“Poet and author Anna Yin used her Matchmaker MicroGrant to produce the ebook Polyphonic celebration for Mississauga’s 50th Anniversary – 2024. This heartfelt, community-engaged work captures the essence of local artists, particularly writers, celebrating Mississauga’s 50th anniversary through poems, stories, paintings, and photos. The ebook can be served as a “yearbook” of 2024, and captures writing in English, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi and Persian. The book is written in three parts – the first explores the friendship between Mississauga and its sister city, Kariya, Japan, through poetry, particularly haikus. The second section features interviews with Mississauga community leaders and poetry writing on events that took place in Mississauga in 2024 and prior. Highlights include tributes to long-running Mayor Hazel McCallion and insights into what the future of Mississauga will hold. The final part showcases haikus written by students at Clifford International School in Guangzhou, China, guided by Anna during her 2024 travels. ” — Mississauga Arts Council, Oct 24, 2024
“A rich multi-cultural exchange through six Canadian poets” brought together six poets from diverse backgrounds, showcasing their latest and upcoming books at Albert Campbell Branch, Toronto Public Library on Oct 23, 2024. Through their readings and discussions they created a tapestry of stories and emotions that transcend borders. These six poets were Anna Yin, DC Reid, Allan Briesmaster, Bunny Iskov, Clara Blackwood and Ling Ge. This program is generously funded with the support of the League of Canadian Poets and the Canada Council for the Arts.
ISBN/国际书号： 978-1-998911-04-2 Book Design/诗集设计: Anna Yin (星子安娜) Book Cover/封面设计：Oliver Yang（杨鸿）
Poet: Katherine L. GordonTranslator: Anna Yin
Foreword
After Midnight is a collection of poems that reflect some vibrant years of discovery, observation and experience of what being alive in this vast sea of life really means for each of us, as we seek a place in a huge and complicated universe. Some of it is lonely, some of it so intimately connected with all natural phenomena that we are never truly alone.
We mature into connection: a moon-beam caught on the path, a leaf before winter in our hand, a rose opening in wonder, a heart that beats with wind and water murmur. The closer we draw to the miraculous world we are all born into, the more part of cosmic motion we are bound to feel. It is the only antidote to that anxiety of separation, the only comfort in love gone astray, health disappeared, hope a spark that needs fanning.
All of us fade into other star-fields, our words, art and music may remain, though it may be “after midnight” that they appear to us. Katherine L. Gordon， tumultuous year of climate and history, 2024
KATHERINE L. GORDON : MOON PASSION IN THE SHIFT OF EARTH VIDEO AND MUSIC BY EVAN GORDON This is a poem for Dylan Thomas Day 2024 which won a price in Italy. Katherine also won 2024 IL MELETO DI GUIDO GOZZANO poetry contest the SECOND PRIZE.
Anna Yin spent two months to travel to Japan, mainland China and Taibei, she has shared her poetry and translations while there. Here are reports about ten of her major events during her trip. Congratulations!
Epoch Poetry Quarterly (Taiwan) has more than 60 years history. Luo Fu was one of the founders and was a renown Chinese poet in the world. Anna has translated his poems in Mirrors and Windows (Guernica Editions 2021) Epoch Poetry Quarterly #215 published Anna Yin’s translations of poems by three Canadian poets: Liz Howard, Don Gutteridge, Armand Garnet Ruffo (in both original text and translations)
Don Gutteridge is a Canadian author of 70 books: fiction, poetry and scholarly works, one of his poetry books was a finalist for Governor General’s Literary Awards in 1973. He taught at Western University in the Department of English Methods. He is now professor emeritus and lives in London, Ontario.
Don’s poetry collection with Anna Yin’s Chinese translation will soon be published by Sureway Press. Congratulations! Thanks Albert Moritz 牧辛 & R. G. Moyles for blurbs! More poems by Don with Anna Yin’s translations are in Epoch Poetry Quarterly, New World Poetry etc. We will showcase more. Stay tuned!
Mark Ulyseas has invited Anna Yin to be a guest editor for a special bilingual edition. She has selected the following eight Chinese poets and eight Canadian poets (not in Mirrors and Windows) with poetry from a wide range of themes, different styles and unique backgrounds… Their poems with Anna’s translations will be showcased in Feb, 2023 Live Encounters! Stay tuned!
Here we also want to share the following poems with Anna’s translations, which inspired her to write new poems for her CC grant project!
MAC’s Arts for Business Directory is a roster of professional performers, musicians, visual artists, instructors, photographers, and more. Anna Yin’s services: Poetry for Health and Harmony in this collection are available for corporate events and communities to connect people with nature and their own creativity. For details, please contact Anna! Happy Holiday Seasons!
In one of Morrisseau’s few political paintings, he emphasizes that the treaties between the first nations and the euro-canadians have not been honoured, He connects this disregard by the dominant culture to the treatment of the land.
The Land (Land Rights), 1976 by Armand Garnet Ruffo
This painting he doesn’t whip up for money: It’s the furthest thing from his mind. Something else is going on here.
He begins by separating the canvas into two spaces. Two paths much like a wampum belt.
One side blue for ocean. One side red for sunset. One side for Indian. One side for Whiteman.
On the Indian side, a man, the older generation, sits with a howling baby on his lap. A talking beaver balanced on his head like a totem. Below his feet birds and fish support him. The whole natural world inside him. Behind him, the faces of the ancestors facing backwards to the treaties.
Look at them, the man is saying, Look at this, but his words do not cross the divide and go unheard.
The child strikes out toward two white-faced Canadians startled by the cries curling from his mouth, by his fist nearly the size of his head punching through to their side.
The animals too protest the destruction the settlers have brought with them. Together they are saying when the earth dies we all die. It is something the artist wants you to see. Clearly, like a glass of drinking water.
The poem is from The Thunderbird Poems by Armand Garnet Ruffo (Harbour Publishing 2015) Paining: Norval Morrisseau, The Land (Land Rights), 1976. (Link)
Armand Garnet Ruffo is recognized as a major contributor to both contemporary Indigenous literature and Indigenous literary scholarship in Canada. His publications include Grey Owl: The Mystery of Archie Belaney (1996/ 2021); Norval Morrisseau: Man Changing Into Thunderbird (2014), The Thunderbird Poems (2015) and Treaty# (2019). A two-time finalist for Governor General’s Literary Awards, he is the recipient of numerous awards. In 2017, he was awarded the inaugural Mayor’s Arts Award from the City of Kingston, and in 2020, he was awarded the Latner Writers’ Trust Poetry Prize. He is currently the Queen’s National Scholar in Indigenous Literatures at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Armand Garnet Ruffo是加拿大当代土著文学和土著文学学术的主要贡献者。著有《灰猫头鹰：阿奇-贝莱尼之谜》（1996/ 2021）《诺瓦尔-莫里索：人变雷霆鸟》 (2014), 《雷霆鸟诗集》 (2015) and 《条约#系列》 (2019)。两次入围总督文学奖，他荣获许多奖项， 包括2017年金斯顿市的首届市长艺术奖，2020年拉特纳作家信托诗歌奖。他目前是加拿大皇后大学的土著文学国家学者。
Anna Yin was Mississauga’s Inaugural Poet Laureate (2015-17) and has authored five poetry collections and one collection of translations: Mirrors and Windows (Guernica Editions 2021). Anna won the 2005 Ted Plantos Memorial Award, two MARTYs, two scholarships from USA and grants from Ontario Arts Council and Canadian Arts Council. Her poems/translations have appeared at Queen’s Quarterly, ARC Poetry, New York Times, China Daily, CBC Radio, Literary Review of Canada etc. She has designed and instructed Poetry Alive with multimedia since 2011. She read on Parliament Hill, at Austin International Poetry Festival, Edmonton Poetry Festival and universities in China, Canada and USA etc. 星子安娜 Anna Yin加拿大密西沙加市第一屆桂冠诗人（2015-2017）获2005 年安大略省詩人協會詩歌奖，2010／2014 密市文学奖，2013 CPAC专业成就奖以及2016/2017美国诗歌大会奖学金和安省艺术项目奖等。著有四本英文诗集以及《爱的灯塔》双语诗选和《Mirrors and Windows/镜子与窗户》东西诗翻译诗集。安娜诗歌以及翻译发表在多个国际刊物，也被加拿大国家诗歌月和全国公交巡展诗歌以及大学选用。安娜多次在国际诗歌节表演和講授诗歌，承任诗歌评委和策划人。
This is a part of Anna Yin’s project: To explore poetry/painting from Indigenous and Chinese sources with analyses and translations for cross-cultural bridging. We thank the Canada Council for the Arts and CPAC for support!
