sign to expand my creative world. So this is what I'm doing. I have taken a step back from going to poetry events, from competition and even from performing since last October. I want to fall in love with poetry again, instead of seeing it with the resentment and boredom someone might look at a lover they've had for 30 years. I want to feel the awe and emotional connection to poets I had when I first found spoken word. This break has been good for me to find my footing and examine what I want to do next.

This May, I'm heading out West for another tour. Starting in Saskatoon then to Edmonton, Nelson, Vancouver, Victoria and Calgary. It's been months since I performed and I'm excited to get back on stage, to connect with the people that make the poetry communities in those cities thrive. I'll also be getting some downtime at home in Victoria to be with the ocean and the people I love. I really like Montreal, but damn do I miss the ocean.

I'm so grateful that this is my life. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to travel within Canada and meet other artists, to have full time employment and bosses that will allow me to follow my dreams. Writing might sometimes seem like a dead end passion, like there's never going to be a time when I can support myself with this art but it's still worth pursuing. Because in the end we have to do what makes us happy or we wither like neglected house plants. I am not ready to give up.

If you'd like to support my writing by pre-orderering my new book Eulogies for Fireflies please send an email to emm.ann.ward@gmail.com with your contact information and address along with an e-transfer of $10.

Here is a video poem I made called "Steps in Learning to Feel Human Again".