Martha in the Mirror

In this third collection of poetry, Renee Norman inhabits Martha Quest like a spirit, and rewrites her through poems that bring her into being. Martha is Doris Lessing’s autobiographical protagonist from her Martha Quest series of novels, and Norman “borrows” Martha and encounters her in the mirror of writing. There she reflects upon, interprets, and reimagines Martha, at times addressing Lessing, too. But within–and in between–the lines and stanzas, she also encounters herself, as she is filtered through Martha’s reflection, the Martha who is in us all. Theses poems are about love and loss, birth and motherhood, longing and abandonment, and the compassion and understanding women can bring to one another.

AUTHOR

Renee Norman

Renee Norman is an award-winning poet, a writer and a teacher. Her first volume of poetry, True Confessions, was awarded the Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award for Poetry in 2006. Her second book of poetry, Backhand Through the Mother, was published in 2007. Renee completed her graduate work at UBC and received the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies Outstanding Dissertation Award for her dissertation, which was published as a book by Peter Lang, New York. She has received several poetry and non-fiction prizes for her work. Currently Renee is a literacy consultant for Vancouver School Board. She lives in Coquitlam, British Columbia.