These Are Not the Words A New Semi-Autobiographical Novel by Amanda West Lewis - theHumm April 2022
These Are Not the Words A New Semi-Autobiographical Novel by Amanda West Lewis - theHumm April 2022
By John Pigeau
Reading the press release for Amanda West Lewis’s latest book, These Are Not the Words, I’m immediately struck by two lines from Missy, who is the book’s central character and narrator. I’m Miranda Billie Taylor, she says, introducing herself at the beginning of the novel. I make sense of the world with words.
I’m a writer. Many of my friends are writers. Any one of us might have said that. That is, it seems to me, what writers do. We make sense of the world with words. With stories. And, as with life, a lot of the discovery happens in the journey itself.
That is partly what happens to Missy in Amanda West Lewis’s latest novel, which is based on the events and people of Amanda’s own childhood, set against the backdrop of New York City’s legendary jazz scene in the 1960s. In time, Missy comes to see her “cool” parents — her mom goes to art school, her father is a jazz drummer who works days in advertising — as flawed human beings.
Amanda says writing about Missy’s self-discovery was a “freeing” experience.
“We are all flawed, of course,” she says, “but one tends to hold one’s parents in a different regard. To blame them or revere them. Getting to a place where you can see them for the flawed people that they were — people who had unfulfilled dreams, loves, passions and desires like yourself — takes time and work.”
“I didn’t set out to write a book that featured a young girl who suddenly saw her parents for who they were. That happened along her journey. I think Missy still has a lot to learn and come to grips with by the end of the novel. But she understands more about herself while she is learning how to let go of her parents. And isn’t that what we all need to be able to do?”
These Are Not The Words is a semi-autobiographical novel. In it, we see the not-so-glamorous side of an often-glorified time and place.
“People are fascinated that my childhood included Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and many others from the jazz scene at that time,” Amanda says. “I understand how exciting it must sound. However, those people and places sat in a part of my childhood that didn’t last very long and was connected to a lot of pain. They were very dark times. It was not a scene for children, yet there I was.”
“Children don’t think of their lives as extraordinary or different from others. I wanted to explore that historical moment from the perspective of someone for whom it was an everyday thing. That way I could show a bit of the underbelly. I wanted to show the excitement, certainly, but not to glamourize it.”
Sounds like a tough book, doesn’t it? By all accounts, it is. But authors who’ve read it also say it’s “a stunning story,” “a poetic punch to the gut,” that it is “splendid, genuine, and beautifully told,” and that the novel is “sweet” as well as heartbreaking and, in the end, “a masterpiece.”
“The book is called ‘semi-autobiographical’, which means that there are real people who do imaginary things and imaginary people who do real things,” Amanda explains.
She says it wasn’t the easiest thing to do.
“I think that the greatest challenge in this kind of fiction is not getting locked into ‘truth.’ I’ve allowed myself to go from kernels of things that ‘actually happened’ to fabrication supported by fact. I have used a number of events that didn’t happen to me but did happen to other people in the story. It’s a weaving together of an alternative past.”
“That said, there were some facts that didn’t want to be changed. Whenever I was skirting around something that was too hard and I tried to fictionalize it, it came back to bite me and to insist on being heard. Writing is like that. It takes over sometimes, as though it knows the path better than you do.”
Interestingly, Amanda says she’s never had any desire to write about her own past. Her mother, Laurie Lewis, has written two creative memoirs, and her grandmother also wrote a memoir. “That seemed more than enough for one family!” says Amanda.
This novel came out of previous decisions Amanda had made as a writer.
“I had written two historical novels about young people and drawn on my own perceptions to understand them and their lives. I have always been interested in how young people perceive and interact with the world. But it wasn’t until I was doing a masters in Writing for Children and Young Adults that I was encouraged to find that place in my own life, the place where I could see myself as a child, interacting with the world.
“By working with elements of my own past, I was able to contextualize them and live in them more deeply than I could have when they were actually happening.”
Writing These Are Not the Words was clearly a rewarding experience for Amanda. I think it’s safe to say it will be just as rewarding for her readers.
These Are Not the Words is available as of April 5 at your local independent bookstore or favourite chain. Amanda will be doing some in-person launches and readings, and she’s pretty excited about that.
“Oh, yes!” she says. “I have done so much online over the last two years, and it will be wonderful to be out with people. I have an in-person and virtual launch in Ottawa (Carleton Dominion Chalmers Centre, April 9), an in-person launch in Kingston (Novel Idea, April 20), and an in-person launch in Perth (The Book Nook, May 8 at 2pm). I must admit that the idea of reading from the book, seeing/hearing people’s responses, of actually signing books for people and talking about it face to face (or mask to mask) is so exciting I can hardly breathe!”
Find out more about Amanda and her book at amandawestlewis.com .
Dawn Walker — There’s a Pattern Here - theHumm April 2022
By Sally Hansen
Art… and Soul
The ability to identify patterns is an essential ingredient of human intelligence and development. It is a foundational component of mathematics, and more recently an essential underpinning of artificial intelligence. For we humans, it can also be fun and entertaining. For Almonte artist Dawn Walker, her talent for creating visual patterns on surfaces has become her passion.
Anyone who has wandered around a fabric store is intimately familiar with the importance of sur......
Joey Graff and The Hound of the Basketballs…Graff Directs Puppeteering Icons in Bawdy Baskervilles Take-Off - theHumm April 2022
Susan Macaulay interviews Joey Graff, Director of Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Basketballs, a too-funny-to-miss fundraiser for Puppets Up! 2022.
Susan Macaulay: Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Joey Graff: Let’s see. I was raised in Almonte, I’m 31 years old and I am the director of the upcoming puppet show Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Basketballs, which is playing at the Almonte Old Town Hall from May 12–15.
Good work plugging the show, Joey.
Thanks.
Your CV......
What’s the Commotions? A Spring Kick-off Concertfor the 2022 Stewart Park Festival! - theHumm April 2022
The Downtown Heritage Perth BIA and Stewart Park Festival will present What’s the Commotions? Spring Kick-off Concert, taking place on the Perth Brewery Patio at the Crystal Palace on April 22, and featuring The Commotions and Beatles cover band Beatlejuice.
The event features a night of drinks and dancing, with doors opening at 6:45pm and music starting at 7:30pm. Grab a bite on-site from the Law & Orders food truck and a cold beverage from Perth Brewery, Top Shelf distillery or Pelee......
The Ten Collective Third Annual Exhibit of Paintings - theHumm April 2022
By Eileen Hennemann
In April 2018, ten Mississippi Mills artists held their first show, expecting 500 people to visit. By the end of the two-day exhibit, more than 1,200 had attended. In 2019 attendance increased to 1,600. Visitors came from near and far and the artists were overwhelmed and thrilled at the show’s success. It was also a very busy weekend for local restaurants and stores.
“The overwhelming success of the last two shows and the demand for our work convinced us to mount a third exh......
Arts Carleton Place is On the Move! 2022 Art Show at the Carleton Place Arena - theHumm April 2022
On April 30 and May 1, forty-five local artists have been juried and will be participating in Arts Carleton Place’s 2022 Fine Art Show and Sale, taking place from 10am to 4:30pm each day at the newly renovated Carleton Place Arena at 75 Neelin Street. Admission is free.
We are all looking for something beautiful right now in a fractured world of high gas prices and conflict — and what provides more of a feast for the soul than the creativity and talent of the Arts CP exhibitin......
Festival of the Maples Returns to Perth! - theHumm April 2022
After a two-year hiatus, it’s now time to celebrate our region’s most famous agricultural commodity — sweet, savoury maple syrup! Once again, local maple syrup producers are the stars of the show at the Perth Festival of the Maples being held Saturday, April 30 in downtown Perth.For the past 46 years the Festival of the Maples has continued to grow, but it still maintains its grassroots focus on area maple producers. The annual festival has been a welcome rite of spring since 1976, and “ground zero......
Camp Lau-Ren(Overnight Camp, Deep River)The Academy for Musical Theatre (Perth, Ottawa)MERA Summer Arts Camps (McDonalds Corners)Honeybee Homestead (McDonalds Corners)Creative Summer Camps for Ki - theHumm April 2022
Camp Lau-Ren is a children’s summer overnight camp. Located 10km west of Deep River on the Ottawa River, the camp offers six-night co-ed camps for children aged 8–15, an all-girls camp, and a two-night camp for ages 6–7. Accredited by the Ontario Camps Association and the United Church of Canada, the camp has been in operation since 1952. Campers enjoy canoeing, swimming, crafts, and campfires, have lots of fun, and make life-long friends and memories. At the annual free Open House (Saturday,......
Countries Shaped Like Stars Family-Friendly Show Plays Almonte and the Ottawa Children’s Festival - theHumm April 2022
The story of Gwendolyn Magnificent and Bartholomew Spectacular starts with demanding dragon fruits and ends with heartache whispered into the ears of birds and constellations. With spoons, water glasses, whirly-winds and a mandolin, the performers create the sounds and images of a landscape forever altered by two people coming together, and then coming apart.
Part storytelling, part concert, this is a tale of love heard best through a tin-can telephone.
When Countries Shaped Like Stars ......
Local Explorer Jill Heinerth Awarded Stefansson Medal - theHumm April 2022
Canadian underwater explorer and Carleton Place resident Jill Heinerth has been selected as the latest recipient of the Canadian Chapter of The Explorers Club’s highest honour, the Stefansson Medal. The award honours “outstanding contributions to the cause of exploration and/or field sciences in Canada or internationally.”
This year’s award was given to Heinerth recognizing “lifetime contributions as a renowned cave diver, polar explorer, author, speaker, filmmaker and clima......
Second Time’s the Charm! - theHumm April 2022
By Sandy Irvin
Some of us have been waiting for this show for two years. And we’re so pleased that we can finally bring Ian Sherwood and Evangeline Gentle to our stage on April 30. Once again, the Folkus Concert Series will be offering our live show at the Almonte Old Town Hall, with a streaming option for those who are more comfortable at home.
Ian Sherwood is a singer-songwriter, storyteller, and multi-multi-instrumentalist. He is charming in person and funny as heck on stage between songs. He bring......
The Moment You’ve Been Waiting For… A Full Slate of Art and Craft Events! - theHumm April 2022
By Miss Cellaneous
The Other Islands in Almonte
From March 30 to May 6, Sivarulrasa Gallery is delighted to present Michael Pittman: The Other Islands, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Newfoundland-based artist Michael Pittman. The exhibition can be seen in-person during regular Gallery hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays from 11am to 5pm, and Sundays from 11am to 4pm.
In this new body of work, Pittman explores the harsh realities of life on the lesser ......
Food Insecurity and the Pandemic - theHumm April 2022
By David Hinks
In previous columns, I have referenced statistics that one Canadian household in eight experiences food insecurity. Is this a reliable estimate? Let me assure you that I did not make this up! Household food insecurity in Canada is measured by Statistics Canada using the Household Food Security Survey Module, which consists of 18 questions about food insecurity. The findings: 4.4 million out of 38 million Canadians experience some degree of food insecurity. Nearly one million of those experience severe food insecurity to the extent of missing meals or going whole days without eating.
......
Uniting in Pakenham A Welcoming Venue at St. Andrew’s United - theHumm April 2022
By Kris Riendeau
I recently had the pleasure of giving an Almonte Lecture on the topic of community theatre. Near the end of my talk, I lamented the lack of affordable venues for rehearsing and performing in Mississippi Mills. I guess Orpheus was paying attention, because I recently received an invitation to visit St. Andrew’s United Church in Pakenham, where four dynamic volunteers toured me around their beautiful and well-appointed space. Their mission is to create a place where the community can come to......
Ice War Diplomat Book Signing in Perth - theHumm April 2022
On Saturday, April 23, from 12:30–3:30pm, author Gary J. Smith will be signing copies of his new book, Ice War Diplomat: Hockey Meets Cold War Politics at the 1972 Summit Series, at The Book Nook in Perth.
Ice War Diplomat outlines the intersection of hockey and history, hockey and diplomacy. It is also the personal story of a young Canadian diplomat and his wife on their first assignment who found themselves in Cold War Moscow, landing in the middle of an historic s......
Taking the Bull by the Horns Local Artist Recognized in International Art Competition; Opens New Gallery in Pandemic - theHumm April 2022
Just as the first wave and lock-down of Covid hit, local artist Richard James Hutton received the joyful news of achieving Finalist in a world-wide wildlife art competition hosted by International Artist magazine. Richard, in his pleasant and gentle Scottish lilt, animatedly explains: “Because of my placement in the competition, my art is now featured in their magazine. This is huge. Seriously. Artists dream of being in International Artist. It’s a resource that ......
Celebrating a Decade of Fine Craft & Art - theHumm April 2022
This month, General Fine Craft will be celebrating ten years in downtown Almonte. Their carefully curated collection of “outstanding craftsmanship by Canadian artists” has become an integral part of the artistic fabric of the town, and the gallery is both a destination for anyone seeking handmade gifts, and a cheerful place for artists and art-lovers to gather. Owner (and artist) Richard Skrobecki infuses the space with his own welcoming energy and his tasteful attention to detail and displa......
Fun Events & Fabulous Festivals Return Miss Mills Interviews Tiffany MacLaren… about Mississippi Mills! - theHumm April 2022
If you don’t live in or near Mississippi Mills, you may be forgiven for not knowing the moniker of this amalgamated area that is home to Almonte, Pakenham and Ramsay Township. And if you’ve just moved to this area over the past two years, you may not be aware of its dynamic reputation as a hub of artsy, cultural and community events. Fear not! I, Miss Mills (the official puppet mascot of Mississippi Mills), am here to bring you back up to speed! To start, let me introduce my fabulous friend T......
25 Years of Nurturing Creativity - theHumm April 2022
Twenty-five years ago, Heidi Stepanek began offering musical theatre experiences to children and youth — first under the moniker “Kenapets Productions”, then as the Perth Academy of Musical Theatre (PAMT), and most recently as The Academy for Musical Theatre musictheatre.ca . Heidi’s CV is replete with theatrical and musical accomplishments: a Bachelor of Music degree focusing on piano and ethnomusicology, a year at the Royal S......
Gearing Up For Camp Staff Opportunities at Camp Lau-Ren - theHumm April 2022
Camp Lau-Ren’s Executive Directors, Joanne and Ron Hartnett, are hard at work planning for the upcoming 2022 summer camp season. Although there are many unanswered questions leading up to the summer, they are certain that Camp will open.
Their number one concern is staffing. Joanne explains that since the Camp has not been open since 2019, many senior campers did not have the opportunity to move into counsellor positions and there will be no returning counsellors. She hopes......
Book-themed Mugs Support Library - theHumm April 2022
Starting April 1, the Perth & District Library will be selling beautiful handmade mugs that feature a book and eyeglass decoration. Handmade by local potter Anne Chambers, the mugs will be available in five different colours and sold as a fundraiser for the library.
Anne Chambers is a studio potter and ceramics instructor who creates wheel thrown and altered functional porcelain. Anne has been actively involved in the craft community, volunteering for both The Ottawa......
Danah-Lee’s Made in the Image - theHumm April 2022
The way back to God, or to one’s religion, is often found first by finding a way to be true to oneself. Canadian Christian pop artist Danah-Lee pulls back the curtain on such a journey in her cello-studded, piano-infused new album Made in the Image.
Earlier this year, Danah-Lee released the single Home to Myself. The chorus is simple but powerful and heartfelt: “I’m coming home to myself.”
And the process of coming home is one the Ottawa Valley-based artist knows personally, having struggled......
Halfway There at the Station Theatre Norm Foster Kicks Off the Smiths Falls Community Theatre’s 2022 Season - theHumm April 2022
By Submitted Smiths Falls Community Theatre
It’s been a long time coming, but The Station Theatre in Smiths Falls is starting to open back up. It’s been a bumpy two years, not knowing what or when we could perform again. There were Zoom plays, recorded plays and radio plays, and we did venture a live show last fall with restricted seating capacity. Anything to let the audience know that they hadn’t been forgotten! But now we are ready to take tentative steps towards a normal remainder of our play season.
Laughter truly can be the best med......
Perth’s “Trashure Hunt” Come Out on April 23 and Help Clean Up the Streets! - theHumm April 2022
In celebration of Earth Day, Perth’s Climate Change Advisory Panel (CCAP) is hosting the first ever Trashure Hunt on Saturday, April 23. A town-wide clean-up, the event will not only help beautify the Town, but will bring together the community with fun, family-friendly activities as well!
“Springtime tends to unearth quite of bit of garbage that was disposed of throughout the winter months. It’s the perfect time for the community to come together and tidy up the town we all live in and love,” states Sadie Brule, event co-organizer and member of CCAP. “The event will also help teach ......
These Are Not the Words A New Semi-Autobiographical Novel by Amanda West Lewis - theHumm April 2022
By John Pigeau
Reading the press release for Amanda West Lewis’s latest book, These Are Not the Words, I’m immediately struck by two lines from Missy, who is the book’s central character and narrator. I’m Miranda Billie Taylor, she says, introducing herself at the beginning of the novel. I make sense of the world with words.
I’m a writer. Many of my friends are writers. Any one of us might have said that. That is, it seems to me, what writers do. We make sense of the world with words. With stories. And, as with life, a lot of the discovery happens in the journey itself.
The Orange That Went to Nunavut - theHumm April 2022
By Chandler Swain
This week in my scouring of mainstream and independent news sources, amongst all the awful stuff that was so utterly daunting, one little story stood out. It seemed to solidify all the thoughts about Climate Change and food security I was trying to create a story around. This was the fascinating piece on what it costs to get an orange from where it is was grown in California to a store in our Canadian Arctic 6,000 kilometres away.
There was so much about this little story that grabbed me. It’s hard to unpack, but for some reason my flow of consciousness went right to the old saying ab......
Union Hall Launches New Season Pancake Breakfast Kicks Things Off on April 24 - theHumm April 2022
By Linda Camponi
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the folks at Union Hall have been busy! Fundraising efforts have allowed us to continue sprucing the place up so that we are ready to hit the ground running now that public health restrictions have been eased to some extent.
Back in 2018, we completely renovated our two washrooms, making one accessible. Since that time, we have made necessary repairs to the building, fixed the roof, and painted the exterior. A brand new ramp has been installed at th......
Why I Need My Cookbooks - theHumm April 2022
By Glenda Jones
Today’s the day for really good gingerbread cake. There are a gazillion foodie websites with hundreds of recipes, but you’re not going to find a better one than what Lyle’s Golden Syrup put out in the 1970’s. Every recipe in their book features “Golden” in the title, so you know they’re not too concerned about calorie content.
It’s held together with Scotch tape, and many of the pages are so stained it takes a stretch of imagination to remember the ingredients. You know it; you have books like this......
Indigenous Arts & Crafts Show - theHumm April 2022
Zion-Memorial United Church, located at 37 Franklin Street in Carleton Place, is delighted to be hosting an Indigenous Arts and Crafts Show on Saturday, May 7 from 10am to 4pm. The day will begin at 9am with a smudging ceremony for those who would like to take part.
Organizers anticipate that this show will become an annual event with all of the featured artists and artisans coming from the Ottawa Valley or Eastern Ontario. They will be displaying and selling a wide variety of di......
Author Series in Almonte - theHumm April 2022
By Pam Harris
Mill Street Books and the Friends of the Mississippi Mills Public Library are delighted to partner to bring you a variety of writers talking about their latest works. This is a free series to celebrate authors, reading, local bookstores and public libraries. All readings will be presented at the Almonte Branch of the Mississippi Mills Public Library.
Opening our series is Heather Tucker. Well known for her incredibly beautiful and artistic journals and scrapbooking, Heather went on to write a stunning début novel The Clay Girl, an ABA Indie Next Pick. Now she has followed up with Crac......
Apr 20 Perth Trashure Hunt Clean-up
Apr 20 Solitary Man
Apr 27 Festival of the Maples
Apr 27 The Moth Project
May 4 - 5 Spring Fine Art Show
May 5 Music at Mera: The Andrew Collins Trio
May 11 - 12 Art in the Attic
May 11 Engelbert Humperdinck & Tom Jones Tribute
May 16 MMLT Talk & AGM
- IS THIS A PROTEST?
- A Classic Whodunnit Agatha Christie’s Black Coffee at Studio Theatre
- Readers, Writers, and Poets
- Celebrate Indigenous Culture in CP
- Celebrate the ClassicsWith the Arnprior Choir
- 4F Auction Concoction Food, Fun, Fashion & Favourites
- Cheerfully Made Spring Market
- Electrify to Decarbonize Lanark
- Volunteer Forum
- Frankenstein Comes to The Station Theatre
