Poem in Your Pocket Project

Hiram Larew‘s poems have appeared widely and have been nominated for four Pushcarts.  His Poetry X Hunger initiative is bringing poets to the anti-hunger cause (www.PoetryXHunger.com).  He lives in Maryland, USA. Click here to connect with Hiram on Facebook. This poem first appeared in Wisconsin River Valley Journal.

Max Vandersteen is a retired pipe fitter and a new member of Parkland Poets’ Society who enjoys the sounds, images and emotions created through the words of poetry. His poems have been published in three collections as well as several poetry anthologies. This poem was published in Max Vandersteen’s first book “Iguanas of El Ray”.

David Fraser has written poetry off and on for a lifetime. He is a current member of the Stroll of Poets and board member with Parkland Poets, and is participating in the Strolls’ 30/30 poetry initiative for April, which is Poetry month.  Bob Chelmick’s Road Home on CKUA has honed his interest in all forms of poetry.

Born and bred in Edmonton, Thomas Schuelke has traveled widely. Born under a literary star, Thomas penned his first poem and started drawing when he was four and hasn’t stopped . . . plays, poems, fiction and essays; watercolour, oils and acrylic. Sonnets are his favourite, and landscapes his first love.  

Award-winning patti sinclair’s poetry has clocked miles on buses, floated in the airwaves of radio, holds residence in anthologies & journals, & has been executed at poetry, music, and art festivals. patti has found home – time after time – in poetry; both composing and performing. More? Instagram: locating the beauty & poet-at-large.blogspirit.com

Guy Chambers is a self-published Edmonton-born writer living out at North Cooking Lake. He has two books, “Flying Kites in the Moonlight” and “The Theater” also available as eBooks. His work has been published in literary magazines in Canada, the USA and Australia. He has open mic videos on YouTube (click here).

a pearl in this diamond world … Josephine LoRe’s poetry has been read on stage, published in literary journals and anthologies in nine countries, put to music, danced, integrated into visual art, and interpreted through ASL.  She has two collections:  Unity and the Calgary Herald bestseller, The Cowichan Series.  https://www.josephinelorepoet.com/ This poem was published in January 2021 in the Tiny Seed Journal, USA.

Joy Pritchard grew up in Australia, travelled the world, and settled in Canada’s Arctic for nearly twenty years. She is a Nurse-Educator (RN, SCM, B.Ed). She never thought of herself as a poet or writer until someone said, “Everyone’s a poet!” Joy now lives in Spruce Grove, Alberta.

l.a.mcfaddin is an Edmonton poet, writer and aspiring playwright whose work has been published in several anthologies. She lives in Millwoods with her family and two rescue dogs, Maggie Mae and Stanley.

Brenda Gunn is a retired teacher, currently completing a Creative Writing certificate and a poetry collection based on family history. Her poetry has been published in Canadian journals and anthologies. Brenda is a proud member of the Parkland Poets, and is grateful for the opportunity to participate in their many projects!

Trudy Grienauer, Edmonton-Old Strathcona. My poetry is often inspired by the river valley and change of seasons. I am lucky to be able to walk to work year-round, across the river, often encountering wild animals on the way. This poem was chosen for Edmonton Transit’s Poetry Route 2015 and travelled around the city on buses and trains.

Greg Turlock is a published poet, author and photographer. His credits include “Rivers of Life”, an award-winning poem from the 2019 Alberta Arts Awards; “A Work of Heart – Woven in the Willows”, a self-published anthology; and “Hightops in the Snow”, his new young-adult novel. Greg lives near Stony Plain, Alberta. www.gregturlockcreative.com

Vivian Souder grew up on a small farm at Tawatinaw, Alberta and still does not much care for cities or newfangled technology. She now abides on an acreage west of Stony Plain. Vivian has been a member of Parkland Poets since its inception in 2018, and received a Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Award in Arts in 2019. It has been said that she writes with an economy of words.

M.E. Devin, who resides in Parkland County, has written poetry sporadically over the years expressing observations, experiences, thoughts, and passions.

Dan Knauss is a deprofessionalized academic who writes, edits, and tries to perform acts of humane, open-source webcraft. He still coaches university students, when allowed, in confidence, clarity, and the conviction that they are writers. He is increasingly unsuccessful in suppressing poetry and other useless literary output.

Leanne Myggland-Carter writes, recites, and reads poetry as often as possible. Those sacred moments tend to occur between time spent working at the Spruce Grove Public Library and being with her husband and three children. Leanne’s favourite place to write is at the lake where the only interruptions are bird feeders and fishing boats.

Lois Mary Hammond is an Edmonton poet who believes in Spring and many other things.

Don Hamaliuk writes, entertains and has an over-indulging appetite for humour. No magic here, just fun, frolic and imagination. Don’t come looking for anything else . . .. Check him out on Youtube for a good chuckle. 

David Routledge is a recovering astronomer driven by overweening insignificance in a gigantic expanding universe. He grew up—well, partially—in Edmonton, where he lives with his understanding wife. He has published short stories and doggerel, and writes novels.

Lynn Gale (she, her, hers):  Poet, yoga teacher, wellness advocate. Breathes and creates in Spruce Grove. Loves JP, her family, moonlight, oceans, and almond milk lattes. Libra. Sun worshipper. Earth goddess. Grateful. Believes in magic, miracles, and love everlasting. Her first poetry collection l’opacité was published in 2020.

Michelle Soon was born in Nova Scotia and moved to Fort McMurray in 1977. She is married with 3 kids and 5 grandchildren. Michelle loves to write poems, haiku and short stories, and enjoys spending time with her babies, nature and reading.  

Katerina Vaughan Fretwell has published nine collections of poetry, the latestWe Are Malala (Inanna Press, 2019).  Her previous collection, Dancing on a Pin, was longlisted for the Lowther Prize and was part of The Battle of the Bards. In 2020, she compiled and illustrated the poetry anthology Intimate Passages.

Narayan Bhattarai has a Master’s degree in English from Tribhuwan University, Nepal. He works at the City College of San Francisco. His writings have been published in newspapers, literary magazines, and journals. He has edited literary journals in Nepal and is editing an anthology of Nepali poets writing in English.

Jo-Ann Godfrey was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Her work has been published across Canada and the U.S. in journals, reviews and anthologies. “Another Option” was previously published in The Prairie Journal in issue number 66, 2016-17.

Tor Carter is an avid reader of poetry and loves to perform when given the chance. He is 9 years old and lives in Spruce Grove, Alberta where he attends school, scooters around the neighbourhood, and lives with his family and pet turtle, Franklyn.

Audrey Brooks wrote this poem to celebrate the birth of her only daughter in a family of four boys. From these five children, Audrey is graced to be a grandmother, great-grandmother, and recently a great-great-grandmother. She is a member of the Stroll of Poets.

A banker by day, R.D. Girvan (Rhea) writes horror, poetry and other fiction under her beloved grandmother’s last name. Published in many anthologies and online mags, she earned her Creative Writing Certificate from the University of Toronto. She raised her kids in rural Alberta and now lives in Spruce Grove with her cat, Raven.

Stefani Alzati is an artist, writer, and Spoken Word poet from Amiskwaciy Waskahikan (Edmonton). She incorporates somatic principles and sensory modalities into her work. She believes that poetry can heal the world. www.StefaniAlzati.com

Mansour Noorbakhsh’s poems echo freedom, human rights, and the environment. He features contemporary poets on Persian Radio at https://persianradio.net/. Mansour has published books and articles in Farsi as well as In Search of Shared Wishes in English. His poems are published in WordCity and other places. Mansour lives in Toronto, Canada, and you can connect with him at m.noorbakhsh@hotmail.com

Naomi McIlwraith writes from Edmonton, where birds, rabbits, neighbourhood cats, children riding their bikes, news she reads in the paper, Scrabble games she plays with her Mom, stars glinting off icy sidewalks in winter, sweltering air on a late summer night, and so many other happenings inspire Naomi to write!