Sage Hill

Tonight I went down to Sage Hill to see AF Moritz read some poems and hear John Lent give the keynote address, in honour of Robert Kroetsch.

I didn't realize until tonight how much John's words have influenced my writing. Two summers ago, when I took the intro course taught by John and Susan Stenson, I first heard the words "spatial form." Hearing John talk about the transition from modernism to postmodernism in Canadian literature--seeing his passion for literature-- it felt like somebody understood me and what I wanted to say. It felt like I understood for the first time exactly what I could do with language.

I didn't realize until now just how much of the past two years since Sage Hill has been influenced by spatial form, ideas of fragmentation and juxtaposition. I presented a paper on spatial form for a graduate conference here in Regina. My honours project explored juxtaposition and fragmentation in the short story. I experimented in a long poem with ideas of simultanaety. Notions of multiplicity have influenced the way I read, and I honestly didn't realize how much until hearing John speak about them again. This whole time it's been an unconscious influence, an invisible guide helping me discover what kind of writer I want to be, what books I am drawn to read, what type of things I want to say.

I felt a sense of home as I listened to John speak tonight. I felt rejuvenated tonight, as though I'm back on track, back remembering what I love about literature. There is so much love and warmth at Sage Hill. It was great to see old friends and meet new ones. Generosity is a word that kept coming up. It's unbelievable how generous so many writers are to emerging writers. I wouldn't feel able to even think of myself as a writer without the encouragement of so many teachers and friends.

John talked a lot about Robert Kroetsch tonight. I never met him but I'm glad to read have one conversation John shared with Robert, and recorded in the book Abundance.

Here is a quote from Robert Kroetsch found on page 56 of that book:

"In the great journey stories you need a guide. You can't do it on your own. Even in The Divine Comedy, Dante has to meet Virgil. All of these stories are about meeting a guide who will take you to where you can make the discovery. You can't do it on your own. We are guided by somebody and we in turn become guides."