English (en français ci-dessous)
It has been almost twenty years since there was last a publication dedicated to works of poetry from Canadian Quakers. The last of these collections was ‘Poems from the Journey: Poetry by Friends in Canadian Yearly Meeting’, edited by Margaret Slavin Dyment in 2007. It seems to us time to bring some new material to light, and luckily the CYM Publications and Communications Committee agreed!
So, shower us with your most meaningful assortments of phrases; allow us to use your words as strands as we sew together a simple patchwork of poetry.
The poems will be reviewed and selected by a group of three Quakers from Montreal Monthly Meeting, where the project (re)spawned. We are looking for works which reflect a quakerly spirit—whatever that may mean to each author. The writing should come from a deep place; it should reveal a kernel of Truth, of Light, of Spirit. A few excerpts from the 1992 collection of Quaker poems ‘Turning Pages, Seeing Sky: Poetry by Friends in Canadian Yearly Meeting’ (ed. Margaret Dyment) may shed some light on what is meant here.
“The leaves,
they lie gently tonight,
and in them death seems quite without malice.”
– Excerpt of ‘Reading in Meaning’ by Denise Cammiade
“when the trees come green,
after a night’s blackening
under a cobalt sky,
and pale pink light slowly spills
over the early morning wash
of a thousand bird cries,
where will you be”
– Excerpt of ‘June Question’ by Cornelia C. Hornosty
Here are some more practical details:
– Submissions should be no more than 108 lines, and a maximum of 72 lines from a single person will be published. This means we may publish multiple shorter poems.
– Poems in both English and French are welcome.
– Submissions will be accepted until the 31st of August 2026, and should be sent to .
Eagerly awaiting your words,
Sascha, Geoffreyjen, and Wendy from Montreal Monthly Meeting
Français:
Appel aux soumissions pour une collection de poésie d’Amis Canadiens
Cela fait près de vingt ans depuis la dernière publication dédiée aux poèmes de Quakers Canadiens. La dernière de ces collections était “Poems from the Journey: Poetry by Friends in Canadian Yearly Meeting”, éditée par Margaret Slavin Dyment en 2007. Il nous semble qu’il est temps de mettre en lumière de nouveaux écrits, et le Comité de Publications et de Communications à donné son accord!
Alors, offrez-nous votre assortiment de phrases les plus pleines de sens ; permettez-nous d’utiliser vos mots comme des fils pour coudre un simple patchwork de poésie.
Les poèmes seront examinés et sélectionnés par un groupe de trois Quakers de l’Assemblée Mensuelle de Montréal, où le projet a (re)vu le jour. Nous recherchons des œuvres qui reflètent un esprit quaker, peu importe ce que cela signifie pour chaque auteur. L’écriture doit venir d’un endroit profond ; elle doit révéler un noyau de Vérité, de Lumière, d’Esprit. Quelques extraits du recueil de poèmes quaker de 1992 “Turning Pages, Seeing Sky : Poetry by Friends in Canadian Yearly Meeting” (éd. Margaret Dyment) peuvent éclairer ce que l’on entend par là.
“The leaves,
they lie gently tonight,
and in them death seems quite without malice.”
– Excerpt of ‘Reading in Meaning’ by Denise Cammiade
“when the trees come green,
after a night’s blackening
under a cobalt sky,
and pale pink light slowly spills
over the early morning wash
of a thousand bird cries,
where will you be”
– Excerpt of ‘June Question’ by Cornelia C. Hornosty
Voici quelques détails pratiques :
– Les poèmes soumis ne doivent pas dépasser 108 lignes, et un maximum de 72 lignes d’une même personne sera publié. Cela signifie que nous pouvons publier plusieurs poèmes plus courts.
– Les poèmes en anglais et en français sont les bienvenus.
– Les soumissions seront acceptées jusqu’au 31 août 2026 et doivent être envoyées à .
Attendants vos mots avec impatience,
Sascha, Geoffreyjen, and Wendy de Montreal Monthly Meeting.