Author Archives: rdavies

(1954-55: my grandmother’s house on Thompson Drive, two lots off Portage Avenue. She owned a cafe at the corner. Our upstairs bedroom had the wide window on the front. The house was torn down after the 1980s. I started grade … Continue reading →

’72: I did a duo with the guidance counsellor (who worked with me at Grand Centre High) which played the only lounge in town. We sang and played through my Fender Super Reverb. I was subsequently cased out and invited … Continue reading →

Veteran black journalist Isabel Wilkerson has done an admirable job of exploring the history and recent manifestations of racism and caste in America. She opens with a fine metaphorical introduction about racism and caste being deeply embedded in the ‘old … Continue reading →

that influenced my early teaching in 1972-75. (this 1963 book I studied in my first u year, 1967-68, had a significant influence on me with its beautiful photos by Rollie McKenna and several poems by each of the major poets … Continue reading →

1440 AM Wetaskawin. Covers ’50s-’70s well. And plays at least 1/3 olde Canadian you can hear nowhere else. Heard Edward Bear’s “Masquerade” and The Bells’ “Fly Little White Dove Fly” this morning, for instance.

My Kosovo poet-friend Kadrush Radogoshi has written often about the war, violence, and injustices in his home region that he left to start a new life in Edmonton. This is one of his eloquent poems in translation from 2014’s A … Continue reading →

Dumb stuff, often around the house. Or in winter. Not to be taken lightly. Often leading to a long time off from work or the usual. Time in hospital and convalescence. And, too often, the very thing that takes out … Continue reading →

early ’90s–an unexpected guest at the dinner table

early ’90s with my son