Kimberlee Jones and Laurie Anne Fuhr are devoted poets who believe that passions for literature bring innumerable and immeasurable benefits to women.
Jones and Fuhr are members of the Alexandra Writer’s Centre Society.
Laurie Anne Fuhr: singer-songwriter and poet
Laurie Anne Fuhr is a Calgary-based musician and poetry instructor. She lived in Germany as a military brat in her childhood, then lived in Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Cold Lake.
Her first poetry book, “Night Flying,” presents her experiences as a Canadian military brat in her early life. Currently, she is working on her second book.
Influence of friendship
Fuhr found a passion for poetry and music when she was in Grade 10, when she was living in Ottawa with her family. In the new school, she became friends with a classmate who likes music and writing.
“My interest in music and poetry initially appeared when my classmate and I were listening to a classic rock and roll record and my classmate suggested writing something down and share it when the music was over,” said Fuhr.
Passion inherited
She appreciated the encouragement from experienced poets when she first joined the poet’s community in Ottawa.
“One day, my classmate and I started taking the bus to a downtown Ottawa café where they had the open mic,” said Fuhr.
“We were young and holding on the notebooks in our hands. Poets in the café found us rather charming; they provided information for us to join the community. Being part of a community of people eager to hear what you had written laid the foundation for my future career path.”
Everyone has different words in writing
A few years back, Fuhr experienced a stage of pressure. As much as she tried hard to produce good work, she couldn’t help but to compare herself with other poets. She soon realized this kind of attitude would cost her joy and passion for the art.
For Fuhr, working on poetry and music is more like a healing journey. It helps her find happiness even when things bleed.
“I had lost close friends recently, and each person has different words. Writing about them makes me feel closer to them, and it almost feels like a prayer,” said Fuhr.
Kimberlee Jones: photographer and poet
Kimberlee Jones is a writing instructor at SAIT and works as a poet. She enjoys helping people who share the same passion for writing.
She published her poetry collection titled “Uncommon Grounds” with other poets. The book aims to encourage further collaborations between women.
Muse shines in poetry
Jones has been writing since she was a teenager. At that time, she was more interested in psychology and English fiction writing. Poetry, to her, was a mischievous muse that would often wander
“The inspiration for my first poem came from one evening. I was sitting on the shore of Kootenay Lake alone, surrounded by sunset with the afterglow shining on my shoulder,” said Kimberlee Jones.
Appreciate the significance of the world
Jones gives credence to the fact that woman can enrich their minds through the things they find passion in, and the power of understanding can change one’s life attitude. By embracing different art forms, women learn to accept the differences in life and appreciate significances of this world.
“During one afternoon in winter, I was walking on the sidewalk, and I saw a small plant covered by frost with sunlight glinting on the edge of the leaf. It was godly beautiful. I stopped to observe the scene, took a photo, and I went home to write a poem about it,” said Jones.
Better mental health
Jones created some proud works under intense emotions. She thinks writing poems gives a means to digest these negative emotions and help her maintain better mental health.
“We are human; we have moments of pain and grief, and we accept these emotions and work on that. Sometimes when I am writing a poem, I feel my body break away from my everyday person and inspiration pours out. It’s a spiritual practice,” said Jones.
To Jones, the most outstanding achievement of her passion is not the physical award but the people she works with. They are her bosom friends; they see each other.
Jones and Fuhr believe arts have the potential to model the world we want to see and encourage people to change it. Arts is persuasive to the minds and the hearts.
