UPEI’s Dr. Richard Lemm to launch new book of poetry, June 29

Dr. Richard Lemm, one of PEI’s best-known authors and a UPEI English professor for many years, will launch his new poetry book, Jeopardy: New Poems, on Friday, June 29, at 7:00 pm in the Carriage House of Beaconsfield Historic House, located at 2 Kent Street in Charlottetown. Acorn Press, the publisher, will host the launch and reception.

The book opens with “Profane and Sacred” poems conjuring myths and journeys—Adam and Eve’s Edenic choice; a Jewish surgeon’s pilgrimage to Assisi; the poet’s grandfather leaving the family farm for America’s first imperialist war. “Skeletal Blues” explores a couple’s struggle with mental illness and the quest for healing.

“History Lessons” takes readers to the British penal colony in Tasmania, reveals pre- and post-Revolution experiences in Cairo teaching Egyptian students, and encounters an ancient civilization wrestling with cross-currents of modernity and tradition. “The Future Hurtling Toward Us” evokes with humour and urgency our ecological reality and environmental crises.

Dr. Lemm has published four other poetry collections, including Burning House, Four Ways of Dealing with Bullies, and Prelude to the Bacchanal, which won the Canadian Authors’ Association Award. He has won poetry prizes in the CBC Literary Competition, and a PEI Book Award for Shape of Things to Come.

Dr. Lemm’s biography of PEI’s “People’s Poet of Canada,” Milton Acorn: In Love and Anger, received the PEI Heritage and Museum Foundation Award. He edited two anthologies of Island writing: Riptides: New Island Fiction, which won a PEI Book Award and was a finalist for an Atlantic Book Award, and the best-selling Snow Softly Falling: Holiday Stories from PEI. At UPEI, Dr. Lemm teaches creative writing, Canadian literature, and environmental literature.

Congratulations, Dr. Lemm!

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.