Crash Adams After escaping Toronto traffic, Crash and Adams join us in the Radio Waterloo studio for an interview and a live, on-air, in-studio performance.
Their EP, Crashing In Your Living Room is due to be released in 2020.
Erin Michalski@erinmichalski.photographic.art and Erin Watt@erinwattphotography, photographers from Waterloo region shared their journey and experience with Christmas Wish Project bringing joy and happiness to sick children and their families. They brought the Christmas Magic into the lives of these families trough magical Santa photos.
Kat VanLammeren facilitates drumming workshops for hundreds of people of all ages. She found the Organic Groove (Canada!) Summer Drum Jam in 2002 and has travelled to many tiny Inuit villages in the Canadian Arctic to perform and teach kids how to drum. Kat collaborates and performs with poets, spoken word #artists , singer songwriters , electronic music, DJs and other musicians while taking workshops and lessons in West African drumming Middle Eastern drumming, Afro Cuban percussion, and Australian Didgeridoo.
Gerima Harvey is a dynamic soloist and a member of many musical relationships. He lives in a world where love reigns and where he hopes there is always an abundance of music lovers to collaborate with. He hears the beat of yonder drummers and possesses a unique gift of being able to gel with any art form and artist. He launched his first CD in June 2015. From studio to stage, this magical musical genius inspires everyone, everywhere he goes
Join the Write For Rights letter writing campaign with Amnesty International Group Nine:
What: Amnesty International Group 9 Write for Rights When: Saturday, 7 December 2019 from 11:30am to 4:30pm Where: Seven Shores Cafe Location: Unit 4 — 10 Regina Street North, Waterloo, Ontario
Come to the monthly meetings:
When: 7:30pm on the first Tuesday of the month — Next meeting: 7 January 2020 Where: The Fretz Seminar Room (4224), Conrad Grebel College Location: 140 Westmount Road North, Waterloo, Ontario
Podcast
Some technical difficulties at the start of this podcast, and lots of noise from construction in the studio building.
Erso is a musical duo from Kitchener, Ontario. They sing songs about the planet and the beautiful life on it. Erso is Veda Hingert-Mcdonald and Keenan Reimer-Watts.
Folk Concert and Facilitated Discussion on Zero Waste
When: Thursday, 28 November 2019 at 7:30pm Where: Pat The Dog Location: 159 Frederick Street, Kitchener, Ontario
Fridays For Future Climate Strike
When: Friday, 29 November 2019 at 11:00am Where: Waterloo Town Square Location: 75 King Street North, Waterloo, Ontario Website: Climate Strike Waterloo Region
Concert with the Waterloo Chamber Players
When: 29 February 2020
For more upcoming events see the Shows! page on Erso Music.
22m10s: Talking about listening to music as a composer compared to listening as fan. Introducing Seedy CDs made of seed paper. Discussing album cover art by Abilasha Dewan.
44m43s: Bicycle trip from Kingston to Kitchener, Via Rail concerts, biking in BC. Talking about money, Seedy CDs, and paying the Earth. Support conservation in the Kijabe Forest in Kenya by texting CONSERVE to 20222 to plant five trees. Talking about upcoming events.
In Her Shoes is a YW Kitchener-Waterloo program and enterprise. The YWCA KW is now the longest-serving and largest social services organization for women and youth in the region. A training program that helps break barriers so women and youth can get the employment skills they need. Sharing their work and programs In Her Shoes provides, was the Social Enterprise Coordinator Emily Dyck in studio #inconversationwithrashmi
It’s a well known fact that women are underrepresented in the field of STEM -aka- science, technology, engineering and math and Komal Singh wanted to change that. Komal Singh an engineer at Google, turned author when a conversation with her daughter, where she claimed “engineers are boys” led to her to pen her first STEM book. Talking all about her picture book Ara The Star Engineer and the changes she hopes to see in the world of STEM and a more diverse and inclusive work environment, Singh shared her experience as an engineer herself and through her passion project as an author, her mission is to inspire girls to become future leaders.
Alessio Occhicone and his twin brother Diego make up Man Down, “The Band From Montreal”. We talk about the band, language, and how language influences music, musical composition and inspiration, the meaning of songs, and Alessio’s production and distribution company, Far Eye Studios Production & Publishing.
The white poppy symbolizes peace. It is meant to remind us of the civilians that are killed in war — over 90% of the casualties in recent wars are civilians, not military troops. The white poppy shows us that we embrace a culture of peace, not the glorification of war. And the white poppy honours those people who practice that culture of peace by refusing to participate in military service.
In Canada Peace Poppies Vancouver have been distributing white lapel poppies. You can order from their website, White Poppies.
The book discussed is Disarming Conflict: Why Peace Cannot Be Won on the Battlefield by Ernie Regehr, not Tom Regehr. My apologies for the error.
Graham Hafey
Graham Hafey
Graham Hafey is a Canadian veteran who now runs V2V Black Hops Brewery in Victoria, British Columbia.
Nicodemus (Nicholas McEachern) Jenniefer Stronge and James Jordan talk with Nicholas McEachern of Amity Operations. Nicholas is Nicodemus in Nicodemus And The Lost Rats, who appear on the Halloween Hotdog Hootenanny Compilation 2019
The interview with J.P. Mortier starts at 0h07m59s.
We talk about J.P.’s origins, travelling, touring, his new CD Nation Of Iron, his studio band, double albums, and the differences in performing live compared to studio recording.
—-
I didn’t talk much about Paragon Cause (actually, not at all) because I hope to have them in the studio for a live, on-air, in-studio concert when they come to Waterloo on their next tour!
Everything you need to know about budgeting, managing debts, setting our kids towards a positive relationship with money, Holiday shopping and spending and much more with Financial Planner and Advisor Martha Adams from Tier One Investments
Talking about sex education in schools; how early is too early to have those conversations with children around choices and respecting our bodies; consent; abuse online; online material and so much more with Sexual Health Educator, Stacey Jacobs from SHORE Centre
Merri Macartney is an Inspirational Humorist & Professional Smarty Pants. She is a gregarious “funny lady” who has chosen to look on the brighter side of life in spite of traumatic events in her past: abandoned by family at age 6, failed adoption, failed marriages.
Merri Macartney shared her inspiring journey , her struggles as a single mother, her decision to head back to school at 40, her new beginnings and her next chapter. Through the use of humor, she inspires leaders to seek out life-fulfilling choices and muster the courage to embrace change. When she takes the stage, she brings loads of laughter, lessons learned and love of life. Merri is the irrepressible Queen of Acting Up, whether she’s juggling, or dressed to kill in a prison uniform, or rocking a feather boa! Her hilarious stories, hard-won wisdom, and years of overcoming challenges will make one laugh at the excuses and kick the limitations to the curb
Kat vanLammeren better known as Kat van Groove. She is the Owner/Instructor/Drum circle facilitator of Organic Groove and Found the Organic Groove Summer Drum Jam in 2002. Kat teaches hundreds of people to drum at her Rhythmic Journey group drumming classes since 2009. She facilitates drumming workshops across all ages and abilities. She has been involved in the school art & music programs for children with early mental illness diagnosis through Trellis Mental and Developmental Health (now CMHA) called ‘Create & Play’ . Kat has travelled to Hawaii to study Drum Circle facilitation with Arthur Hull (the author of “Drum Circle Spirit”) and to Cuba to study Afro-Cuban percussion. Kat travels to tiny Inuit villages in the Canadian Arctic to perform and teach kids how to drum. She collaborates and performs with poets, spoken word artists, singer/songwriters, electronic music DJs and other musicians. She conducts many workshops and lessons in West African drumming, Middle Eastern drumming, Afro Cuban percussion and Australian didgeridoo
Monica Maika is the project manager and archaeologist with Archaeological Research Associates (ARA), Ontario’s oldest archaeological and heritage consulting firm. Monica has been acting since high school. She got involved with Musical Theatre Productions and was cast in the chorus in several shows and started to branch out as part of ensemble casts in plays put on by Musical Theatre Productions and the Elgin Theatre Guild . She was cast as Lady Macbeth in Stage North’s production of Macbeth and has directed the Canadian play Mary’s Wedding in Fort St. John, which was selected to be work shopped at Theatre BC’s mainstage festival in Vernon in 2018. After moving back to Ontario in 2018, Monica found Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre and was cast in 3 of the 2018/2019 season shows; Blood Relations, Sister Cities, and Steel Magnolias.
Diana Lobb is an instructor at the University of Waterloo and St. Jerome’s University in the department of English. Her engagement with performance is an extension of her interest in how to engage with play texts as more than just words on a page, and how to communicate that aspect of theatre to her students. She has been involved with two F.A.S.S. shows (Faculty, Alumni, Students, and Staff) at the University of Waterloo. At Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre she has performed in a variety of one-acts, Sister Cities, and Steel Magnolias, as well as directing main stage shows, Immigration Acts, Blood Relations, and the upcoming production of The December Man (l’homme de decembre). She has also been involved in Page 1 Entertainment’s Outfest as both a performer and a director .
Andrea Munk, originally from Toronto is a breast cancer survivor and the owner of Cedar Lily Bra Boutique @cedarlilybraboutique in Guelph, which is located inside a women’s clothing store, Yolanda’s Fashion Boutique. Andrea shares her journey as a mother fighting Stage 3 breast cancer while staying focused on starting her own business. When Andrea first became a mother, she could not find the right bra no matter where she looked. So she came up with the idea of converting a regular bra into a nursing bra with easy-to-use magnetic clasps and began Simply Nursing Bras. Learning from the women that were coming to see her, she discovered that what they really needed was someone to help them find a comfortable bra that fit them well. So, that is when the idea of Cedar Lily Bra Boutique began. And, to be able to help more women, Andrea now does fittings for everyone and converts the bras into nursing bras and also mastectomy bras as needed.
Malcolm Smith is a letter-carrier delivering mail for Canada Post in Waterloo. At fifteen, in grade nine Malcolm was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. He has been living with this very manageable disease for the past twelve and a half years. It taxes his life at specific times, especially the mornings, but he also believes it has taught him a lot. He never pursued a job in the Health & Fitness, a diploma he completed in 2012. After graduating and receiving regular work at Canada Post, he landed a permanent part-time position, which meant decent health benefits. He now uses the knowledge and training he learned from the program to help him. As a letter-carrier he now walks many kilometers, takes the stairs, walks up hills and the occasional dog chase gets his heart racing. He even ran the Harvest Half Marathon this month which is the first time running more than 10KM
A wonderful and an important conversation with Ivy Friedman & Steve Singer speaking everything about the importance of building strong communities, the ongoing urbanization and isolation. They shared the work they have been doing and strategies and suggestions for building communities in the neighborhoods. From how to engage and encourage community involvement and participation to the importance of volunteers within communities and having younger generations involved to lead.
Sat down with the amazing Gary Diggins. Gary has worked for over three decades as an expressive arts therapist. His work combines counselling, mindful practices, and music as medicine. As an educator, Gary teaches in the expressive arts department of Fleming College and he lectures at various learning institutes, including Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Gary’s current publication is entitled Tuning the Eardrums – Listening as a Mindful Practice. The content of Gary’s work has been shared in communities affected by conflict in both Africa and Israel . At home, Gary has supported autistic clients at Toronto Geneva Centre, cancer patients at sick kids hospital and addiction recovery groups. In addition to Gary’s therapeutic practice, he continues to perform Internationally as a cornet player and multi-instrumentalist artist. He plays a range of acoustic instruments from around the world. Combining ancient sounds with modern music, the airwaves become a canvas for imaginative soundscapes. Gary has appeared on dozens of recordings and composed for three films. His musical collaborations have taken him to India, Israel, Europe, and throughout North America. Gary has collaborated with artistic organizations ranging from Cirque Du Soleil to Canadian composer, R. Murray Schaffer. Gary is a co-owner of an arts space in Guelph that houses Silence, a not-for-profit collaborative devoted to new music. His personal sound sanctuary and therapeutic studio is based in this downtown facility.
Dr. Arla Kasaj practices as a Naturopathic Doctor and Registered Acupuncturist at Belmont Natural Health Centre. Dr. Arla has experience with treating a variety of conditions that are encountered in a family practice including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, digestive concerns, and hormonal imbalance. She has a special interest in assisting patients with weight loss and establishing a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Her background in Kinesiology and sport therapy has allowed Dr. Arla to provide very effective treatments for pain management and rehabilitation from sport and workplace injuries. She prefers to use a variety of Naturopathic modalities when treating her patients including but not limited to nutritional and lifestyle counseling, botanical medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, and hydrotherapy. Dr. Arla is also an NAET (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique) practitioner with extensive experience in the treatment of allergy and sensitivity related illness. In addition, Dr. Arla has been trained by Dr. Sat Dharam Kaur ND to provide advanced care for breast health especially for patients who are at higher risk or who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Recently, Dr. Arla has added cosmetic acupuncture treatments to her practice as a great option for patients with dermatological concerns including acne, rosacea, skin discoloration, and aging.
Maria Brennan spoke about her journey of becoming an Occupational Therapist at CBI Kitchener Victoria. Originally from St. John’s, NL and moved to Waterloo in February 2017, Maria describes her career and life journey as one that has taken her all over the map and ultimately away from home. She shared her knowledge and expertise on CONCUSSIONS and how it impacts lives. Maria loves what she does and looks forward to opportunities to share how she got to this point of helping people of all walks of life get back to living through her work at CBI.
Lindsay Ford@lindsaythinkfeeldecide is a parenting coach, certified in Positive Discipline, who helps struggling parents build cooperation in their young children and restore peace back into their home. She teaches parents to see the emotions under the misbehavior and identify effective strategies that fit their family. She helps parents overcome hitting, biting, tantrums, picky eating, not listening, struggles getting out the door or into bed, strong-willed temperaments, name calling, and anything causing conflict and tension. She shared some wonderful tips and ideas for back to school week.
Dr. Jodi Rosner, an assistant professor with McMaster University. Her practice is quite diverse, she has an outpatient office where she sees a wide variety of patients. At Grand River Hospital she is one of the pediatrician part of POGO (Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario) where she cares for the children of KW with cancer. In addition, Dr. Rosner has a pediatric diabetic clinic.
Inspired by the children with cancer who she cared for, some of them who have lost their battle to cancer, she took her love and hobby of running and turned it into a charity. She founded Kitchener kids with Cancer Run/Walk which raises money for our local children with cancer (through POGO).
Dr. Jodi Rosner shared the stories of real people, the survivors of cancer, the struggles and challenges families go through and how raising money for this event has helped to financially support the families and fund further research. It is also an event that has allowed families to honour the angels who have lost their battle to cancer.
Inspired by the worst floods in the state of Kerala, India in over a century, a pair of 14-year-old girls from #KW created an app to help with disaster aid, resulting in them winning a North American competition. Leya Oommen and classmate Ellen Brisley, who coined themselves ‘String Theorists,’ developed AID as part of a pitch for the Technovation competition, where they were named the junior winners of the North American regional semifinals. They are the regional winners in each division, beating 38 other teams in the North American semifinals.
Natasha McKenty, has been a Daytime Reporter/Guest Host and Television Host on Rogers TV. As the host of an urban magazine show, IN STUDIO, feature writer for 570’s Kitchener Today and Public Relations consultant Natasha McKenty has a thirst for devouring all that her community has to offer. Her experience as a producer, journalist, writer, mother, and communicator propelled her to find her calling: public relations. Her decision to go back to school was driven by her desire to pursue her dreams of becoming an expert writer and communicator.
Joanna Rickert-Hall is a social historian whose research interests focus mainly on Waterloo County, its people and their little known stories that include Black history, local Indigenous history and even more supernatural themes. Passionate about sharing the past with new audiences, Joanna has developed (and taught) courses in local history at Conestoga College and Wilfrid Laurier University. In honour of her contributions in this area, she received the 2015 Jean Steckley Award for “Excellence in Heritage Education” from the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation.
Most recently, Joanna has written a new book entitled “Waterloo You Never Knew: Life On The Margins” (which was just released in June of 2019 by Dundurn Press @dundurnpress .It is available through all of the normal online channels like Amazon, Indigo and even locally at Wordsworth Books @wordsworthbooks in Uptown Waterloo).
The Boys And I: Adom Postma, Marc Reilly, James Blacktop, Luke Ducharme
Show Notes
Today The Boys And I came into the studio to talk about their music and play some of it live on-air! The tracks are available on The Boys & I Songs on ReverbNation.
The Boys & I are a four-piece band: Marc Reilly on lead guitar, Luke Ducharme on percussion, Adom Postma on bass, and James Blacktop on guitar and vocals. Local to Kitchener, they play an assortment of classic rock, alternative, and lyrically driven original tunes.
Upcoming gigs:
Sat, 31 Aug 2019, 10pm — 1am: The Pick and Shovel, 30 Water St. S., Cambridge
Sat, 7 Sep 2019, 2pm — 1am: Harmony Lunch, 90 King St. N., Waterloo. Benefit for OneROOF
Sat, 14 Sep 2019: Bell City Brewing, #9-51 Woodyatt Drive, Brantford
Sat, 21 Sep 2019: StrykerZ Kitchen & Bar, 120 Ottawa St. N., Kitchener
Fri, 27 Sep 2019: Harmony Lunch, 90 King St. N., Waterloo
Bob Jonkman preps Marc Reilly, Luke Ducharme, and James Blacktop
Luke Ducharme
James Blacktop
Marc Reilly and James Blacktop
Marc Reilly, James Blacktop, Luke Ducharme, and Adom Postma in the studio for a live on-air performance on CKMS Community Connections at Radio Waterloo on Monday, 19 August 2019.
Bob Jonkman with Marc Reilly, James Blacktop, and Adom Postma in the studio for a live on-air performance on CKMS Community Connections at Radio Waterloo on Monday, 19 August 2019.
My first guest Amit Mehta is the Founder and City Lead of Good Company Productions @goodcoprod. Together with a team made up of students, young professionals, and industry leaders, Amit works to create and provide unique, curated musical experiences in the Kitchener-Waterloo community. Since 2017, Amit and the team have hosted secret, invite-only popup concerts across the region, featuring unconventional venues — such as museums, living rooms, hair salons, tech offices, and more — and showcasing a mix of local and international musicians to an always attentive audience. Recently, the team has started to grow into the world of community-centric event production, hosting concerts in collaboration with local partners, putting together accessible community events, and finding ways to support more artists and creators in their own endeavors.
My second guest Erica Lauren James @ericalaurenjames is a 51 yr old proud parent of two adult children, advocate for LGBTQ2S+ communities, Pflag chapter leader, public speaker as well as a future politician who also happens to be an amazing transgender woman! Erica, a Sales Manager at Closet Couture Boutique is proud to share her personal stories of resiliency, hope and trust in public spaces in hopes to pave the way for other transgender women and the community around them towards a life of more self love and acceptance. Erica shared her struggles, the journey of acceptance while speaking candidly and openly about what it was like to transition from male to female.
Elizabeth McCallister and Mark Kempf Today we’re joined by four members of The Arlington Six poetry society: Elizabeth McCallister, Mark Kempf, Lin Geary, and Jim Tomkins.
Lin Geary and Jim Tomkins
Show Notes
Here are some of the poems read on the show, along with a few others that we didn’t get to.
“Paintings are like poems, they are thoughts abandoned” Stan J. White
Music Hall
by Stan J. White
Sex is something
God has thrown in to ensure
We do not confuse ourselves
With deities, with angels –
a kind of tether
that never lets us stray too far
from freshly turned earth after rain
and in the pathos of it all
a constant reminder
of vaudeville, of burlesque.
An Ode to Beer
by Jim Tomkins, 7 November 2011
Oh, amber elixir crowned with golden head
whence came your magic mystical mixture
of barley mash, crystalline water and fruity hops?
Brewed hodgepodge in containers from Sumeria to China
through cellared wooden kegs to Pilzen caves
and glistening copper kettles row on row.
Drunk in litres, pints and Aussie schooners,
halves, viertels and even once,
in six ounce ten cent drafts.
Oh, wine where is thy claim?
Full muted by this tasty honest brew
from ancient cloudy ale to new craft sips
past charcoal stout, beach blond lager
hoppy pale, sweet chocolate mild.
All sips tease lips, tempt discerning tongues
foaming moustaches form in the tingling wake
of fermented flavours gliding down.
Quaffed, not guzzled,
savoured, not chugged
each nuanced batch unique.
Taste, robust or delicate,
stirs heightened eloquence,
smooth patter, bravado’s hope.
Enter the intoxicating dreamland
of ambrosial brew
Biere, cervesa, live on!
Oh, amber elixir crowned with gold.
My Wreck Beach Haiku
by Lin Geary
my new raincoat
for Wreck Beach–
clear plastic
Buried Deep
by Becky D. Alexander
details from a memoir by Sergeant Jim Alexander (MM) Lincoln and Welland Regiment, Holland, 1945
In the kitchen, from the doorway to the hearth,
lying on the floor like some colossal cigarette –
a log , one end in the fire, burning slowly
as flames surround a bubbling pot.
It mystified the Canadian soldiers, those kept
after the war – troops retained
to rebuild a battered country, one
that refused to be swallowed back into the sea.
The explanation provided to the curious, Because the Nazis took all of our metal:
axes, pitchforks, scythes and hoes, even kitchen knives –
a last ditch effort to build more weapons.
Allied saviours shared meals of boiled tulip bulbs: ‘the most gawd-awful things you ever ate’
along with Red Cross chocolate and rationed tins
of bully beef: bitter meals of freedom.
Under our barn, wrapped in oiled burlap,
We have our tractor and plow – buried bits cloistered away
following the final swoop of the flag of black on red. They never found them. Soon, we will plant.
—
This poem appeared in the anthology Tamaracks: Canadian Poetry for the 21 st Century, edited by James Deahl, Lummox Press, California. This anthology is available through Amazon.ca.
The Muffin Man
by Elizabeth McCallister
At two and a half,
He’s got it all figured out.
How to find his T.V. shows
and how to reach those muffins.
He takes one glance over his shoulder
as he stretches out his fingers.
He’s a bad boy though.
It’s his third,
but Mommy’s talking on the phone
so she can’t stop him.
He fixes sad brown eyes
on her to say
“I need this chocolate chip muffin.”
To peel back the golden skin of enriched white flour
and get to the centre.
Pick out each chocolate chip.
Set it aside on the coffee table
filled with his sticky fingerprints
and the goo of cooked muffin and chips
mixed with his saliva.
Place them there for later.
Make a happy face with
eight chips curved in a smile,
three for the eyes and nose.
He’s got his time alone with Mommy.
His big brother and Daddy are
off at Scout Camp together.
At night, he sleeps on top of her
so she can’t get away and leave him.
Until he goes off to playschool,
and sees his girlfriend Chelsea.
He’s decided his name is Sean.
It sounds better.
One day, he’ll fix
those big brown eyes on another woman.
She’ll melt like those chocolate chips
in his hot little fingers.
That’s the way it works.
Not the least Oedipal.
Just practising on the first woman
who loves him, picks up after him, feeds him.
Poem for Reading in a Bar
by Dave Margoshes
Hey, you, you in the back,
come a little closer. The poem
is warm, but its voice is soft.
And you, you over there,
don’t be afraid, the poem
bites, but only the ones it loves.
And you, yeah, I mean you,
looking so smug, do you really
think you’re immune to poetry?
This poem will get under
your skin, you’ll find yourself
thinking about it tonight
as you’re trying to fall asleep,
your lips moving in the dark,
alone in your bed with a poem
you hardly know. When you wake
the bed will be empty, the sheets
soiled, only the poem’s scent
on your pillow to let you know
it was there, only its footprints
in the snow outside your heart
—
From his collection Purity of Absence , (2001) Porcepic Books. Still available for purchase.
Six for the Solstice
(haiku from my garden) by Lin Geary
first time for raised beds–
tender lettuce, red chard
chipmunk and sparrow
cirque du soleil–
these endless wire tents
for the seedling peas
brand-new
pistol-grip
econo-watering
thing
I water my shoes
the neighbour’s tom
brings his best invisible act–
doubtful blue jay
what will I serve with
this 64 dollar
vine-ripened tomato?
sister skunks
stroll under my hammock
lesson in prayer
Worship in the Boreal Forest
by Elizabeth McCallister
Our vespers were whispers to the moon,
and our matins sang the sun awake.
We drank in the summer’s long afternoons.
Began knitting blankets with the first snowflake.
We fell in love to the dance of butterflies.
Their white wings wove a spell of enchantment.
Breezes’ touch on our needles were our lullabies
serenading our young to sleep’s contentment.
We were the high priests within our temple
celebrating rites to our gods’ abundance.
Air, earth, water, light – our needs were simple.
The two-footed fiends stole away our innocence.
There are no songs when each breath is an effort.
All the brown-needled branches are our scars.
Dying, we entwine our roots for comfort,
and sighing send our sorrows to the stars.
—
These two poems were in the collection Notes from Suburbia, 2013, published by Craigleigh Press, Cambridge, ON. It isn’t in print but you may be able to obtain some of the last copies at the Green Heron bookstore in Paris, ON.
Santiago
by Jim Tomkins
On his shoulder tilts a rod
pointing the path so often trod.
In this town of Ford and Chevy
he strides determined to the levee.
Dew-dappled Levis, faded cuff
along dusty curbsides scuff.
Runners crunch the pearly gravel
keen to angle migrants’ travel.
Slimy pylons split the stream
hindrance to the caster’s dream.
Breezes push the sightless odor
sulphuric-past the tugboat’s motor.
Through Ambassador’s massive arc
stand unlit towers of the park.
Oriole, Indian, Yankee teams
thwart the Tigers’ pennant schemes.
Today fishing is his only care
minnows splash, striped bodies glare.
The run is over school is out
time to sell the pseudo-trout.
Scale-stained pockets, shiny dimes
magic simple childhood times.
Two-scooper from the inverted cone
Young Santiago trundles home.
Ashes
by Jim Tomkins, May 9th 2012 Mothers’ day
Her grey ashes sit
in a pressed board box
on an attic shelf
next to light lace doilies
with lavender scent.
Below a trunk’s contents:
sepia family photos known to her
stamps from a bygone era
sleeved in cracking plastic,
crocheted samplers, musty address book
her favourite sherry glass.
I’m happy that is the scene.
No need for flashy urn
to adorn the mantel.
She is far from discarded
her memory’s embedded
a bond from womb to life’s end
Mother to son.
The haiku that won the 2012 International Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival: Haiku Invitational, and rode the Vancouver buses for a couple of months:
by Lin Geary
morning tai chi–
all the prams
slowly turning pink
at the cenotaph
by Lin Geary, 2018
on a skinny cold day
bespoke in black
the long lamb coat, the boot-lined comfort…
there, alongside my fellow Canadians
it’s time to jut out my chin
in once-a-year pride
to stand curbside guard
to miscount the endless placing of wreaths
to breathe out the thoughtless mind-frost
into thin, thin air….
and the mic kicks in, then out
as a faultless child sings the Queen’s old anthem
and we all raise out descant and filler voices
not missing a beat…
till Henry calls the Colour Guard to attention…
Present Flags!
it is only then the tears begin
cloud my eyes and bite my cheeks
because Henry has led the parade
because Henry is my long-widowed neighbour
because Henry is 92, bent and strong
and I think Happy Birthday, Canada
because it is the 11th of November…
100 years of armistice after a war
that birthed our nation
and here we stand, still firm, still cold
in perpetual grief
still hoping for peace
Maeve 3
Jim Tomkins, 2017
Rhythmic patter of sidewalk
slowly droops her eyes
gentle bump of each slab
confirms her comfort
a tiny hand protrudes
retreats returns to rest
wee nose below cap’s brim
contains genes of the stroller
as do tiny ears
peeking under pink flap
instinctual feeling confirms
the link
a generation apart
together strolling in the Annex
a primal confluence
pulses in the air.
11 Days
by Jim Tomkins, 2013
ebony locks beside miniscule digits
snorfly flared nose, flint coal eyes
endlessly curious in bright moments
of sight
one tiny nicked ear, peach-tinted cheeks
insatiable mouth, slight doubling chin
eagerly chomping in maternal moments
of milk
fuzzy cute sleeper housing jiggling legs
scrunched like a turtle thrusting out
kicking, declaring the embracing
Of life
The Poet
by Jim Tomkins
He sits
Glasses perched
Contemplative frown
Over hunched shoulders
Ancient desk and messy pen
His hair
Stands alert in silver halo
Around his warty pate
The lidded eyes closed in reverie
His thoughts
Provoke tugs of mustache
On bristled upper lip
Above careless shaving scar
He ponders
Lists of grasped images
Written on scraps
And stuffed in random pockets
He recalls
An endless selection
Of captured memories
That rooted themselves over time like saplings
His scribbling
Whisk him back in time
And force his aging brain
To organize. To prioritize. To choose
His words
Spill forth and write themselves
In haste and fear of loss
Like escaping prisoners
His poems
Speak not to another
Not to his audience
But to him alone
As he sits, glasses perched
At ancient desk and quill.
Death of the voice
by Jim Tomkins
For generations they came
first with mouth pieces
mounted on walls with hand held
receiver cones in touch by party line
then with dials and cradles
for decades used to keep in touch
clunky cordless devolved to flip
to ironic smart
communication ended
dumbed down by texting
muffled by instagram
silenced by Facebook
voices no longer heard
or listened to
the chat castrated
the telephone a eunuch
in the harem of the algorithm
A correction — Mark Kempf writes: “I am so embarrassed to say but happy to report Wendell Berry is not dead as I so confidently mentioned yesterday — I wanted to let you know as soon as I could.
My confusion is completely indefensible, and not sure why I thought it now.”
Jasmine Mangalaseril @cardamomaddict is a promiscuous eater and adept home cook who writes. Described as quick-witted and insightful, she was one of a handful who pioneered food blogging in Canada. Jasmine has spoken at BlogHer and to the Canadian Public Relations Society, and featured by Canadian Press, CanWest News, CBC, @foodnetworkca , and SRC, as well as culture.ca and delish.com.
As a food writer, she covers a range of topics from profiles to food history to food ways, with her words having appeared in canadianliving.com, foodnetwork.ca, and pbs.com. She’s a restaurant reviewer for the Waterloo Region Record. Her World of Food column for Grand Magazine tells the stories of people who’ve come to Waterloo Region and the foods that remind them of home. She is a member of the Association of Food Journalists.
Amanda Case a graduate from Laurier with an Honours in Kinesiology and Physical Education, studied Holistic Nutrition and Active Aging, became a personal trainer and fitness instructor. She then went on to manage corporate wellness programs for Ford, Toyota, Home Hardware, Christie Digital, Dofasco. Amanda Case teamed up with her very talented friend Nicky who had a background in cooking and a dream of owning a food business. Together they created MVP Meals @mvpmeals 3.5 years ago. It started with a one day a week meal delivery and expanded to two days per week, with pick up options. Eight months ago they opened a retail location becoming the only meal prep company in Canada that offers a dine in experience combined with the option to stock your fridge with meal prep! Proud to be located in the heart of downtown Kitchener inside the food hall at the Kitchener Market 5 days a week.
The #Lights4LibertyKW vigil was held on Friday, 12 July 2019 in Waterloo Town Square to call for an end to both the migrant detention camps in the United States and those in Canada.
Christine Mayor a PhD student at Laurier University and a trauma therapist, spoke on the vigil organization and Canada’s own problems with refugee detention.
Kira Williams, a post-doctoral student from the International Migration Research Centre at the University of Waterloo spoke about international migrant detention issues.
“Lights for Liberty is not about one lone day of action. It’s a chance to elevate orgs that’ve been doing this work for years, to get involved, to demand change AND to fight for it. Join us.”
—Lights for Liberty international organizers/hosts
Write to and call your MP calling on them to end migrant detention in Canada and to end the Safe Third Party Agreement with the United States.
Write to and call the Minister and Deputy Minister of Immigration Refugees and Citizenships and of Public Safety Canada calling on them to end migrant detention in Canada and to end the Safe Third Party Agreement with the United States.
Donate to an organization in the United States that is working to support migrants and refugees. There are a lot of options including RAICES, Immigrant Families Together, and ACLU.
Share articles on social media about the migrant detention camps in the U.S. and about migrant detention in Canada. Encourage others to take action and help them figure out how.
Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper about some aspect of this work that’s important to you – ending migrant detention; being a welcome community for refugees and immigrants; the racist past and present of immigration policy in the U.S. and Canada, or closing the camps in the United States.
Donate to an organization in Canada that supports immigrants and refugees. There are lots of options including Canadian Council for Refugees, Migrante, No One Is Illegal Toronto, and Sanctuary Refugee Health Centre.
Write to and call your MPP about reversing the Ford government’s cuts to legal aid for refugees and immigrants.
Advocate for a professional association or community organization that you’re a part of to formally call for an end to migrant detention and join relevant coalitions or working groups.
Connect with other participants from the Lights for Liberty event to organize another event – panel discussion on migrant discussion, fundraiser, film festival, demonstration, etc.
Get involved in Provincial and Federal politics – ensuring that migrant detention and services for immigrants and refugees are key election issues.
Join the mailing list for and follow immigrants’ rights groups on social media so that you can continue to learn and take action
The Lights For Liberty vigil was announced on CKMS Community Connections on 8 July 2019.
Music List
The playlist today is entirely from Nation of Iron by J.P. Mortier, a singer, song writer and artist from Montreal. It’s a double album consisting of 24 songs clocking in at 2 hours and 19 minutes. On this album, he targets the totalitarian powers that be: governments, corporate power, religion, ideology, technology and other tools of destruction that want to rule our society. It seemed appropriate, given the topic for today’s show.
We dip into the album selections throughout the show, interspersed with talking to our in-studio guests.
I sat down with the Founder, Tamara Menon of YUVA Arts Project, a singer herself who after being selected into a reality TV show in India called Sa Re Ga Ma Pa from Dubai, brought her to the beautiful city of Mumbai, after which she made a few more TV appearances and sang professionally for various producers. Tamara shared her journey and what inspired her to start YUVA Arts Project. Joining Tamara was Dr. Gerard Yun, music professor, mentor, researcher and one of the many collaborators who played an integral part in this project. YUVA Arts Project is a cross-cultural collaborative initiative addressing issues related to displacement and disintegration faced by marginalized youth groups across the world. Using arts as a medium, Yuva Arts team aims to provide a space for youth to explore solutions, so that they may overcome social challenges that they experience.
A group of 6-8 Indian youth from Kamathipura, who are children of commercially sexually exploited women, from Mumbai, India travelled to Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada, where they had the music professor, mentor, pportunity to collaborate in various arts-based projects with Indigenous and refugee youth. Yuva Arts aim is to build leaders so that, not only will they strive for an enriching future for themselves, but also for their communities
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Creative Commons Attribution Only license. Attribution to Radio Waterloo. Music selections are copyright by the respective rights holders. Photo gallery by Chris, used by permission.
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