If you live in Almonte, you may have seen Susan Macaulay around town: at the library, the Independent, the OVC, the post office, North Market, walking on Mill Street or attending an event at the Old Town Hall. She tends to stand out because she wears a lot of bright pink. Or purple. And funky eyeglasses.
In spring, summer or fall, you might also spot her on a motorcycle. She started riding when she was sixty-five. Besides being visible and adventurous, Susan is a writer, blogger, editor, speaker, dementia care advocate and retired public relations professional. She’s also a poet.
Speaking of which, did you know April is National Poetry Month? The perfect time for Susan to launch her first poetry zine!
“The timing is actually coincidental rather than intentional,” Susan says. “I’ve been trying to compile a book of poetry paired with images since I moved to Almonte in 2018. It’s only taken me eight years to make it happen!”
Susan began writing poetry in 2011, but it was only when she came to Almonte in the spring of 2018 that she was inspired to paint word pictures of landscapes and townscapes.
“It all started with a painting of Mill Street by Eileen Henneman,” Susan reflects. “I was captivated by the piece. Meanwhile, I found the name of the street — Mill, that is — to be curious. I thought it ought to be called Main. Next thing you know, a poem popped out.”
Susan’s poem grist for the mill was published in theHumm along with Eileen’s painting in August of 2019. Now it’s the title poem of Susan’s pilot zine, this time paired with an image by local photographer Victoria Miller. Susan often composes in rhyming couplets — two successive lines with words that rhyme at the end — which she then joins to form four-line stanzas. She’s a big fan of Dr. Seuss, and sometimes emulates the anapestic tetrameter he used in his most popular books.
“I love to write in a whimsical, lighthearted style as well as to explore more serious, thought-provoking themes,” she says. “This little booklet includes both. And all the poems are inspired by the sights and spirit of Mississippi Mills as captured by local photographers who have donated their images to the project free of charge.”
Poetry that’s inspired by visuals, by the way, is called “ekphrastic”.
“I love our community and everything it has to offer. So do my collaborators. That’s why, after paying for printing, we’re donating all the proceeds from the sale of grist for the mill to The Lanark County Food Bank,” Susan explains.
Synchronistically, the zine (in both colour and B&W) is available now at Mill Street Books in Almonte. Susan will read from it and future zines at the Almonte Library on April 21 from 7–8pm and April 25 from 2–3pm. The readings are free; everyone is welcome.