Forthcoming from Ronsdale Press, Spring 2027
Lesley-Anne is delighted that Wendy Atkinson publicist of Ronsdale Press will be publishing her new book of poems, due out in Canada in April, 2027. The title and cover reveal is coming very soon, alongside book pre-sales.
News updates and notes on the journey toward the publication will be shared on Lesley-Anne’s Instagram feed at lesleyanneevanspoetry, and her new Substack at Word from Feeny Wood. Please subscribe and follow and share with others! Inquire about her books at your local indie bookstore.
Mute Swan
Mute Swan, Poems for Maria Queen of the World explores the landscape of the voiceless. Drawing on her own experience of religious exclusion, the poet navigates a way forward while creating space for others who are marginalized and silenced. The poet, looking unflinchingly at injustice, impermanence, shame, longing, and love, offers a story of un-muting and spiritual awakening. Mute Swan is an allegory–a love letter calling us home.
“A remarkable debut…”
David Kent, Publisher, The St. Thomas Poetry Series
“A brave, original, memorable collection.”
Malcolm Guite, Poet, Singer-Songwriter, Priest, and Academic
“…fiercely present…committed to justice-making as well as to the mysteries of being…”
Susan McCaslin, Poet, Writer, and Educator
“…meticulous brilliance…vivid, highly evocative…crisp, and quietly intense…”
Diane Tucker, Poet, Editor, Fiction Writer, and Playwright
“…the cheeky air of a rhetorical argument…breathtaking…clever…cunning…simultaneously nurturing and wild…”
Cole Klassen, Genderfluid Musician, Poet, and Teacher
“…earthy, raw…rich birthing imagery…poems where everything belongs.”
Christine Valters Paintner, Benedictine Oblate, Poet, and Spiritual Director
“…a story beckoning me to a supper table where even the most rejected, fearsome and lonely parts can know home.”
Gareth Higgins, Author, Storyteller, and Peacemaker
“…delightfully feminist in its embodied all-inclusive natural imagery…”
Katerina Vaughan Fretwell, Poet, Artist, Journalist, and Reviewer
“Moving fluently between languages of nature, silence, and faith…”
Jordan Hartt, Poet, Reader, Teacher, Community and Events Organizer
Reviews and articles
The BC Review (formerly The Ormsby Review): “A voice for the mute swan,” by Cole Klassen
“The Natural Calls Forth the Supernatural: A Reflection on Mute Swan by Lesley-Anne Evans,” by Diane Tucker
Kelowna poet’s experience of religious patriarchy and exclusion results in a debut poetry collection of radical inclusion, by Gonzo Okanagan Media
Toronto and Kelowna Launches
Toronto, April 22, 2023: an in-person event livestreamed and viewable HERE. With readings by St. Thomas Poetry Series poets, Lesley-Anne Evans, Bruce Meyer, and Bruce Hunter, in the St. Thomas Anglican Church, Toronto. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the League of Canadian Poets.
Kelowna, December 11, 2021: at home in Lesley-Anne’s living room at Feeny Wood, B.C., this event was attended by a small group of family and friends. It was livestreamed and is viewable HERE.
Availability
Purchase Mute Swan at:
The St. Thomas Poetry Series
Amazon.ca
Regent College Bookstore, Vancouver, BC
“Read Local Okanagan” Pop-ups
Indigo, Kelowna
Lesley-Anne’s in-person readings
Read Mute Swan at:
The University of Toronto Library
St. Mary’s University Library, Halifax
University of British Columbia-Okanagan
Okanagan Regional Library
The video below was filmed at Feeny Wood in Kelowna, BC. Credit to Olivia Seneshen, Videographer.