What to do During a Pandemic?

 

The days of autumn are upon us, and with the waning sun and the darkening sky, I have two events in store for my readers. As the leaves fall, I would love to have you attend if you live in Greater Vancouver. 

I have included the costs of the books in case you want to attend and obtain a signed copy: Invitation

The book LITTOP, Love in the Time of Plague, took shape, and I have finally published it under the imprint of WLI, Potter's Press. This is so exciting to see in the end stages. I have designed a paperback, and Commemorative Hardcover edition, along with the e-book. They will all be available on Amazon, and on the publisher's website by September 22.

This may well be my final book of poetry, as I have decided to stop writing formal poems except for maybe a short book of prose poetry. I have ended my poetry career with the publication of eight requiems in the final section, called Requiems in the Mist. The last poem, the finale is a tribute to King Charles the III and his wife: A Townswoman's Cloak. It is like painting an oil painting to write for the royals, and I do not mind doing so.

I first learned to write poetry in an advanced challenge class in grade five, and they did publish a little book of our poems then. That is to say my very first poem written was published, but I don't have a copy of it today. I worked at this skill for many more years before becoming published in a journal. 

                                        photographs by emily isaacson

Ever since then I have written in my spare time until 2005 when I decided to become a full-time writer. It is kind of like making scones, which I happened to make today. I love having afternoon tea with a nice pot of decaf. Like I said before, no one knew I was secretly writing in my bedroom, but I had a cast of characters, novels in the works, and even wrote a play in grade five.

The first song I wrote at age nine, was played and sang by the church congregation in the evening service. The pianist had me tell him the tune and was able to play the chording. I did not write songs again until I was nineteen and on a break from university. By the time I graduated I had two songs published on a CD.

I am still working on a novel that I have been working on for five years, and hope to publish next year under the name Lilith Street. I am also publishing a book under that name in November of this year that is like a novel, but is in fact a series of stories. As you will notice on the cover, this is a new form of novel. The stories don't necessarily intersect and can leave the reader wondering what they have in common. But they have the issue of mental illness in common, and how it traverses social classes, and is no respecter of persons. Read the reviews.

The poetry was a surprise to me, since I don't know where it comes from, except my grandmother used to write poetry, as did my mother, but usually only for cards or on special occasions. It is like a well from which I draw water, and which I hope will sustain me when I am not paid.  

Bless you all, 

Emily

Fairies and other Wood Creatures

 

There's something delightful I would like to share with you. I have discovered a few little fairies on YouTube and today I wanted to post an example of each of their videos. They are all cinematographers, whose fame has derived from the YouTube videos and some of them have millions of followers.

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I have organized my daily routine of keeping up with their videos as an Aboriginal Medicine Wheel by the 4 Directions: look up their channels to see their hundreds of videos.

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North

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb4oxgDZl6I&t=105s   

Jonna Jinton

West

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi5AuDoPHTg  

Isobel Paige

South

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHR6hcGoR8Q  

The Cottage Fairy

East

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNbxgRRJxgg&t=448s  

Darling Desi

Operation Unicorn

   

     Photos taken by Emily Isaacson

I left Abbotsford and went over to Campbell River to visit my parents' home on August 31. I was invited to visit several beaches, shops, an art gallery and a museum. It was quite a lovely time, but the morning I was leaving I was greeted for breakfast with "The Queen is dying. Everyone has rushed to her bedside." They said this as if I was a personal friend of the Queen as I receive a Christmas Card from the Royal family every Christmas. I had hoped to meet the Queen in my lifetime, but I am obliged to admit that I met her when I was seven, and I was taken to her formal visit of Victoria, where I was pushed forward to the fence and came within three feet of her Majesty.

Even as I travelled I found out the Queen had died, and the people around me told what they found out on their phones. It was a sad passing from Nanaimo to the mainland, where a Paddington-like figure awaited me. in sunglasses Yes, I'm afraid Paddington Bear might as well be my bodyguard, and a comfort he is. 

So within the course of a few days, a new King has been announced, a new title for Prince William and Kate, and many changes to the Head of State in both Great Britain and Canada. These are difficult times, and it is interesting to me that both Prince Phillip and the Queen died during the course of the pandemic, as even now we are not entirely through this natural disaster.

Paddington Bear is there every fifteen minutes on TV for the duration of this event, which seems to consume every waking moment. It is with the most regality that "God Save the Queen" was sung at the service following Her Majesty's passing, a finality that sent shivers down our spines with the diamonds of the afterlife. For the glory is incomparable of what she built, as a city and an empire, the unrelentless travail of a great woman in the service of her country and the Commonwealth. The ports of the world welcomed her.

                               Art Gallery Exhibit (poem from exhibit): I Am My Mother's Daughter

We not only mourn her death, we celebrate her life and her passing into the next realm.

I must finally admit that the book LITTOP is to be released on October 22 at Clearbrook Library, and I will do a reading. It is dedicated to Edward. 

Here are the poems I wrote for the Queen:

The Crucified One: Magnificat

 

The Renaissance would sing of you in blue

and white stained glass, with ruby crown,

the red blood of your body next ran down

to the torment of your outer flesh; you

were determined to die in every room

of the three levels of humankind: sound

doctrine made us build stone mansions, to found

hell, and earth, and heaven. Before monsoons

of spirits conjured up ideals—hours

swept away like old houses and picket

fences, marigolds flying in maize.

Rose-red smile, the dark hair, and pale-powdered

face of evening, Lilith’s flow’r, Lilibet’s

cry from all lands sounds, pure oil in a haze.

Elegy of the Royal Rose

 

There was always a royal rose,

in deep red hue, loyal

to a nation: entwining

as I looked deep into time.

The empire that bore

your name wore

the breastplate

with the coat of arms,

and sacred incense.

 

I was first to hold you,

in the lighted hour of truth,

and last to see you go,

the glisten of lush red,

the blush of pink,

a momentary trace of snow,

birth pang of departed lands—

life nestled in my open hands,

unrepentant starts,

O Commonwealth of hearts.

     Emily Isaacson

Here is a formal invitation to attend the WLI next three events: read more.

Here is the dress I will be wearing:  

April Cornell

Love in the Time of Plague

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I wrote a letter to the editor of the National Post, and it explains what the difference between self-publishing, or what they used to call a vanity press, and partnership publishing, or publishing in the modern age of print on demand.

Currently, five of my books are partnership published, which I would explain as: you are asked to pay for a marketing agent, or part of the cost of marketing the book. The publisher foots the bill for the actual book itself. This arrangement, which assumes a published book costs the publisher upwards of $19,000, means you pay out of pocket a small sum (usually $2000-$4,000), but make higher royalties. Usually I make upwards of 30%, and have more marketing assistance and effort put into the book of an emerging writer. This is the mainstay of publishing until you are established. Publishing your own book is considered an endeavor just for family, friends and locals. It would not be in major online bookstores, available in brick and mortar bookstores on demand, or on Amazon. It would just be called printing a book, with a small print run that you decide on and pay for with no editing, designing, or interior graphic design other than what you can do yourself.

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Here is the letter: 

December 24, 2020

To the Editor;

It is interesting to me that Emily Bronte was published in the newspaper under the name Ellis Bell in the early 1800's. Her first book sold all of two copies. If a book did not sell, the publisher discreetly destroyed the remainder. In the modern age, we have adopted something called 'Print On Demand' which in its early days was known as a Vanity Press. Now almost all Indie Publications are 'Print On Demand' so there are no extra books to throw out.

Back in the day editors used to publish poetry in the newspaper. There were a few rare poets who published under male pseudonyms, if they were women. Women poets only began to come out in the late 1800's as accepted for their own work.

I am a poet. I have written books for royals and for politicians, including the Prime Minister's wife. I write each poem with a special reader or recipient in mind. I have published almost 1,000 volumes of poetry. I have been both accepted and rejected in my nine year career in publishing verse. It is my desire this Christmas to wish all your readers a Happy Holiday in this trying and difficult season.

Sincerely,

Writer and poet

Emily Isaacson

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My idea for 

Love in the Time of Plague 

by poet Emily Isaacson

is subject to the publisher

who will re-design