Two books were added to the Crabapple Mews orchard in the past year. Impact: Women Writing After Concussion is an anthology edited by E. D. and Jane, and published by University of Alberta Press. The book is full of personal essays framed, topically and thematically, by poems by Kyla Jamieson. In total, 21 women share their experiences with concussion. From the introduction: “The lack of research on women and concussion is just one example of medicine’s patriarchy problem and of broader social inequities. When men’s bodies and experiences are considered normative, women are invisible.”
Impact was featured on CBC’s The Next Chapter in a heartfelt conversation with Shelagh Rogers, Jane and the uber-talented Kinnie Starr. E. D. had the pleasure of meeting Shelagh Rogers in person at this year’s WordFest where they hugged and compared rainbow fashions. And on another thrilling note, Impact was named Trade Non-fiction Book of the Year at the 2022 Alberta Book Publishing Awards.
The newest release is Jane’s Patterson House, published by Inanna Publications. Patterson House is a “sweeping historical novel, part ghost story, part coming of age tale and part feminist rally cry.” Jane is currently sweeping the nation promoting the book and speaking to book clubs. After a long hiatus from socializing, crabbies showed up and cheered Jane on at both launches in #YYC and #YEG. For her full event schedule, visit janecawthorne.com.
At this juncture, in the third year since Covid hit, it feels important to have recorded our pandemic experiences: full of hopes, fears and uncertainties for the future. It was a strange and sometimes awful time. But as an introvert, I often found it a relief. I am not entirely ready for the busy-ness that has come with things opening up. There is too much catching up to do! Clearly it’s an impossible task. And so I stumble on, making more mistakes than ever, feeling overwhelmed but also deeply grateful that I have seen and hugged so many more people whom I love in recent weeks. It’s time to figure out the next steps in an increasingly unsettled world.
As they say, onward…