Scattered Snowdrops, compiled by Kamal Parmar : commonplace book

Scattered Snowdrops, compiled by Kamal Parmar is renewing the practice of keeping a commonplace book. This book meets at the modern crossroads of blogging and print on demand.

Are we unique in collecting touchstone ideas? Almost thirty years ago I made such a collection myself online, of aphorisms and quotes that inspire. We even overlap in one from Lao Tze: “The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world” although mine completed the quote “A sword that can cut through sinew and bone … has little effect on a silk scarf wafted on the wind.”

Parmar’s previous book of poetry What Does The Wind Say? was reviewed as “nourishing, comforting, rejuvenating — and invariably shared with love.” Three of her previous collections were published by Silver Bow Publishing, others on Kindle and by the Ontario Poetry Society.

The effect of the quotations book is something akin to a daily devotional, such as The Fireside Book, and The Friendship Book, those annual anthologies of daily aphorisms and verses put out by DC Thomson, a Scottish Protestant publisher. Each book celebrates the seasons with inspirational thoughts and poems and full-colour illustrations. (They, incidentally, have a yearly submission call for poems.)

To be clear, the quotes and epigraphs in Scattered Snowdrops are secular, such as ones by GB Shaw, Maxim Gorky and Thomas Carlyle. Some lines are jotted down unattributed notes, perhaps from health magazines, such as “Become a morning person” or “Keep your waistline in line.” Unlike The Fireside Book, there is no sectioning by subject or season over the slim 56 pages.

The aim of the haiku poet and Poet Laureate of Nanaimo is to share what she finds worthwhile. She aimed to create a coffee table book to inspire others to take the time to slow down and reflect. It is soft-covered but lush with calendar-perfect images of landscapes and close-ups of flowers.

To share what is meaningful to yourself is an act of generosity. You put things you find useful out there to amplify the signal of the idea and hope others, just behind you or beside you in the journey, can speed their travel. This is what is human to do every time we raise a topic in conversation, make a poem, an essay, or other piece of art. To publish is to add to the cultural conversation formally.

To share what is meaningful to yourself is an act of generosity.

It can be humbling to listen. The page can be a meeting place. If so, what is the review and its purpose? A sort of pre-surfer to read the entire so someone else can see if they want to read the entire for their needs.

There are disadvantages to being an editor. It makes me myopic, seeing typos, over intent. Some quotes were paraphrases of the original, many were unattributed and images used without photo credit. I wish it had a firm copy edit before it went to print. This does not, of course, interfere with content to those who want some quiet reflection.

That said, it has a lovely layout and design, text and images not competing for legibility.

There is a balance, symmetry, and harmony of pairing of a beautiful shoreline or an autumn tree hanging over a lake and some food for thought. Some readers will not notice issues. We can see the intent for what it is, a putting forward of what struck a person and might lead others forward in hope.

Nanaimo poet and writer, Kamal Parmar has been passionately involved in writing since the last 20 years. Her genre is poetry and she has a few books, both poetry and creative non-fiction, to her credit. She has a number of poetry publications in reputed Canadian literary journals and magazines. She is a member of a several writers’ organizations and Writers Guilds and is also a manuscript evaluator in one of them. She is currently, an active Board member of the Federation of BC Writers, and was also Secretary of The Ontario Poetry Society, while in Ontario and has also given poetry readings in various libraries, in ON, SK and in BC. She is also a member of The Writers Union of Canada, the Canadian Authors Association as well as of Haiku Canada. She is an Associate member of the League of Canadian Poets. She is the current Poet Laureate of the City of Nanaimo.

Publisher: Self-Published (Dec 5, 2023)
Paperback 5.5″ x 8.5″ | 56 pages
ISBN: 979-8870867144

Pearl Pirie

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Pearl Pirie's WriteBulb is now available at the Apple store. A prompt app for iOS 15 and up gives writing achievement badges. Pirie’s 4th poetry collection was footlights (Radiant Press, 2020). rain’s small gestures (Apt 9 Press, 2021), minimalist poems, won the 2022 Nelson Ball Prize. Forthcoming chapbooks from Catkin Press and Turret House. Find more at www.pearlpirie.com or at patreon.com/pearlpiriepoet