I’ve been intrigued by the story of Susanna Moodie, first in reading “Sisters in the Wilderness” by Charlotte Gray, describing the lives of Susanna and her sister, two upper middle-class women who moved from England to the backwoods of Quebec and Ontario in the mid 1830’s. Both were writers and Susanna is known for ”Roughing it in the Bush” and its sequel “Life in the Clearings versus the Bush.” Margaret Atwood, following a dream about Susanna, was prompted to write her “Journals of Susanna Moodie” from which these 4 poems are drawn. They reflect what hovered unsaid between the lines, expressing what Atwood thought Susanna really felt and thought but could not express at that time.

Margaret Atwood was invited to the premiere performance in Calgary. She replied that she was disappointed that she couldn’t travel as much as she’d like to but thanked us for reaching out and wished “Ensemble Resonance” best of luck with the performance.

These 4 evocative poems are rich in imagery and express the spirit of “New Beginnings in the New North”.