Though the aim of this blog is to introduce lesser known female authors I couldn't possibly leave Jim Nason, another Canadian poet, behind. Having introduced Maureen Hynes and Ruth Roach Pierson, I decided that he deserves to be presented on this blog and made known to a wider audience. Additionally, all three are very close as Maureen wrote a critical praise for the back cover of his latest collection Narcissus Unfolding: "[...] Nason's clear-eyed gaze is searing, his perceptions of the natural world and the human startling. His natural musicality combines with the honesty of his poems to bring us closer to our wishes, failings, emotional truths." (Frontenac House Ltd., 2011). Honesty and truth recur in various of Jim's interviews: "I am most influenced by social activists like Allen Ginsberg and Nikky Finney and I want to be the kind of poet who is brave enough to tell the truth, no matter what." (JN on BCP, 1/2012) and furthermore: "I try to tell the truth about what I see and know about the world. I happen to know a fair amount from my personal life experiences but also from my work in social services." (JN on Xtra!, 2/2012). Being a social worker, Jim can reap from his daily observations, while transforming it into an art form which gives him the opportunity to express his inner wisdom: life, its smells, its noises, its limits.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Jim had a better start as a poet than Maureen (see October, 2012): The poem he wrote as an undergraduate won a prize! And in the meantime he has published The Housekeeping Journals (2007), a novel, and The Girl on the Escalator (2011), a short story collection, as well as three books of poetry: If Lips Were as Red (1991?), The Fist of Remembering (2006), and Narcissus Unfolding (2011), the second being his account of his partner's death from cancer. He has been a finalist for the CBC Literary Award in both poetry and fiction categories and been published in numerous literary journals and anthologies across North America. His success isn't so surprising knowing his credo: "Be the best poet you can be every time!" Working fulltime as a social worker in Toronto, he gets up early in the morning to write. Jim: "I cherish the opportunity to sit with language and appreciate what is revealed through the disciple of the poetic process.[...] The best part of writing for me, by far, is the sense of surprise I get when I have truly surrendered to the process, and the words take me to a place I had no idea existed." (JN on BCP) Like a painter, Jim pays close attention to the things around him. Combined with his discipline, he surely deserves Maureen's praise. Take your time to listen to Jim reading himself from his latest book of poems:
P.S.: Did I succeed in getting you curious about the currenct Canadian poetry community? Go ahead and subscribe to the website of CV2:The Canadian Journal of Poetry and Critical Writing. Enjoy and spread the word!