Although born in South Africa, Jannie Edwards is strongly rooted in Edmonton and the prairies. She has published three books of poetry: ThePossibilities of Thirst (1997), Blood Opera: The Raven Tango Poems (2006), in collaboration with visual artist Paul Saturley, and Falling Blues (2010), a finalist for the Writers Guild of Alberta poetry prize. An Edmonton theatre group under the direction of Mark Henderson adapted Blood Opera for the stage as part of Workshop West's 2010 Canoe Theatre Festival.
In addition to writing and publishing poetry, creative non-fiction and short fiction, Jannie Edwards also has considerable editing experience in all genres. She taught creative writing, composition and literature for over 25 years at MacEwan University, where she coordinated the literary reading series and several multi-disciplinary student-faculty exhibitions. She continues to be active in the Edmonton arts community.
Awards
Arc Poem of the Year contest, 2003 (2nd): "Raven and the Birth of Tango" and "The Marriage Tango"Lapointe Prize, Acorn-Livesay People's Festival, 2000 (1 st): "An Old Woman Dreams of Sleep"
League of Canadian Poets Poetry Contest, 1997 (three poems in top 50) "Watching The Piano," "Granny Wolf Finds Her Voice," and "Habits"
Finalist and Editor's Choice - Arc Poem of the Year contest, 1996, 1998. "Holding Open" and "Water Ghazal"
Isabelle Miller Writing Award,(2nd) 1995, sponsored by Celebration of Women in the Arts, Edmonton "Read the Air"Isabelle Miller Writing Award (1st) 1997. "What to do when you lose a daughter"
Selected Publications
Dialogues (chapbook) (Greensleve Publishing, 1988
The Possibilities of Thirst (Rowan Books, 1997) ISBN: 1-895836-45-X
Engrams (video combining painting, poetry, and American Sign Language) Produced and Directed by Jannie Edwards and Rick Gustavsen
Blood Opera: The Raven Tango Poems (MacEwan Press, 2006) ISBN: 0-9780453-0-0
Falling Blues (forthcoming, Frontenac House Press, 2010)
Selected Anthologies
Our Fathers: Poetry and Prose by Daughters and Sons from the Prairies (Rowan Books, 1995) ISBN: 1-895836-10-7
Taking Off the Tinsel (Rowan Books, 1996)Vintage 97/98. (Quarry Press, 1998)
Waging Peace :Poetry and Political Action (Penumbra Press, 2002) ISBN: 1-894131-37-1
Letting Go: An Anthology of Loss and Survival (Black Moss Press, 2005) ISBN: 0-88753-393-0
Jane Austen Sings the Blues (University of Alberta Press, 2009) ISBN: 0-88864-510-4
Why I Sing the Blues (Smoking Lung Press, 2001) ISBN: 1-894442-01-6
Line by Line: An Anthology of Candian Poetry ( Ekstasis , 2002) ISBN: 1-896860-50-8
Reading poetry to workers at the Edmonton Waste Management plant as part of the first national annual Random Acts of Poetry.
