A Room Of My Own

A Walk Through the “City of the Bay” with Susanna Moodie by Janet Jarrell Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County On a city walking tour, it is a pleasure to discover the rich history that lies quietly in our midst waiting for us to rediscover it, to remember. One such historic figure is Susanna Moodie, an English born literary notable that made Belleville her home and resting place. Moodie has connections in both the Hamilton/Peterborough area and again right here in Hastings County. She was born in 1803 in Suffolk, England into a literary family, and was a published author by the time she was nineteen years old. In those early days, well on her way to becoming a professional writer, Susanna met Lieutenant John Wedderburn Dunbar Moodie in 1830 and a year later they were married. Neither had the backing of an inheritance that would provide for them in the manner to which they hoped to live in England. As a retired veteran, John was entitled ...

This is a recording of Virginia Woolf as published electronically through The Book Bench with The New Yorker . I knew I had stumbled on a treasure when I saw this. Her words continue to inspire me, but there was just something so visceral, so palpable in hearing her speak her own words, listening to her pause and then emphasize certain words, it left me content. The next time a pick up one of her novels, I hope to hear her voice inside my head. “This is presumed to be the only surviving recording of Virginia Woolf. It was recorded on April 29, 1937, as part of a BBC radio broadcast series called “Words Fail Me.” Woolf would have been fifty-five at the time.” (Partial transcript in this recording) … Words, English words, are full of echoes, of memories, of associations. They have been out and about, on people's lips, in their houses, in the streets, in the fields, for so many centuries. And that is one of the chief difficulties in writing them today – that they are stored with oth...

Poetry is making a long overdue comeback, even if it is only in my life, my eyes, my important circle in this world. And, I choose to include the poetry of Lorna Crozier in that circle. Her recent book The Blue Hour of the Day rests on my bedside table and has been of great comfort and inspiration to me since Christmas when I received it as a gift. The gift of poetry. The power of poetry. If I could send Lorna Crozier a message it would be that I value her poetry. She once wrote in ‘ Who’s Listening ?’ published in the NeWest Review in February/March 1989 that even she needs “to be reminded that poetry somewhere has value” and she adds “I write in case someone, anyone, is listening.” Lorna, we are listening and reading and singing too. Last night during the Music on Main at the Cellar Jazz Club & Restaurant in Vancouver B.C., poems from The Sex Lives of Vegetables by Crozier were set to music and performed by Leslie Uyeda. This is just one of the unique ways Lorna has inspired us...

Internationally, March has been declared Women’s History Month highlighting women’s achievements, roles and contributions in the effort towards equality between women and men worldwide. The Status of Women Canada announced the theme for 2009 as ‘Strong Leadership. Strong Women. Strong World. Equality.’ See the web page here, http://www.cfc-swc.gc.ca/dates/iwd-jif/index-eng.html It is equally important for men to be involved in the celebration of the women in their lives and to recognize these women for the equal partners they are. I am proud to be raising four very strong, independent daughters who are clearly leaders of their generation. Over the years, they have been exposed to many powerful and passionate female role models ranging from school principals to reverends, and most importantly, mothers. I do include myself here, but the list is long in our family of strong independent matriarchs that struggle for the life they want while remaining the nurturing mother too. As a Canadian...