Clare Winstanley's second book of poetry, Round the Bend & Other Places, takes the reader on journeys to places near and far.
The themes of the new poems include, among others, the challenge of living with extremes of weather, the impacts of changing landscape, and the beauty of west coast wilderness, as well as a unique celebration of Salt Spring Island, Winstanley explained in a media release.
"It's told in a narrative piece through the four seasons," she said. “But I also invite my reader to travel with me further afield, from Haida Gwaii to Europe and the U.K.”
Winstanley, who writes as C.E.M. Winstanley and published her debut anthology "Bits of String & Thread – a tapestry of poems" in 2021, said it took almost three years to amass a sufficient body of work for her second book.
“I couldn’t have done it without my poets from Sooke Writers’ Collective," Winstanley noted. “They provided crucial feedback on each of the pieces as I was writing, encouraging me to craft six or even seven drafts before I was satisfied with the poem."
Although she wrote the last poem in December 2023, Winstanley took more time to complete the project because she wanted to include some of her watercolours and black-and-white line drawings, which took up most of the spring.
She returned to a local book-design company, Earthword Creative, to collaborate on the design of the book jacket and interior pages.
“It means a lot when the designer gets as excited as the author about a new book project,” she noted.
Winstanley has a lot to celebrate this month, including having a poem on display in the art and word Poetics exhibition, which runs until the end of the month in the Sooke Arts Gallery at 2043 Church Rd.
“September 2024 is looking so lucky," she said. "Not only do I have a poem on display in the gorgeous art and word Poetics exhibition running until the end of the month at Sooke Arts Gallery but I am launching my new poetry book, Round the Bend & Other Places, in a library-author partnership event."
The event, which is open to everyone, is on Sunday, Sept. 22 from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. at the Sooke Library at 6671 Wadams Way. There will be readings, refreshments, book signings and sales. The book, which costs $20, is available at Sooke Region Museum gift shop, Sooke Art Council Gallery shop, Bolens Victoria, and on the author’s website cemwinstanley.com.
