Gary Thompson

"To find their way, together" is the debut publication by Michael Waltz. This collection is drawn from the authors own experiences of life, love, death, family and forgiveness. These themes of love and loss are built through imagery from the natural world and dreamlike settings that take the reader on an intimate tour of emotion and reflection. Whether the poems are of family memories, love poems written on napkins to a muse, or the written thoughts on the struggle to understand loss, each one carries a common thread of the connections and celebrated journey. In this collection, the reader will find a line or a phrase that resonates, awakens a smile, pulls a tear or even summons a swoon for a lover past or present. These poems that should be spoken or read aloud, so the voice can breathe life into the words, the sounds and shapes set free to dance around the ears and soak into the soul.

Hugo Johnson is a hired chef for Queen Bianca Sutton. When the Queen insults Hugo's cookies, he gives her a firm slap, and the madness begins.

In Broken by Water: Salish Sea Years, the contemporary world is suffused with the past, a world where even the briefest moments are layered with meaning: widgeons spooked into flight echo the horror of orcas being captured in a quaint harbor; clouds storming north are like a massive spring migration and make human life seem insignificant; a raven's croak underscores the outrage of old-growth devastation; one vandalized grave portends the end of our world. These poems are alive in the moment precisely because they bring the dark, often forgotten, past into the light.

Black Creek Pioneer Village: Toronto's Living History Village is a recreation of a typical crossroads community found in Southern Ontario during the 1800s. Nestled on 56 acres of tranquility, the village is a step-back-in-time, a respite from the towering buildings and bustling traffic of the 21st century. Here, visitors discover the joys and daily realities of living in early Ontario. Here at the village, the sights, sounds and smells are tangible reminders of our past. Meet the blacksmith, the tinsmith, the weaver, the miller, the printer ...Meet the people who "live" at Black Creek and bring our yesteryears to life.