Jannie Edwards

Although born in South Africa, I am deeply rooted in Edmonton and the prairies. I have published three books of poetry: The Possibilities 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. My essay "All Night Mirror: Notes toward an Elegy" won the 2012 Writers Guild of Alberta award for creative non-fiction.

In addition to writing and publishing poetry, creative non-fiction and short fiction,  I have considerable editing and workshop facilitation experience. I taught creative writing, composition and literature for over 25 years at MacEwan College, (now  University). I was the 2011-12 Canadian Authors Association Writer in Residence for Edmonton and Northern Alberta.

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I am drawn to artistic collaborations -- read more on the Blog.  

• Make=Believe, a collaboration with visual artist eco-land artist Sydney Lancaster at our five-acre homestead farm near the historic Victoria Trail, northeast of Edmonton. 

• Engrams: Reach and Seize Memory,  a videopoem inspired by the work of visual artist Darci Mallon, in which my poetry is translated into American Sign Language and performed by Deaf artist Linda Cundy. 

• Blood Opera: The Raven Tango Poems was adapted for the stage by dramaturge Mark Henderson and performed in a variety of Edmonton arts festivals, with tango choreography by Kathy Ochoa.

• Video-poetry installation, adrift,  with visual artist Agnieszka Matejko and videographer Bob Lysay. This work explores the paradox of the presence of absence of urban homeless. It was exhibited at the University of Alberta`s FAB gallery in InSight2: Engaging the Health Humanities, an international exhibition "at the nexus of design, the health humanities and community."

•  Mill Woods Living Heritage project in my Edmonton Mill Woods community, which resulted in original artworks inspired by the oral histories of the community. e is a founding member of the Mill Woods Artists Collective, a grassroots group committed to "Building Community through Art." 

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