December 2nd was one of the colder nights we’d had, yet the turnout was lovely for Poetea’s final 2025 gathering at the Wakefield Library in Wakefield, QC. I’m honoured that the group invited me to be their guest poet. And what a pleasure to read at a gathering where such a strong sense of joy was palpable. At the library, we came together as artists, listeners, readers, and conversationalists. The questions were wonderful, and we had fun with my chosen topic of “thin places.”
Many consider thin places to be locations on the land where the boundary between this world and the next is so slim as to be porous. As poets, we can be creative with that notion of crossing into other worlds. Life offers us a variety of threshold moments and “spaces.” Charged places—not only in the physical landscape, but our interior life. In time—with sudden shifts in awareness. In relationships where the borders between us blur. In memory where the veil between the present and past thins. In dreams.
The prompt for the open mic portion:
Where, in your life, have you found yourself moving between worlds? Think about poems that point to liminal states and experiences. Perhaps a glimmer of the numinous. In your life, have you encountered thin places?
Compelling stories and poetry!
📷 Thanks to the event organizers Gillie Griffin and Julie Le Gal, and to my husband Hugh for taking these photos. (Poster by Julie Le Gal)